The Wells Academy
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The Wells Academy is a sponsored academy in Nottingham for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 634 pupils and room for 800. About 47 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 24 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 42% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in January 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.
Ransom Drive, Nottingham, NG3 5LR0115 748 3390thewellsacademy.orgMr George Coles headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted visited on 13 January 2026. 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 (3)
| Date | Type | Outcome | Inspected as |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 April 2026 | S5 Inspection | – | Nottingham Academy (predecessor) |
| 14 November 2023 | Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 | Requires improvement | Nottingham Academy (predecessor) |
| 23 May 2023 | Academy First Section 5 | Requires improvement | This school |
† These inspections are for Nottingham Academy, the school this one replaced in September 2020. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
144 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† | Nottingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 144 | 132 | 126 | 123 | 361 | 321 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 43.1 | 34.2 | 38.5 | 40.1 | 39.0 | 37.9 | 44.2 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -0.95 | -0.64 | -0.39 | -0.42 | -0.30 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 35% | 26% | 28% | 28% | 24% | 25% | 41% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 59% | 48% | 51% | 55% | 42% | 46% | 61% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.60 | 2.96 | 3.33 | 3.38 | 3.17 | 3.12 | 3.83 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 16% | 24% | 35% | 20% | 44% | 53% | 29% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 40.5 | 28.8 | 32.8 | 37.6 | 34.5 | 34.4 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 45.4 | 41.2 | 44.4 | 45.0 | 42.8 | 41.9 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 20.5 | 23.6 | 29.5 | 22.3 | 24.5 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 51.8 | 54.2 | 53.9 | 52.4 | 53.7 | – | – |
† These results are for Nottingham Academy, the school this one replaced in September 2020. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Subjects
Results came out for 14 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: Statistics (22% here, 51% across England), Geography (23% here, 51% across England), History (29% here, 52% across England), English Literature (41% here, 58% 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 | 145 | 12% | 39% | 67% | 53% | 2,534 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 145 | 10% | 40% | 61% | 54% | 2,560 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 143 | 5% | 41% | 69% | 58% | 2,633 of 3,202 |
| Statistics | 139 | 3% | 22% | 50% | 51% | 325 of 375 |
| Combined Science | 107 | 7% | 24% | 41% | 36% | 2,297 of 3,084 |
| History | 68 | 7% | 29% | 53% | 52% | 2,803 of 3,126 |
| Geography | 53 | 6% | 23% | 43% | 51% | 2,899 of 3,116 |
| Physics | 33 | 33% | 91% | 100% | 82% | 1,046 of 2,546 |
| Chemistry | 33 | 33% | 79% | 94% | 81% | 1,610 of 2,537 |
| Biology | 33 | 27% | 70% | 100% | 82% | 2,009 of 2,570 |
| Religious Studies | 28 | 7% | 46% | 64% | 60% | 1,439 of 1,825 |
| French | 27 | 26% | 44% | 48% | 60% | 1,531 of 1,974 |
| Other Modern Languages | 19 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 49% | – |
| Drama | 13 | 0% | 62% | 85% | 60% | – |
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.
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
104 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. These are the results of Nottingham Academy, the school this one replaced.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025† | 2024† | 2023† | 2019† | 2018† | 2017† | Nottingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 104 | 110 | 108 | 93 | 93 | 81 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 47% | 51% | 51% | 47% | 74% | 58% | 62% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 5% | 5% | 3% | 11% | 17% | 6% | 7% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 101.0 | 102.0 | 101.0 | 102.0 | 108.0 | 102.0 | 104.4 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 102.0 | 103.0 | 101.0 | 101.0 | 106.0 | 104.0 | 104.1 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 105.0 | 106.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 | 109.0 | 102.0 | 104.7 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 60% | 65% | 58% | 66% | 86% | 64% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 71% | 71% | 69% | 61% | 85% | 80% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 60% | 72% | 73% | 72% | 80% | 74% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -3.3 | -0.7 | +3.1 | +1.0 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -2.2 | -2.4 | +2.1 | +2.5 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 31% | 53% | 46% | 41% | 53% | 56% | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 59% | 50% | 55% | 51% | 84% | 60% | – | – |
There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.
† These results are for Nottingham Academy, the school this one replaced in September 2020. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
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. 5 of the 7 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
At the end of primary school, 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.
