Skip to main content

Farnborough Spencer Academy, Nottingham

Good
Secondary
Academy sponsor led
Mixed
Ages 11–16

Farnborough Spencer Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Nottingham, part of The Spencer Academies Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2022. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 40th-highest of the 43 schools in Nottingham with published results, and 2,892nd of 3,298 across England. It was 96% full in 2025.

GCSE results
Below England average
Ofsted
Good (2022)
Demand
Every first choice offered
Attendance
Below England average
Progress (2024)
Well below average
New inspections, open days and news, by email.

Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 4 days

Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Nottingham (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.

Data last updated 26 Oct 2026

Farnborough Spencer Academy in detail

Results

In 2026, pupils at Farnborough Spencer Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 37.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44.4 in Nottingham and 47 across England.

33% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in Nottingham and 47% in England.

That is down from 38.9 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.64: pupils made well below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 29.2, against 44.1 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 14.9 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and History.

Getting a place at Farnborough Spencer Academy

For September 2026 entry, 149 families put Farnborough Spencer Academy as their first choice and 198 named it as one of their preferences, for 177 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

Admissions history and your chances at Farnborough Spencer Academy

Compared with nearby schools

The nearest other state secondary schools to Farnborough Spencer Academy are The West Bridgford School (1.3 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 61.4); The Becket School (1.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 52.3); The Nottingham Emmanuel School (1.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.1); and Rushcliffe Spencer Academy (1.8 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 58.3).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Farnborough Spencer Academy.

The West Bridgford SchoolThe Becket SchoolThe Nottingham Emmanuel SchoolRushcliffe Spencer Academy

The trust

Farnborough Spencer Academy is one of 27 schools run by The Spencer Academies Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 49.9 in 2024/25.

All 27 schools in The Spencer Academies Trust

Where pupils go next

Of the 157 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 71% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 64% to a further education college, 6% to an apprenticeship and 5% into work.

Who goes there

42.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 174 pupils (17.3%) received SEN support and 10 (1%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.

Getting there

The nearest tram or metro stop is Southchurch Drive North Tram Stop, about 290 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).

9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Farnborough School, 80 metres away.

The area around the school

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Farnborough Spencer 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 177 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Nottingham (391).

Suspensions and exclusions

In 2024/25, Farnborough Spencer Academy issued 441 suspensions, 44.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.

Primary schools nearby

The primary schools closest to Farnborough Spencer Academy are Dovecote Primary and Nursery School (0.4 miles), The Glapton Academy (0.8 miles), Blessed Robert Widmerpool Catholic Primary and Nursery School (0.8 miles) and The Milford Academy (0.9 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.

Dovecote Primary and Nursery SchoolThe Glapton AcademyBlessed Robert Widmerpool Catholic Primary and Nursery SchoolThe Milford Academy

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; DfE destination measures; 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 GIAS
Head:Mrs Stevie Barker
Pupils:1,005
LA:Nottingham
Phone:01159744444
Address:Farnborough Road, Clifton, Nottingham, NG11 8JW
Trust:THE SPENCER ACADEMIES TRUST (27 schools)
Admissions:Non-selective
Status:open
Opened:1 October 2018

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 4 years ago
Good

Overall

Good

Quality of Education

Good

Behaviour & Attitudes

Good

Personal Development

Good

Leadership & Management

Inspected 21 September 2022View full report
URN:146564
UKPRN:10081516
Constituency:Nottingham South
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

Ofsted rated this school Good at its September 2022 inspection.

Rated Good for

Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.

At a Glance

42.7%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Secondary Performance (GCSE)

Academic year 2025/26

GCSE Results

2023
2024
2025
2026
Attainment 8 GCSE Eng+Maths

2025/26 academic year

Progress 8 has remained stable at around -0.64 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 37.1 to 37.9 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 21% to 33% (2023 to 2026).

Performance by Group

GroupProgress 8Attainment 8Eng+Maths 5+
All pupils-37.932.8%
Disadvantaged(79)-29.216.5%
Not known to be disadvantaged(110)-44.144.5%
Boys(87)-35.929.9%
Girls(102)-39.635.3%
Show more breakdowns (2)
Known or believed to be other than English(31)-50.858.1%
Non mobile(181)-37.732%

2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data

GCSE Subjects Offered

English Language370
Mathematics368
English Literature366
Combined Science330
Geography162
History152
French124
Business Studies86
Computer Science74
Sports Studies72
Childcare Skills46
Art and Design44
Religious Studies38
Design and Technology38
Speech and Drama38
Biology34
Chemistry32
Physics32
Multimedia32
Hospitality and Catering30

+ 3 more subjects

2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils

After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations

After GCSEs (Year 11) - 157 students

Continued education71%
Further education64%
Apprenticeships6%
Employment5%
Not in education/employment10%

2023/24 data

Exclusions & Suspensions

2

Permanent exclusions

0.20%

Exclusion rate

441

Suspensions

44.23%

Suspension rate

108 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 997 pupils

2024/25 academic year

How Does This School Compare?

Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools

See peer comparison with Pro - £9 a month, or £90 a year, inc. VAT

Social & online

Keep up with Farnborough Spencer Academy

Term dates

Farnborough Spencer Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Nottingham's term dates for its community schools.

