North Kesteven Academy, Lincoln

Ofsted's report card from its 6 May 2026 inspection grades North Kesteven Academy on 7 areas: 1 expected standard, 5 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.

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Many pupils who attend the school are disadvantaged, are pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or are pupils facing additional vulnerabilities."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Pupils' attainment, including that of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), has not been high enough at the end of key stages 4 and 5 over time."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Leaders have recently begun to take the strategic action needed to improve pupils' attendance."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "Leaders have planned a broad and ambitious curriculum in most subjects."

Personal development and wellbeing - Needs attention. "Leaders have ensured that the personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum is well planned."

Post 16 provision - Needs attention. "Leaders are appropriately ambitious for students in the sixth form."

Leadership and governance - Urgent improvement. "This school has experienced a period of decline."

Safeguarding standards were NOT met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders must ensure that they fulfil the statutory requirements for safeguarding set out in Keeping Children Safe in Education regarding reporting concerns, making referrals, keeping records of concerns and actions taken. They must ensure that the checks on pupils not in school but on the school roll are robust and effective and that attendance registers are completed accurately"; "Leaders and trustees must ensure that statutory core functions are appropriately conducted, particularly those relating to safeguarding. They must ensure effective oversight of the school's priorities for improvement and offer the expert support and challenge necessary to improve the school at pace"; "Leaders should take effective action to raise achievement at the end of key stage 4 and key stage 5, particularly for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. They should ensure that pupils achieve a secure understanding of foundational knowledge in English and mathematics"; "Leaders should make sure that there is a well-planned curriculum across all subjects, that suitably builds on pupils' starting points and that ensures that pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and students in the sixth form develop the foundations of learning needed to successfully progress to their appropriate next steps"; "Leaders should ensure that they embed highly effective teaching and assessment across the school so that all groups of pupils and students in the sixth form, make clear and sustained progress across the curriculum. They should continue the work to improve the information teachers receive in order to suitably adapt pupils' learning, particularly for pupils with SEND"; "Leaders should continue their work to analyse closely the absence of different groups of vulnerable pupils, to identify priorities accurately, and to continue to improve their attendance particularly for pupils that are persistently or severely absent and pupils with SEND".

From the headteacher's welcome: "To find out more about our school please click here to download our prospectus."

In 2026, pupils at North Kesteven Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 37.5, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.9 in Lincolnshire and 47 across England.

25% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in Lincolnshire and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 37.9.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.94: 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 28.6, against 42.1 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 13.5 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 18 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Social Studies.

For September 2026 entry, 52 families put North Kesteven Academy as their first choice and 204 named it as one of their preferences, for 140 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 nearest other state secondary schools to North Kesteven Academy are Sir Robert Pattinson Academy (0.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49); The Priory Witham Academy (1.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 37.7); The Priory City of Lincoln Academy (2.1 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 37.3); and St Peter and St Paul, Catholic Voluntary Academy (2.2 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 39.9).

North Kesteven Academy's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.

54 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about North Kesteven Academy (as of September 2025): 65% would recommend the school, 76% say their child is happy there and 56% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (82%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (56%).

Of the 134 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 73% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 48% to a further education college, 5% to an apprenticeship and 6% into work.

Of the 45 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 44% went on to university or other higher education, 7% to apprenticeships and 29% into work. 4% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

36.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 11.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 114 pupils (19.4%) received SEN support and 10 (1.7%) 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 Hykeham Rail Station, about 970 metres away (roughly a 12-minute walk).

9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is North Kesteven School bus park (inside), 110 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 92 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.

In 2024/25, North Kesteven Academy issued 234 suspensions, 38.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to North Kesteven Academy are The North Hykeham All Saints Church of England Primary School (0.3 miles), Manor Farm Academy (0.5 miles), Ling Moor Primary Academy (0.6 miles) and Fosse Way Academy (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.