Watling Academy, Milton Keynes
Watling Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 18 in Milton Keynes, part of The Alliance Schools Trust. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2023. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 3rd-highest of the 15 schools in Milton Keynes with published results, and 1,108th of 3,298 across England. It was 83% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2023)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 4 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Milton Keynes (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Watling Academy in detail
Watling Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "A very warm welcome to Watling Academy and thank you for your interest in our Academy. Watling Academy is a happy, successful 11-18 school, providing high quality education both in the classroom and through a wide range of extracurricular and enrichment activities."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at Watling Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 49.1, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.1 in Milton Keynes and 47 across England.
53% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 45% in Milton Keynes and 47% in England.
That is down from 50.4 in 2025.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 42.7, against 51.4 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 8.7 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 28 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Spanish and Geography.
Getting a place at Watling Academy
For September 2026 entry, 380 families put Watling Academy as their first choice and 1006 named it as one of their preferences, for 351 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 75 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Watling Academy are The Hazeley Academy (1.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 47.4); Oakhill Secure Training Centre (1.3 miles); Denbigh School (1.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 56.2); and The Radcliffe School (1.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 40.3).
Watling Academy's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
The Hazeley AcademyOakhill Secure Training CentreDenbigh SchoolThe Radcliffe School
The trust
Watling Academy is one of 7 schools run by The Alliance Schools Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
27.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (38%), Asian (26%) and Black (12%).
In 2026, 184 pupils (10.4%) received SEN support and 47 (2.7%) 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 autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Milton Keynes Central Rail Station, about 2.1 miles away in a straight line.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 72 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Milton Keynes (156).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Watling Academy issued 231 suspensions, 15.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Watling Academy are Watling Primary School (0.2 miles), Whitehouse Primary School (0.3 miles), Fairfields Primary School (0.6 miles) and Ashbrook School (0.9 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Watling Primary SchoolWhitehouse Primary SchoolFairfields Primary SchoolAshbrook School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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
Milton Keynes published that the last place for 2026 entry went to a family 1.732 miles away (straight line). The cut-off moves every year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its May 2023 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
About
Watling Academy is a coeducational secondary school located in the Whitehouse area of Milton Keynes, in the English county of Buckinghamshire.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
22.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Attainment 8 has declined from 50.4 to 49.1 (2025 to 2026), while gCSE English & Maths 5+ has remained stable at around 53% (2025 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 49.1 | 52.8% |
| Disadvantaged(78) | - | 42.7 | 39.7% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(221) | - | 51.4 | 57.5% |
| Boys(148) | - | 49.1 | 54.1% |
| Girls(151) | - | 49.2 | 51.7% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(68) | - | 59.2 | 76.5% |
| Non mobile(278) | - | 49.6 | 54% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 8 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
Exclusions & Suspensions
0
Permanent exclusions
0.00%
Exclusion rate
231
Suspensions
15.40%
Suspension rate
93 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,500 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Latest from Watling Academy
Week 4
2 Oct 2026
Week 3
25 Sep 2026
Week 2
18 Sep 2026
Week 1
11 Sep 2026
Watling Academy Celebrates GCSE Results
21 Aug 2026
Week 39
17 Jul 2026
From Watling Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Watling Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Watling Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Watling Academy is in Milton Keynes; for families living there:
- Milton Keynes's school travel policy: School Travel Support Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025.
The typical figure for schools in Milton Keynes is 8 (the median across 125 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 Watling Academy
Will you get a place at Watling Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Watling Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Watling Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Watling Academy.
- Last distance offered for 2023 and 2026 entry, from Milton Keynes's own figures, and how your distance compares each year.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Watling Academy for 2021 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Milton Keynes 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
83%
Available places
1,501 pupils
1,800 places
299 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Milton Keynes
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Milton Keynes
Across Milton Keynes council
Places available
3,905
Applications
3,768
Got 1st preference
82.2%
Got preferred school
96.9%
All secondary applications across Milton Keynes council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
184
SEN Support
47
EHC Plans
13.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,767
Total Pupils
903
Boys
864
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
104
Teachers
17.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,397
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,926
Per pupil
£11903k
Total funding
£379k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.9%
Overall absence
22.3%
Persistent absence
1,545
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
Watling Academy
Showing 10 of 12 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Watling Academy
What are GCSE results like at Watling Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Watling Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 49.1. 53% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Watling Academy's Ofsted rating?
Watling Academy was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in May 2023.
How close to Watling Academy do you need to live?
Milton Keynes publishes how far the last offered place was, in miles: 2.405 for 2023 entry, then 1.732 for 2026 entry. The cut-off has tightened over that period, which usually means demand is growing faster than places. These are the authority's own figures, not a fixed boundary - the cut-off moves with the number of applications each year.
Is it hard to get a place at Watling Academy?
Watling Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 83% of its 1800 places.
How big are the classes at Watling Academy?
Classes at Watling Academy average 26.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Watling Academy?
Watling Academy has around 1767 pupils on roll. 23% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Watling Academy?
7.9% of sessions were missed at Watling Academy in 2024/25. 22.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Watling Academy?
Apply through Milton Keynes's coordinated admissions process, naming Watling 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 Watling Academy?
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025. The typical figure for schools in Milton Keynes is 8 (the median across 125 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Watling Academy?
Watling Academy is at Barrosa Way, Milton Keynes, MK8 1EP.
Sources: Milton Keynes admissions booklets; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)