Getting There

Tube / Metro / Tram

Southchurch Drive North Tram Stop (NET SW-bound)
291m · 5 min walk
Rivergreen Tram Stop (NET S-bound)
601m · 10 min walk
Ruddington Lane Tram Stop (NET N-bound)
818m · 13 min walk

Bus Stops

Farnborough School (Stop CL58)
79m · 1 min walk
Southchurch Drive (Stop CL43)
93m · 2 min walk
Clifton Sports Centre (Stop CL57)
320m · 5 min walk
Dovenby Road (Stop CL37)
329m · 5 min walk
The Downs HAR
383m · 6 min walk

Free school transport

Check free transport to Farnborough Spencer Academy from your postcode →

You apply to the council where you live. Farnborough Spencer Academy is in Nottingham; for families living there:

Apply to Nottingham for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.

Safety and surroundings

Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)

Collisions
15
Fatal
0
Serious
6
Children hurt
3

Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 15 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 9 slight.

3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.

5 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 Nottingham is 37 (the median across 119 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.

Can you get into this school?
Enter your postcode to find out

Commute and house prices

See commute times and house prices with Pro - £9 a month, or £90 a year, inc. VAT

Your chances of a place at Farnborough Spencer Academy

Will you get a place at Farnborough Spencer Academy? Get the admissions report

Your home postcode, set against Farnborough Spencer Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.

What the report includes for Farnborough Spencer Academy:

  • The straight-line distance from your home to Farnborough Spencer Academy.
  • We hold no last distance offered figures from Nottingham, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
  • Applications, first choices and offers at Farnborough Spencer Academy for 2019 to 2026 entry.
  • How many families in Nottingham 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.

£9.99 once

One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.

Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time

A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.

Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

96%

Near capacity

1,005 pupils

1,050 places

45 spare places in 2025

2025, DfE school capacity data

Area Demand Pressure - Nottingham

High pressure
New homes approved:17,136
Projected new pupils:3,084

Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Nottingham

Across Nottingham council

Low demand council-wide0.99 applications per place

Places available

3,708

Applications

3,688

Got 1st preference

80.3%

Got preferred school

94.1%

All secondary applications across Nottingham council (2026/27), not just this school.

This school: Every first choice offered

Inspection History(2)

21 September 2022
Quality of EducationGood
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementGood
19 September 2017
Inadequate
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement

SEND & SEN Provision

SEN Overview

174

SEN Support

10

EHC Plans

18.3%

of Total Pupils

2026 academic year

Provision & Specialist Facilities

No specialist provision recorded

Pupils by Need Type

Social, Emotional & Mental Health55
Autistic Spectrum Disorder40
Moderate Learning Difficulty30
Specific Learning Difficulty23
Speech, Language & Communication17
Physical Disability6
Other5
Hearing Impairment1
Visual Impairment1
EHC Plan
SEN Support

Pupil Demographics

Ethnicity

White British
71.3%
Asian
7.2%
Black
6.2%
Mixed
8.5%
Chinese
0.5%
Other
0.9%
Unclassified
1.7%

2026 academic year

Key Indicators

Free School Meals42.7%
English as Additional Language12.8%

1,005

Total Pupils

503

Boys

502

Girls

2026 academic year

Workforce

56

Teachers

17.9:1

Pupil-teacher ratio

£52,698

Mean salary

2026 data

School Funding

£8,572

Per pupil

£9243k

Total funding

£464k

Pupil premium

Deprivation£1,451,251
EAL funding£94,564
Lump sum£145,516

2025-26 financial year allocations

Pupil Absence
2024/25

11.1%

Overall absence

31.0%

Persistent absence

1,056

Enrolments

Authorised5.7%
Unauthorised5.4%
Persistent (10%+)31.0%
Severe (50%+)5.7%

Absence trend

6.8%
18/19
6.1%
20/21
11.3%
21/22
13.5%
22/23
10.5%
23/24
11.1%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

Questions parents ask about Farnborough Spencer Academy

What are GCSE results like at Farnborough Spencer Academy?

In the 2026 results, pupils at Farnborough Spencer Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 37.9. 33% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.

What is Farnborough Spencer Academy's Ofsted rating?

Farnborough Spencer Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in September 2022. At its previous graded inspection in 2017 it was rated Inadequate.

What is the catchment area for Farnborough Spencer Academy?

No fixed boundary. When Farnborough Spencer Academy is oversubscribed, Nottingham allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.

Is it hard to get a place at Farnborough Spencer Academy?

Farnborough Spencer Academy was close to full in 2025, at 96% of its capacity.

How big are the classes at Farnborough Spencer Academy?

Classes at Farnborough Spencer Academy average 24.1 pupils (2025/26).

How many pupils go to Farnborough Spencer Academy?

Farnborough Spencer Academy has around 1005 pupils on roll. 43% are eligible for free school meals.

What is attendance like at Farnborough Spencer Academy?

11.1% of sessions were missed at Farnborough Spencer Academy in 2024/25. 31% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).

How do I apply to Farnborough Spencer Academy?

Apply through Nottingham's coordinated admissions process, naming Farnborough Spencer Academy on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.

How many road collisions happen near Farnborough Spencer Academy?

Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 15 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 9 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 5 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 Nottingham is 37 (the median across 119 schools, same distance and years).

Where is Farnborough Spencer Academy?

Farnborough Spencer Academy is at Farnborough Road, Clifton, Nottingham, NG11 8JW.

Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)

Work here? Claim this profile free