Fernwood School
Goodwood Road, Wollaton, Nottingham, NG8 2FT
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- THE FERNWOOD ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Christopher Gell
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Constituency
- Nottingham South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,500
- Pupils on roll
- 1,543
- URN
- 136724
- Local authority
- Nottingham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01159286326
About this school
Fernwood School is a secondary academy in Nottingham. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 1,543 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Fernwood School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 211 | 217 | 297 |
| Attainment 8 score | 57.8 | 59.2 | 53.8 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.43 +0.24 to +0.63 | +0.60 +0.41 to +0.79 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 70% | 72.8% | 63% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 85% | 89.4% | 79.8% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 32% | 31.8% | 34.7% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 5.1 | 5.3 | 4.8 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Fernwood School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Nottingham average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 57.8 | 38.5 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 59.2 | 38 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 53.8 | 38.1 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,326 |
| 2023/24 | 1,432 |
| 2024/25 | 1,536 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Fernwood School compares
Fernwood School ranked 2nd of 18 secondary schools in Nottingham for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 85% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 30% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 53.8 | 6.5% | 20% | 1,543 | — |
| Nottingham University Samworth Academy | 40.5 | 13.4% | 53.7% | 841 | 0.7 miles |
| Bluecoat Beechdale Academy | 34 | 13.3% | 67.9% | 887 | 1.2 miles |
| Bramcote College | 51.3 | 6.8% | 25.9% | 816 | 1.3 miles |
| Bluecoat Wollaton Academy | 49.4 | 5.3% | 39.7% | 879 | 1.3 miles |
| The Trinity Catholic School A Voluntary Academy | 55.3 | 5.4% | 21.6% | 1,182 | 1.4 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 19.99%
- English as an additional language
- 34.2%
- Overall absence
- 6.51%
- Persistent absence
- 16.13%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Nottingham University Samworth Academy0.7 miles
Secondary · Nottingham
-
Bluecoat Beechdale Academy1.2 miles
Secondary · Nottingham
-
Bramcote College1.3 miles
Secondary · Nottingham
-
Bluecoat Wollaton Academy1.3 miles
Secondary · Nottingham
-
The Trinity Catholic School A Voluntary Academy1.4 miles
Secondary · Nottingham
Other schools in Nottingham
Fernwood School ranks 5th of the 42 ranked secondary schools in Nottingham.
- Aldercar High School Secondary
- Alderman White School Secondary
- Arnold Hill Spencer Academy Secondary
- Ashfield Comprehensive School Secondary
- Bluecoat Aspley Academy Secondary
- Bluecoat Beechdale Academy Secondary
- Bluecoat Trent Academy Secondary
- Bluecoat Wollaton Academy Secondary
- Bramcote College Secondary
- Carlton Academy Secondary
- Chilwell School Secondary
- Christ The King Voluntary Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Fernwood School teach?
- Fernwood School teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Nottingham.
- Who is the headteacher of Fernwood School?
- The headteacher of Fernwood School is Mr Christopher Gell, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Fernwood School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Fernwood School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Fernwood School?
- Fernwood School has 1,543 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Fernwood School full?
- Fernwood School has capacity for 1,500 pupils and 1,543 on roll (103%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Fernwood School a faith school?
- No. Fernwood School has no designated religious character.
- Is Fernwood School a selective school?
- No. Fernwood School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Fernwood School part of an academy trust?
- Fernwood School is part of THE FERNWOOD ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Fernwood School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 57.8 in 2022/23 and 53.8 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Fernwood School compare with other schools in Nottingham?
- Fernwood School ranked 2nd of 18 secondary schools in Nottingham for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 85% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 30% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Fernwood School's absence rate?
- Fernwood School's overall absence rate is 6.5% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Fernwood School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Fernwood School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.