North Kesteven Academy
Moor Lane, North Hykeham, Lincoln, LN6 9AG
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- NORTH KESTEVEN ACADEMY
- Headteacher
- Ms Holly Thomas
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Constituency
- Sleaford and North Hykeham
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,461
- Pupils on roll
- 587
- URN
- 136871
- Local authority
- Lincolnshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01522881010
About this school
North Kesteven Academy is a secondary academy in Lincoln. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 587 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected North Kesteven Academy, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 130 | 134 | 136 |
| Attainment 8 score | 34.5 | 33.7 | 37.9 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.84 -1.10 to -0.59 | -0.94 -1.19 to -0.69 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 17% | 23.1% | 23.5% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 42% | 43.3% | 52.9% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 28% | 27.6% | 55.9% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 2.9 | 2.8 | 3.3 |
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 North Kesteven Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Lincolnshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 34.5 | 42.9 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 33.7 | 41.1 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 37.9 | 39.8 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 14.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 14.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 12.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 710 |
| 2023/24 | 659 |
| 2024/25 | 611 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How North Kesteven Academy compares
North Kesteven Academy ranked 44th of 54 secondary schools in Lincolnshire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 33% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 3% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 37.9 | 12.9% | 32.7% | 587 | — |
| Sir Robert Pattinson Academy | 45.9 | 6.9% | 20.7% | 1,310 | 0.2 miles |
| The Priory City of Lincoln Academy | 35.6 | 13.5% | 35.4% | 922 | 2.1 miles |
| St Peter and St Paul, Catholic Voluntary Academy | 37.7 | 9.9% | 33.8% | 601 | 2.2 miles |
| The Priory Academy LSST | 53.9 | 6.9% | 17% | 1,749 | 2.6 miles |
| Lincoln UTC | 46.1 | 4.3% | 26.5% | 389 | 4.1 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)
- 32.74%
- English as an additional language
- 13.4%
- Overall absence
- 12.91%
- Persistent absence
- 40.22%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Sir Robert Pattinson Academy0.2 miles
Secondary · Lincoln
-
The Priory City of Lincoln Academy2.1 miles
Secondary · Lincoln
-
St Peter and St Paul, Catholic Voluntary Academy2.2 miles
Secondary · Lincoln
-
The Priory Academy LSST2.6 miles
Secondary · Lincoln
-
Lincoln UTC4.1 miles
Secondary · Lincoln
Other schools in Lincoln
North Kesteven Academy ranks 12th of the 14 ranked secondary schools in Lincoln.
- Branston Community Academy Secondary
- Lincoln Castle Academy Secondary
- Lincoln Christ's Hospital School Secondary
- Lincoln UTC Secondary
- Sir Robert Pattinson Academy Secondary
- Sir William Robertson Academy, Welbourn Secondary
- St Peter and St Paul, Catholic Voluntary Academy Secondary
- The Barnes Wallis Academy Secondary
- The Priory Academy LSST Secondary
- The Priory City of Lincoln Academy Secondary
- The Priory Pembroke Academy Secondary
- William Farr CofE Comprehensive School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does North Kesteven Academy teach?
- North Kesteven Academy teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Lincoln.
- Who is the headteacher of North Kesteven Academy?
- The headteacher of North Kesteven Academy is Ms Holly Thomas, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has North Kesteven Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected North Kesteven Academy, 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 North Kesteven Academy?
- North Kesteven Academy has 587 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is North Kesteven Academy full?
- North Kesteven Academy has capacity for 1,461 pupils and 587 on roll (40%), so it has space against 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 North Kesteven Academy a faith school?
- No. North Kesteven Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is North Kesteven Academy a selective school?
- No. North Kesteven Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is North Kesteven Academy part of an academy trust?
- North Kesteven Academy is part of NORTH KESTEVEN ACADEMY. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have North Kesteven Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 34.5 in 2022/23 and 37.9 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does North Kesteven Academy compare with other schools in Lincolnshire?
- North Kesteven Academy ranked 44th of 54 secondary schools in Lincolnshire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 33% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 3% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is North Kesteven Academy's absence rate?
- North Kesteven Academy's overall absence rate is 12.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are North Kesteven Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, North Kesteven Academy'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.