200 places were empty (22% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 10% since 2021/22.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Nottingham council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
What parents say
From Ofsted's Parent View survey: 79 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: emotional and mental health (45), Moderate learning difficulty (31), Autistic spectrum disorder (16), Specific learning difficulty (8), language and communications needs (8), Physical disability (2).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 634 | 704 | 702 | 682 | 620 | 641 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 47% | 47% | 47% | 52% | 56% | 54% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 45% | 38% | 39% | 38% | 37% | 36% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 11% | 13% | 13% | 14% | 21% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 2% | 1% | 0% | 1% | 1% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.4% 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 | 7.6% | 11.3% | 10.9% | 8.1% | 7.4% | 5.8% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 4.3% | 4.4% | 2.3% | 2.8% | 2.8% | 3.6% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 3.3% | 6.9% | 8.5% | 5.4% | 4.6% | 2.3% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 24.4% | 34.4% | 32.6% | 23.1% | 21.5% | 15.1% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 25.1 | 63.4 | 78.9 | 43.9 | 34.8 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 12 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – |
† These attendance figures are for Nottingham Academy, the school this one replaced in September 2020. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 126 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 80%, compared with 92% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 86% | 85% | 84% |
| Education | 85% | 81% | 78% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 0% | 2% |
| Work | 1% | 3% | 4% |
| Not in education, work or training | 8% | 11% | 13% |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlton Academy | Academy | 1.1 miles | 1,354 | Good 2022 | 54 | Compare |
| Bluecoat Trent Academy | Free school | 1.2 miles | 1,132 | Good 2024 | 16 | Compare |
| Nottingham Free School | Free school | 1.2 miles | 699 | Good 2022 | 74 | Compare |
| Arnold Hill Spencer Academy | Academy | 1.5 miles | 1,552 | No overall grade 2025 | 54 | Compare |
| Djanogly City Academy | Academy | 1.6 miles | 1,270 | No overall grade 2024 | 28 | Compare |
| Nottingham Academy | Academy | 1.7 miles | 1,947 | Report card 2026 | 35 | Compare |
| Christ The King Voluntary Academy | Academy | 1.8 miles | 857 | Good 2023 | 63 | Compare |
| Redhill Academy | Academy | 2.2 miles | 1,582 | Outstanding 2024 | 78 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares The Wells 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.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 24 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 24% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 18 to 33. 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% | below | -0.16 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 144 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | below | -0.08 | Ofsted report card, 0.7 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | well below | -0.30 | DfE progress measure; 144 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | above | +0.09 | results and attendance rising year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | +0.01 | 2024/25; 755 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | in line | -0.02 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 144 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | below | -0.05 | 126 pupils |
| What parents say | 5% | well above | +0.06 | Ofsted's Parent View survey, allowing for how many parents replied; 79 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 Wells Academy a good school?
The figures are weak. The Wells Academy scores 24 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 42% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 18 to 33, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is The Wells Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 13 January 2026 it rated teaching as as expected, achievement as as expected, behaviour and attendance as as expected, leadership as as expected.
How good are The Wells Academy's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 35% 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 43.1, 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 good are The Wells Academy's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 47% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 5% went further and reached the higher level.
How many pupils does The Wells Academy have?
634 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 800 places, so it is 79% full.
Is The Wells Academy oversubscribed?
Probably not. 200 places were empty in 2024/25 (22% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at The Wells Academy?
Pupils were in school 92.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 24% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
What do parents say about The Wells Academy?
96% of the 79 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey would recommend it to other parents, and 94% say their child is happy there. Across England, 77% of parents would recommend their child's school.
How big are the classes at The Wells Academy?
The average class had 19.9 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. No class had more than 30 pupils.
Does The Wells Academy have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 86% of 2022/23 leavers were still in education, work or training six months on.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Ransom Drive, Nottingham, NG3 5LR
- Telephone
- 0115 748 3390
- Website
- www.thewellsacademy.org
- Headteacher
- Mr George Coles
- Type of school
- Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- Greenwood Academies Trust (38 schools)
- Local authority
- Nottingham
- Ward
- Mapperley
- Constituency
- Nottingham East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2020 (change in status)
- URN
- 147456 · LAESTAB 8924014 · UKPRN 10084549
- Formerly
- Nottingham Academy
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.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- 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.
- 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.