The Priory City of Lincoln Academy
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The Priory City of Lincoln Academy is a sponsored academy in Lincoln for boys and girls aged 11 to 18. It has 922 pupils and room for 950. About 36 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 4 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 10% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in December 2025 and gave it a report card, which is below.
Skellingthorpe Road, Lincoln, LN6 0EP01522 882800priorylincolnacademy.co.ukMr Martin Whitaker headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted visited on 9 December 2025. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.
Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.
Earlier inspections (1)
| Date | Type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 10 May 2023 | S5 Inspection | Requires improvement |
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
174 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 | Lincolnshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 174 | 167 | 154 | 161 | 135 | 124 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 35.6 | 34.0 | 40.0 | 39.3 | 40.7 | 42.5 | 46.2 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -0.64 | -0.33 | -0.48 | -0.38 | -0.47 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 29% | 26% | 30% | 31% | 26% | 24% | 43% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 50% | 47% | 58% | 54% | 46% | 44% | 65% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.01 | 2.99 | 3.35 | 3.25 | 3.21 | 3.27 | 4.07 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 24% | 28% | 21% | 29% | 10% | 17% | 37% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 28.9 | 26.9 | 29.7 | 32.6 | 35.3 | 35.7 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 39.6 | 37.6 | 43.4 | 42.8 | 43.7 | 44.9 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 20.4 | 25.0 | 27.7 | 24.5 | 28.3 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 61.0 | 62.0 | 61.5 | 55.1 | 54.4 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 17 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Drama (11% here, 60% across England), Music (22% here, 61% across England), Design & Technology (13% here, 50% across England), Religious Studies (24% here, 60% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 172 | 7% | 40% | 54% | 53% | 2,447 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 172 | 7% | 31% | 55% | 54% | 2,997 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 169 | 7% | 37% | 59% | 58% | 2,857 of 3,202 |
| Religious Studies | 151 | 5% | 24% | 38% | 60% | 1,789 of 1,825 |
| Combined Science | 117 | 1% | 13% | 26% | 36% | 2,908 of 3,084 |
| History | 108 | 3% | 20% | 37% | 52% | 3,043 of 3,126 |
| Business | 76 | 3% | 24% | 36% | 51% | 1,621 of 1,806 |
| Geography | 64 | 2% | 23% | 30% | 51% | 2,878 of 3,116 |
| Art and Design | 56 | 18% | 34% | 50% | 58% | 2,425 of 2,818 |
| Biology | 53 | 13% | 47% | 66% | 82% | 2,417 of 2,570 |
| Chemistry | 53 | 11% | 49% | 60% | 81% | 2,348 of 2,537 |
| Physics | 53 | 15% | 47% | 60% | 82% | 2,406 of 2,546 |
| French | 50 | 0% | 36% | 46% | 60% | 1,708 of 1,974 |
| Music | 27 | 11% | 22% | 37% | 61% | 359 of 395 |
| Computer Science | 27 | 0% | 22% | 33% | 56% | 1,738 of 1,861 |
| Drama | 19 | 5% | 11% | 47% | 60% | – |
| Design & Technology | 16 | 0% | 13% | 19% | 50% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
A level and sixth-form results, 2025
65 students finished sixth-form courses.
All sixth-form measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 65 | 81 | 80 | 57 | 85 | 93 |
| Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry | 30.89 | 26.91 | 28.55 | 25.50 | 25.17 | 25.24 |
| Average A level grade | C | C- | C | C- | C- | C- |
| Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS | 32.78 | 33.03 | 33.89 | – | 24.29 | 31.52 |
| AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects | 8% | 0% | 17% | – | 0% | 0% |
| A level progressA level value added | +0.09 | -0.39 | – | – | -0.44 | -0.39 |
| Applied general courses: points per entry | 25.75 | 30.79 | 27.36 | 32.52 | – | – |
| T levels: points per entry | – | 20.67 | – | – | – | – |
| Stayed and finishedRetained and assessed | 100% | 96% | 93% | 100% | 80% | 89% |
A level subjects
4 A level subjects had results in 2025. Each figure is the share of students who got an A* to B, next to the average for state sixth forms in England. When only a handful of students take a subject, its figures jump around from year to year.
Every A level subject against England, 2025
A levels only. BTECs, T levels and other courses are in the table above. Subjects with fewer than five students aren't published.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 2 of the 3 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Open to all. There is no entrance test.
The school is full, with 38 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.
How places were given out for September 2026. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child chosen by how close to the school they lived, but the council didn't publish how far away that was.
What parents say
From Ofsted's Parent View survey: 67 parents answered in the year to 6 April 2026. Parents choose whether to fill it in, and many only do so when an inspection is coming, so don't read too much into small differences. The England figures are the average for secondary schools with enough answers to publish.
