The Wells Academy, Nottingham

Ofsted's report card from its 13 January 2026 inspection grades The Wells Academy on 6 areas: 6 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Expected standard. "Overall, pupils achieve well from their starting points in both key stages."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders' promotion of the importance of school attendance is making a positive difference."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders' ambition for pupils' learning is demonstrated within the school's 'Fundamental Ideas' curriculum."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "The school aims to improve life chances for all pupils, regardless of background or needs."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Over recent years, trustees have ensured that the school's new leadership team has galvanised to make substantial improvements at the school."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders are rightly proud of the way the school provides for pupils' personal development."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "• Leaders and trustees should ensure that adaptations in teaching are sufficiently precise to ensure that pupils who need support with foundational knowledge, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, achieve well from their starting points across the curriculum".

From the headteacher's welcome: "Education has the power to transform lives and it is our mission at The Wells Academy to provide our students with an education that allows them to live a life of meaning and purpose."

In 2026, pupils at The Wells Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 38.7, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44.4 in Nottingham and 47 across England.

27% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in Nottingham and 47% in England.

That is down from 43.1 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.95: 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 34.1, against 44.3 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 10.2 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 22 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Statistics, Combined Science and History.

For September 2026 entry, 44 families put The Wells Academy as their first choice and 102 named it as one of their preferences, for 71 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 The Wells Academy are Carlton Academy (1.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50.2); Bluecoat Trent Academy (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 39.7); Nottingham Free School (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 52); and Arnold Hill Spencer Academy (1.5 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 47.8).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than The Wells Academy.

The Wells Academy is one of 38 schools run by Greenwood Academies Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 42.1 in 2024/25.

79 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Wells Academy (as of April 2026): 96% would recommend the school, 94% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that pupils behave well (90%).

Of the 132 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 84% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 58% to a further education college and 1% into work.

47.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 44.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (24%), Black (24%) and Mixed (16%).

In 2026, 101 pupils (15.9%) received SEN support and 11 (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 social, emotional and mental health needs.

The nearest tram or metro stop is High School Tram Stop, about 1.7 miles away in a straight line.

15 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Elliott Durham Nature Area, 130 metres away.

In 2024/25, The Wells Academy issued 177 suspensions, 25.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 12 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to The Wells Academy are Walter Halls Primary and Early Years School (0.2 miles), Porchester Junior School (0.6 miles), Haydn Primary School (0.8 miles) and St Ann's Well Academy (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.