Neale-Wade Academy, March

Ofsted's report card from its 13 January 2026 inspection grades Neale-Wade Academy on 7 areas: 3 expected standard, 3 needs attention and 1 urgent improvement. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders have taken robust and timely action to bring about significant improvements in pupils' attendance and behaviour."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders have a clear vision for supporting pupils' personal development."

Post 16 provision - Expected standard. "The sixth form is currently in a period of transition."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "In recent years, there have been significant changes to the school's curriculum and leaders' oversight of this."

Inclusion - Needs attention. "Too often, pupils with vulnerabilities do not receive high-quality or timely support to address the barriers to their learning."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "There have been considerable changes to school leadership in the last 3 years."

Achievement - Urgent improvement. "Many pupils do not achieve well."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders, including those with responsibility for governance, should ensure that pupils' achievement in national tests and assessments improves, so that all groups of pupils are well prepared for their next stage in education or training"; "Leaders should continue to strengthen teachers' pedagogical knowledge through targeted professional development, so that all pupils, including those with high prior attainment, are appropriately challenged and achieve the academic standards of which they are capable"; "Leaders should ensure that pupils with vulnerabilities receive high quality and timely support in lessons, ensuring that the adaptions that staff make are appropriate and effective, and allow these pupils to go on to achieve well"; "Leaders should ensure that staff use assessment effectively, to understand the misconceptions that pupils have, and to allow them to adapt future learning to address the gaps identified in pupils' knowledge"; "Leaders should improve the support in place to develop pupils' foundational knowledge in reading and writing, to strengthen their readiness for the next stages of education and/or training".

From the headteacher's welcome: "Neale-Wade Academy is a calm, caring and ambitious school for students aged 11 to 18, located in the heart of March. Our purpose is to help every young person feel safe, supported and capable of achieving their very best."

The school runs a breakfast club.

In 2026, pupils at Neale-Wade Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 36.7, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 50.3 in Cambridgeshire and 47 across England.

30% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 52% in Cambridgeshire and 47% in England.

That is up from 34.8 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.73: 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 40.7 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 11.5 points.

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

For September 2026 entry, 214 families put Neale-Wade Academy as their first choice and 256 named it as one of their preferences, for 223 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

Neale-Wade Academy is one of 21 schools run by The Active Learning Trust Limited, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 36.8 in 2024/25.

269 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Neale-Wade Academy (as of April 2026): 73% would recommend the school, 70% say their child is happy there and 46% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (74%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (46%).

Of the 251 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 84% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 59% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.

Of the 47 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 21% went on to university or other higher education, 17% to apprenticeships and 36% into work. 7% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

37.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 8.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 157 pupils (13.9%) received SEN support and 33 (2.9%) 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 a moderate learning difficulty.

The nearest railway station is March Rail Station, about 1.6 miles away in a straight line.

6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Neale Wade College (near), 140 metres away.

In 2024/25, Neale-Wade Academy issued 134 suspensions, 11 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 7 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Neale-Wade Academy are Cavalry Primary School (0.5 miles), Burrowmoor Primary Academy (0.7 miles), Westwood Primary School (1.3 miles) and All Saints Interchurch Academy (1.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.