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (60), emotional and mental health (54), Autistic spectrum disorder (36), Specific learning difficulty (31), language and communications needs (14), Other difficulty or disability (8).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 922 | 944 | 980 | 986 | 943 | 921 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 36% | 34% | 30% | 29% | 28% | 26% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 14% | 12% | 11% | 10% | 9% | 8% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 22% | 19% | 17% | 17% | 17% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 3% | 3% | 3% | 2% | 2% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 86.5% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 13.5% | 13.0% | 11.3% | 12.0% | 6.6% | 6.6% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 9.5% | 10.5% | 7.4% | 8.8% | 5.1% | 4.7% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 4.0% | 2.5% | 3.9% | 3.2% | 1.5% | 1.9% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 36.2% | 36.3% | 31.5% | 39.2% | 19.8% | 18.6% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 65.5 | 62.3 | 23.6 | 13.5 | 15.0 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 13 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 3 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 154 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 79%, compared with 90% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 87% | 93% | 94% | 91% |
| Education | 77% | 80% | 84% | 82% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 6% | 5% | 3% |
| Work | 6% | 6% | 5% | 6% |
| Not in education, work or training | 8% | 6% | 3% | 8% |
After sixth form
Where the 61 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 67%, compared with 95% for everyone else.
Where the ones heading for university went
Among students from low-income families, 33% went on to degree-level study or training.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 84% | 75% | 82% | – |
| Education | 38% | 40% | 56% | – |
| Apprenticeship | 20% | 13% | 9% | 5% |
| Work | 26% | 23% | 17% | – |
| Not in education, work or training | 16% | 21% | 11% | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Peter and St Paul, Catholic Voluntary Academy | Academy | 690 m | 601 | Requires improvement 2024 | 9 | Compare |
| The Priory Witham Academy | Academy | 0.6 miles | 1,068 | Good 2023 | 23 | Compare |
| The Priory Academy LSST | Academy | 1.2 miles | 1,749 | Good 2023 | 73 | Compare |
| Lincolnshire Secure Unit | Secure units | 1.7 miles | – | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Sir Robert Pattinson Academy | Academy | 2.0 miles | 1,310 | Not inspected | 62 | Compare |
| North Kesteven Academy | Academy | 2.1 miles | 587 | Report card 2026 | 3 | Compare |
| Lincoln UTC | University technical college | 2.1 miles | 389 | Not inspected | 70 | Compare |
| Lincoln Castle Academy | Academy | 2.7 miles | 744 | Inadequate 2022 | 6 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares The Priory City of Lincoln Academy with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than The Priory City of Lincoln Academy, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Priory Witham Academy | Academy | 0.6 miles | 1,068 | Good 2023 | 23 | Compare |
| Lincoln Christ's Hospital School | Academy | 2.8 miles | 1,275 | No overall grade 2024 | 23 | Compare |
| The Newark Academy | Academy | 13.6 miles | 1,164 | Not inspected | 67 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 4 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 4% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 3 to 6. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | well below | -0.21 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 174 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | well below | -0.39 | Ofsted report card, 0.8 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | well below | -0.23 | DfE progress measure; 174 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | well below | -0.11 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | well below | -0.17 | 2024/25; 912 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | in line | -0.03 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 174 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | below | -0.04 | 154 pupils |
| What parents say | 5% | well below | -0.10 | Ofsted's Parent View survey, allowing for how many parents replied; 67 responses |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is The Priory City of Lincoln Academy a good school?
The figures are weak. The Priory City of Lincoln Academy scores 4 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 10% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 3 to 6, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.
What is The Priory City of Lincoln Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 9 December 2025 it rated teaching as needs attention, achievement as needs attention, behaviour and attendance as needs attention, leadership as needs attention.
How good are The Priory City of Lincoln Academy's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 29% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 35.6, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished most of a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does The Priory City of Lincoln Academy have?
922 pupils aged 11 to 18 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 950 places, so it is 97% full.
Is The Priory City of Lincoln Academy oversubscribed?
Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 38 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.
What is attendance like at The Priory City of Lincoln Academy?
Pupils were in school 86.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 36% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
What do parents say about The Priory City of Lincoln Academy?
43% of the 67 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey would recommend it to other parents, and 45% say their child is happy there. Across England, 77% of parents would recommend their child's school.
How big are the classes at The Priory City of Lincoln Academy?
The average class had 21.1 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 2% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does The Priory City of Lincoln Academy have a sixth form?
Yes. The average A level grade in 2025 was C. 4 A level subjects had results in 2025; the full list is in the results section.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Skellingthorpe Road, Lincoln, LN6 0EP
- Telephone
- 01522 882800
- Website
- www.priorylincolnacademy.co.uk
- Headteacher
- Mr Martin Whitaker
- Type of school
- Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-18, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- The Priory Federation of Academies (14 schools)
- Local authority
- Lincolnshire
- Ward
- Boultham
- Constituency
- Lincoln
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2008 (new provision)
- URN
- 135564 · LAESTAB 9256906 · UKPRN 10024303
- Formerly
- The City of Lincoln Community College
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- A level subjects: DfE A level and other 16 to 18 results, subject entries and grades, 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Lincolnshire council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.