Carlton Road Academy, Boston
Carlton Road Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Boston, part of Voyage Education Partnership. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 17th-highest of the 23 schools in Boston with published results, and 12,330th of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 101% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2014)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Lincolnshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Carlton Road Academy in detail
Carlton Road Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "We are a thriving academy serving a diverse and broad community in the town of Boston. Our teaching and learning follows the national curriculum, fashioned to meet the needs of our pupils."
The school runs a breakfast club from 8:00am.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 64% of Year 6 pupils at Carlton Road Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 62% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 72% and 71% in Lincolnshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 69% in reading and 71% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Carlton Road Academy
For September 2026 entry, 37 families put Carlton Road Academy as their first choice and 75 named it as one of their preferences, for 37 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Carlton Road Academy are Staniland Academy (0.4 miles, Outstanding, 69% reading, 75% maths); Boston Pioneers Free School Academy (0.4 miles, Good, 72% reading, 72% maths); Park Academy (0.5 miles, Good, 70% reading, 72% maths); and Boston West Academy (0.8 miles, Good, 72% reading, 72% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Carlton Road Academy.
Staniland AcademyBoston Pioneers Free School AcademyPark AcademyBoston West Academy
The trust
Carlton Road Academy is one of 11 schools run by Voyage Education Partnership, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
17 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Carlton Road Academy (as of September 2025): 71% would recommend the school, 94% say their child is happy there and 75% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (100%); the weakest, that they would recommend the school (71%).
Who goes there
40.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 64.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (31%), Asian (6%) and Black (6%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Boston Rail Station, about 210 metres away (roughly a 3-minute walk).
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Asda Store (adjacent), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Carlton Road Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 396 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Lincolnshire (33), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Carlton Road Academy issued 8 suspensions, 1.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Carlton Road Academy are The Boston Grammar School (0.6 miles), Haven High Academy (0.7 miles) and Boston High School (1.2 miles).
The Boston Grammar SchoolHaven High AcademyBoston High School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from September 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Carlton Road Academy excels at making pupils feel valued and safe, with strong relationships between staff and pupils at the heart of everything. The school's reading programme is particularly strong, with careful support for the many pupils who speak English as an additional language. Pupils benefit from an exceptional personal development offer that teaches respect, tolerance and responsibility, with exciting opportunities like editing their own newspaper.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on reading with high-quality books and consistent support, particularly for pupils learning English as an additional language
- Outstanding personal development programme that prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain, including opportunities like Pupil Parliament and newspaper club
- Effective support for pupils with special educational needs through proactive communication with external professionals and individualised learning provision
- Well-sequenced curriculum that clearly shows what pupils learn from early years through Year 6
- Positive relationships at the heart of the school where pupils feel supported and safe
Areas for Improvement
- Phonics teaching is inconsistent across the school, meaning some pupils do not experience the same quality of instruction
- Some subjects lack clarity about what specific key knowledge pupils should learn and when, so learning does not always build cumulatively
- Rates of persistent absence remain too high, preventing some pupils from accessing their full education
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with school staff creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Pupil Parliament, newspaper club, athletics track
Carlton Road Academy is a welcoming primary school where pupils feel safe and happy. Although published outcomes are lower than the national average in some areas, pupils achieve well from where they start.
At a Glance
40.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
17 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 69% to 64% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 71% to 62% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 76% to 68% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
30.6
Avg class size
29.4
Infant (KS1)
31.4
KS2
13
Total classes
8 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Carlton Road Academy
Term dates
Carlton Road Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Lincolnshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Carlton Road Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Carlton Road Academy is in Lincolnshire; for families living there:
Apply to Lincolnshire for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 83
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 14
- Children hurt
- 14
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 83 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 14 serious and 68 slight.
14 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 6 on foot and 8 on a bicycle.
13 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Lincolnshire is 6 (the median across 401 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Carlton Road Academy
Will you get a place at Carlton Road Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Carlton Road Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Carlton Road Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Carlton Road Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Lincolnshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Carlton Road Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Lincolnshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
101%
Over capacity
423 pupils
420 places
3 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Boston
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Boston
Across Lincolnshire council
Places available
8,940
Applications
6,453
Got 1st preference
96.3%
Got preferred school
99.7%
All primary applications across Lincolnshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
58
SEN Support
18
EHC Plans
16.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
458
Total Pupils
222
Boys
236
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
22
Teachers
20.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,793
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,865
Per pupil
£2864k
Total funding
£265k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.8%
Overall absence
18.9%
Persistent absence
386
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Carlton Road Academy
Questions parents ask about Carlton Road Academy
What are SATs results like at Carlton Road Academy?
Of the pupils at Carlton Road Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 64% reached the expected standard in reading and 62% did so in maths.
What is Carlton Road Academy's Ofsted rating?
Carlton Road Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2014, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Carlton Road Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Carlton Road Academy is oversubscribed, Lincolnshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Carlton Road Academy?
Carlton Road Academy was full in 2025, at 101% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Carlton Road Academy?
Classes at Carlton Road Academy average 30.6 pupils (2025/26). 8 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Carlton Road Academy?
Carlton Road Academy has around 458 pupils on roll. 41% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Carlton Road Academy?
5.8% of sessions were missed at Carlton Road Academy in 2024/25. 18.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Carlton Road Academy?
Apply through Lincolnshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Carlton Road Academy on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Carlton Road Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 83 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 14 serious and 68 slight. 14 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 6 on foot and 8 on a bicycle. 13 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Lincolnshire is 6 (the median across 401 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Carlton Road Academy?
Carlton Road Academy is at Carlton Road, Boston, Lincolnshire, PE21 8QX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)