Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #15 in West Northamptonshire public Top 32% UK

Malcolm Arnold Academy

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMrs Megan Morris

corporate_fareTHE DAVID ROSS EDUCATION TRUST

location_onNorthampton, NN2 6JW

language Visit Website phone 1604778000

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2018

groups

Students

1,404

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Attainment 8

41.4

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GCSE Rank

#16 in West Northamptonshire

#2,342 of 3,216 nationally

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Malcolm Arnold Academy is a Academy sponsor led secondary school in Northampton, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

Malcolm Arnold Academy is an academy sponsor led in Northampton, West Northamptonshire, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of THE DAVID ROSS EDUCATION TRUST. The school has approximately 1,307 pupils on roll, of whom 25% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 41.4, placing the school #16 in West Northamptonshire and #2,342 of 3,216 nationally. 37.80% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 14.4% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 17 A-level subjects. 37.8% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 14.6% at A*–A. A-level value added: +0.12 — students made above-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2018. The school's current overall rating is Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.8× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 20.9:1. There are 3 teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 20.3 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

41.4

Grade 5+ E&M

37.80%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)14.4%

Entering EBacc37.30%

EBacc APS3.7

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.04

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc39.20%

EBacc APS3.93

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.15

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

42.0

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc52%

EBacc APS3.75

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.36

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc52%

EBacc APS4.32

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc48%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.15

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

40.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc11%

EBacc APS3.36

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.07

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

38.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc28%

EBacc APS3.15

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

90%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)83%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)88%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)84%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment7%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)85%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)8%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)87%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

+0.12

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*6.1%

Achieving A*–A14.6%

Achieving A*–B37.8%

VA Banding Average

Retention rate93.5%

A-level subjects offered17

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.26

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Retention rate96.00%

2023

Avg Grade

D+

Students

Retention rate100.00%

2022

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate96.4%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

07 November 2023

Inspection Report

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11 February 2020

Inspection Report

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09 May 2018

Inspection Report

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19 July 2017

Inspection Report

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24 May 2016

Inspection Report

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21 May 2015

Inspection Report

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04 March 2015

Inspection Report

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10 June 2014

Inspection Report

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05 December 2012

Inspection Report

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19 October 2011

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2018-05-09

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2017-07-19

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2016-05-24

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2015-03-04

None Legacy

Inadequate

Education

Inadequate

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

Requires improvement

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

18.6%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

8.4%(110 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,307 pupils. During this period, there were 243 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 18.6%, which is above the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,307	243	18.6%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,303	288	22.1%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,367	213	15.6%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,357	170	12.5%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,358	259	19.1%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,422	182	12.8%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,404	222	15.8%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,381	213	15.4%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,344	202	15.0%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,341	283	21.1%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,315	282	21.4%	4.4%	2
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,286	270	21.0%	3.6%	1
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,286	73	5.7%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,276	156	12.2%	3.9%	2
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,289	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,289	229	17.8%	3.2%	1
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,289	397	30.8%	4.2%	2
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,312	67	5.1%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,307	80	6.1%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,300	32	2.5%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,317	19	1.4%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,320	32	2.4%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,317	26	2.0%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,317	20	1.5%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,300	20	1.5%	3.3%	2
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,291	15	1.2%	3.1%	1

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 52 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 45 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 41 pupils

Hearing Impairment 9 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 8 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 7 pupils

Visual Impairment 4 pupils

Physical Disability 1 pupils