The National CofE Academy, Nottingham

In its own words: "In the Bible, Jesus talks about wanting us to have a rich and fulfilling life. This is really important to us. We want our students to grow in every way - spiritually, morally, socially, and culturally. We want children to aim high, explore new things, and show resilience when things get tough."

From the headteacher's welcome: "The academy has been a core part of the town of Hucknall since 1788 and is now a vibrant hub of education for students aged 11 to 19. Our rich heritage, combined with strong core values, our sense of community, and a steadfast commitment to improving education for all students remains crucial to our success."

In 2026, pupils at The National CofE Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.6 in Nottinghamshire and 47 across England.

44% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 47% in Nottinghamshire and 47% in England.

That is up from 42.6 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.04: pupils made about 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 36.5, against 48.4 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 11.9 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 25 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and History.

For September 2026 entry, 261 families put The National CofE Academy as their first choice and 487 named it as one of their preferences, for 207 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 59 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to The National CofE Academy are The Holgate Academy (1 mile, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 36.6); The Bulwell Academy (2.7 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 39.6); Park Vale Academy (3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.2); and The Oakwood Academy (3.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.7).

The National CofE Academy's 2026 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.

The National CofE Academy is one of 14 schools run by Minster Trust for Education, an academy trust.

Of the 206 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 87% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 46% to a further education college, 6% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

Of the 76 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 63% went on to university or other higher education, 5% to apprenticeships and 17% into work. 17% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

5.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (82%) and Mixed (6%).

In 2026, 144 pupils (12.8%) received SEN support and 10 (0.9%) 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.

The nearest railway station is Hucknall Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.

12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Annesley Road (adj 130), 40 metres away.

In 2024/25, The National CofE Academy issued 131 suspensions, 11.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to The National CofE Academy are Hucknall National Church of England Primary School (0.4 miles), Hillside Primary and Nursery School (0.4 miles), Holy Cross Primary Catholic Voluntary Academy (0.7 miles) and Leen Mills Primary School (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.