Kirton Academy, Gainsborough
Kirton Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Gainsborough, part of Lincolnshire Gateway Academies Trust. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 14th-highest of the 14 schools in North Lincolnshire with published results, and 2,683rd of 3,298 across England. It was 45% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to North Lincolnshire (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Kirton Academy in detail
Kirton Academy in its own words
In its own words: "Our goal is to transform lives by providing a high achieving, stimulating and creative learning environment within a caring, compassionate and challenging ethos."
From the headteacher's welcome: "Kirton Academy is on an exciting and transformative journey, where community engagement, cultural enrichment, and continually improving expectations and outcomes for our students are at the heart of everything we do. Our ambition is clear, to provide an environment where every young person can thrive and achieve their very best."
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at Kirton Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 39.7, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44.7 in North Lincolnshire and 47 across England.
25% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 46% in North Lincolnshire and 47% in England.
That is up from 36.7 in 2025.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 30.5, against 48.2 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 17.7 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 18 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and Hospitality and Catering.
Getting a place at Kirton Academy
For September 2026 entry, 66 families put Kirton Academy as their first choice and 133 named it as one of their preferences, for 74 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
The trust
Kirton Academy is one of 11 schools run by Lincolnshire Gateway Academies Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 44 in 2024/25.
Who goes there
47% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 4.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 129 pupils (31.8%) received SEN support and 36 (8.9%) 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 railway station is Kirton Lindsey Rail Station, about 1080 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Kirton Academy (in), 70 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 10 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, burglary and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in North Lincolnshire (41).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Kirton Academy issued 467 suspensions, 118.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.
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 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
Kirton Academy has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in May 2024. Before that, as Huntcliff School (URN 137832), it was rated Inadequate in April 2022.
At a Glance
47.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Attainment 8 has improved from 36.7 to 39.7 (2025 to 2026), while gCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 19% to 25% (2025 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 39.7 | 25% |
| Disadvantaged(44) | - | 30.5 | 6.8% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(48) | - | 48.2 | 41.7% |
| Boys(48) | - | 36.7 | 20.8% |
| Girls(44) | - | 43.0 | 29.5% |
Show more breakdowns (1)
| Non mobile(88) | - | 40.1 | 26.1% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
Exclusions & Suspensions
3
Permanent exclusions
0.76%
Exclusion rate
467
Suspensions
118.53%
Suspension rate
104 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 394 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 1 nearby secondary school
Latest from Kirton Academy
Strong Results Evidence Improvement
4 Sep 2026
Keeping Our Students Safe: Anaphylaxis Kits at Kirton Academy
4 Sep 2026
Staff Inspired by Terrific Speakers
20 Aug 2026
Academy’s Transformation Continues
20 Aug 2026
"Remarkable Transformation" Praised
20 Aug 2026
From Kirton Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Kirton Academy
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Kirton Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Kirton Academy is in North Lincolnshire; for families living there:
Apply to North 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
- 9
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 7 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 on a bicycle.
2 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 North Lincolnshire is 7.5 (the median across 94 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 Kirton Academy
Will you get a place at Kirton Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Kirton Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Kirton Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Kirton Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from North Lincolnshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Kirton Academy for 2025 and 2026 entry.
- How many families in North 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
45%
Available places
392 pupils
870 places
478 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Gainsborough
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Gainsborough
Across North Lincolnshire council
Places available
2,201
Applications
1,717
Got 1st preference
96.2%
Got preferred school
98.8%
All secondary applications across North Lincolnshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
129
SEN Support
36
EHC Plans
40.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
406
Total Pupils
216
Boys
190
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
27
Teachers
15.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,243
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£8,117
Per pupil
£3513k
Total funding
£199k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
11.3%
Overall absence
31.2%
Persistent absence
423
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Kirton Academy
Questions parents ask about Kirton Academy
What are GCSE results like at Kirton Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Kirton Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 39.7. 25% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Kirton Academy's Ofsted rating?
Kirton Academy has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in May 2024. Before that, as Huntcliff School (URN 137832), it was rated Inadequate in April 2022.
What is the catchment area for Kirton Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Kirton Academy is oversubscribed, North Lincolnshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Kirton Academy?
Kirton Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 45% of its 870 places.
How big are the classes at Kirton Academy?
Classes at Kirton Academy average 19.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Kirton Academy?
Kirton Academy has around 406 pupils on roll. 47% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Kirton Academy?
11.3% of sessions were missed at Kirton Academy in 2024/25. 31.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Kirton Academy?
Apply through North Lincolnshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Kirton 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 Kirton Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 7 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 on a bicycle. 2 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 North Lincolnshire is 7.5 (the median across 94 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Kirton Academy?
Kirton Academy is at Redbourne Mere, Gainsborough, North Lincolnshire, DN21 4NN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)