Ofsted: Outstanding trending_up Popular emoji_events #3 in Nottinghamshire public Top 5% UK

Rushcliffe Spencer Academy

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

personMr Damian Painton

corporate_fareTHE SPENCER ACADEMIES TRUST

location_onNottingham, NG2 7BW

language Visit Website phone 1159744050

verified

Ofsted

Outstanding

Inspected 2025

groups

Students

2,000

trending_up

Attainment 8

58.1

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GCSE Rank

#2 in Nottinghamshire

#314 of 3,216 nationally

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Rushcliffe Spencer Academy is a Academy converter secondary school in Nottingham, serving ages 11-18. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted — the highest possible grade. Demand is above capacity (1.2×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Rushcliffe Spencer Academy 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 THE SPENCER ACADEMIES TRUST. The school has approximately 2,032 pupils on roll, of whom 11% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 58.1, placing the school #2 in Nottinghamshire and #314 of 3,216 nationally. 73.70% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 38.2% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 25 A-level subjects. 67.8% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 35.2% at A*–A. A-level value added: 0.1 — sixth-form progress was broadly average.

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

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.2× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 18.8:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 2.6 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

58.1

Grade 5+ E&M

73.70%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)38.2%

Entering EBacc41.40%

EBacc APS5.19

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.69

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

59.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc41.60%

EBacc APS5.28

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.84

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

59.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc40%

EBacc APS5.18

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.5

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

62.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc44%

EBacc APS5.47

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc53%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.55

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

56.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc30%

EBacc APS4.85

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.56

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

58.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc38%

EBacc APS5.2

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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

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)94%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)93%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)96%

Apprenticeships2%

EmploymentSP%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)89%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

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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

+0.1

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

223

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*10.0%

Achieving A*–A35.2%

Achieving A*–B67.8%

VA Banding Above average

Retention rate96.4%

A-level subjects offered25

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.01

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

199

Retention rate96.50%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

204

Retention rate98.50%

2022

Avg Grade

B+

Students

194

Retention rate94.3%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

13 May 2025

Inspection Report

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04 February 2014

Inspection Report

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15 January 2013

Inspection Report

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10 August 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2025-05-13

S5 Inspection EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Outstanding

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Outstanding

2014-02-04

S8 No Formal Designation Visit EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

2009-10-07

None EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

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

2.7%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

2.4%(49 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 2,032 pupils. During this period, there were 55 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 2.7%, 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)	2,032	55	2.7%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	2,035	52	2.6%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	2,002	79	3.9%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	2,014	41	2.0%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	2,006	81	4.0%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,993	50	2.5%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	2,000	51	2.5%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,999	50	2.5%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,930	38	2.0%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,930	39	2.0%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,935	37	1.9%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,849	31	1.7%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,849	3	0.2%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,851	25	1.4%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,770	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,770	43	2.4%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,768	34	1.9%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,675	46	2.7%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,680	57	3.4%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,686	55	3.3%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,575	46	2.9%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,581	41	2.6%	3.0%	1
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,582	62	3.9%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,511	34	2.3%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,517	32	2.1%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,522	26	1.7%	3.1%	0

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.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 31 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 29 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 18 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 17 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 10 pupils

Hearing Impairment 9 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 5 pupils

Physical Disability 3 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils

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Rushcliffe Spencer Academy

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Nottinghamshire

The West Bridgford School

The Becket School

Toot Hill School

The Minster School

Carlton le Willows Academy

Alderman White School