Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #13 in Nottinghamshire public Top 19% UK

The South Wolds Academy & Sixth Form

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

person Mrs Halina Angus (Headteacher)

corporate_fareEAST MIDLANDS EDUCATION TRUST

location_onNottingham, NG12 5FF

language Visit Website phone 01159373506

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2025

groups

Students

976

trending_up

Attainment 8

51.3

leaderboard

GCSE Rank

#11 in Nottinghamshire

#954 of 4,024 nationally

summarize

The South Wolds Academy & Sixth Form is a Academy converter secondary school in Nottingham, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.1×) — apply through your local authority on time.

article

School Summary

The South Wolds Academy & Sixth Form is an academy converter in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of EAST MIDLANDS EDUCATION TRUST. The school has approximately 1,033 pupils on roll, of whom 16% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2026, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 51.3, placing the school #11 in Nottinghamshire and #954 of 4,024 nationally. 54.80% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 27.0% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 24 A-level subjects. 59.2% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 27.5% at A*–A. In the 2022/23 leavers cohort, 19.3% progressed to Top-Third Higher Education institutions (ranked #759 nationally), out of 52.8% progressing to higher education overall. A-level value added: -0.01 — sixth-form progress was broadly average.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2025. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.1× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 17.5:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 2.8 per 1,000 pupils per term.

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

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2026

Attainment 8 Score

51.3

across 8 GCSE slots

Grade 5+ E&M

54.80%

Grade 4+ E&M

69.60%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)27.0%

5+ GCSEs (4+ incl. E&M)67.30%

Triple Science Entry34.50%

EBacc Slot Score15.4 / 30

2025

Attainment 8 Score

53.5

across 8 GCSE slots

Grade 5+ E&M

60.90%

Grade 4+ E&M

75.80%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)31.3%

Entering EBacc21.70%

EBacc APS4.54

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.16

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

60.30%

Entering EBacc34.00%

EBacc APS4.62

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.16

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

52.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc28%

EBacc APS4.40

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.21

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

53.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc27%

EBacc APS4.56

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.04

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

52.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc38%

EBacc APS4.56

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.36

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

49.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc51%

EBacc APS4.43

explore

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.

2026

Stayed in Education / Employment

91.7%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)85.3%

Apprenticeships4.5%

Employment1.9%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4.5%

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

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

Apprenticeships4%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)86%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

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

Apprenticeships9%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

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

Apprenticeships5%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

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

Apprenticeships4%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

workspace_premium

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

-0.01

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*7.6%

Achieving A*–A27.5%

Achieving A*–B59.2%

VA Banding Average

Retention rate91.9%

A-level subjects offered24

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.08

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate90.10%

Post-18 Destinations 84.7% sustained

school Higher Education (University) 52.8%

handshake Apprenticeships 4.2%

work Employment 26.4%

Not sustained / NEET9.7%

2023

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate93.40%

Post-18 Destinations (2022/23 leavers)94.7% sustained

school Higher Education (University) 66.7%

stars Top-Third Universities 19.3%

handshake Apprenticeships 7%

work Employment 21.1%

Not sustained / NEET5.3%

2022

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate98.0%

Post-18 Destinations 93.9% sustained

school Higher Education (University) 53.1%

handshake Apprenticeships 6.1%

work Employment 34.7%

Not sustained / NEET6.1%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results & 16-19 Destination Measures

leaderboard

Ranking History & Trajectory

National & Local Authority position based on DfE performance data · Methodology

Year	Secondary Overall (Nat)	LA Rank	GCSE Attainment	Progress 8 Rank	A-Level VA	Top-Third Uni	Overall Uni (HE)
2026	#972 / 4,024	#13	#954	#1	—	#759	#1,568
2025	#966 / 3,948	#13	#725	#1	#1,194	#759	#1,568
2024	#1,069 / 4,450	#12	#878	#1,206	#1,412	#759	#1,568
2023	#867 / 4,321	#9	#848	#1,116	—	—	#627
2022	#952 / 4,199	#12	#999	#1,010	—	—	#1,560
2019	#905 / 2,711	#13	#676	#1,269	—	—	—
2018	#1,439 / 2,537	#19	#906	#2,094	—	—	—

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

23 April 2025

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

04 December 2019

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

26 April 2016

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

10 August 2012

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2025-04-23

S5 Inspection EIF

Report Card

info

Why no single overall grade?

From autumn 2024 / 2025, Ofsted replaced single-word headline grades (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate) with individual area judgements on a Report Card.

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

verified_user Safeguarding: Met Latest Ungraded: School remains Good

2016-04-26

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

2011-09-22

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Latest Ungraded: School remains Good

2006-11-15

None EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

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

Suspension Rate

2.0%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.8%(18 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 1,024 pupils. During this period, there were 20 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 2.0%, which is below 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)	1,024	20	2.0%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,034	38	3.7%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,023	34	3.3%	7.4%	2
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,032	38	3.7%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,033	48	4.6%	8.2%	1
2022/23 (Summer term)	977	29	3.0%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	976	76	7.8%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	977	61	6.2%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	901	50	5.5%	4.7%	1
2021/22 (Spring term)	893	29	3.2%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	896	30	3.3%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	850	20	2.4%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	858	9	1.0%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	858	35	4.1%	3.9%	1
2019/20 (Summer term)	832	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	832	32	3.8%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	834	20	2.4%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	819	7	0.9%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	820	17	2.1%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	824	17	2.1%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	834	18	2.2%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	832	27	3.2%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	839	19	2.3%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	858	19	2.2%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	858	11	1.3%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	865	18	2.1%	3.1%	0

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

accessibility_new

psychology_alt

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.

Specific Learning Difficulty 26 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 11 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 3 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 3 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 1 pupils