University Academy Holbeach
Park Road, Holbeach, Spalding, PE12 7PU
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- UNIVERSITY OF LINCOLN ACADEMY TRUST
- Principal
- Miss Sheila Paige
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious ethos
- None
- Sponsor
- University of Lincoln
- Constituency
- South Holland and The Deepings
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,400
- Pupils on roll
- 1,378
- URN
- 137282
- Local authority
- Lincolnshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01406423042
About this school
University Academy Holbeach is a secondary academy in Spalding. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,378 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected University Academy Holbeach, 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
- Requires improvement
- 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 | 204 | 207 | 232 |
| Attainment 8 score | 39.5 | 36.9 | 39.9 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.23 -0.42 to -0.03 | -0.42 -0.62 to -0.22 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 25% | 25.6% | 28.4% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 49% | 50.7% | 52.2% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 19% | 21.3% | 16.4% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.4 |
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 University Academy Holbeach 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 | 39.5 | 42.9 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 36.9 | 41.1 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 39.9 | 39.8 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 10.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 11% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 9.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,391 |
| 2023/24 | 1,390 |
| 2024/25 | 1,394 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How University Academy Holbeach compares
University Academy Holbeach ranked 33rd of 54 secondary schools in Lincolnshire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 38% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 8% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 39.9 | 9.9% | 32.8% | 1,378 | — |
| University Academy Long Sutton | 32.4 | 10.7% | 41% | 708 | 4.9 miles |
| Spalding Academy | 45.3 | 7.1% | 26.6% | 1,486 | 6.6 miles |
| Spalding High School | 63 | 5.5% | 11.7% | 970 | 6.9 miles |
| Spalding Grammar School | 58.8 | 4.9% | 10.4% | 1,023 | 7.3 miles |
| Thomas Middlecott Academy | 32.1 | 11% | 37.7% | 612 | 8.5 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)
- 32.82%
- English as an additional language
- 10.7%
- Overall absence
- 9.91%
- Persistent absence
- 30.03%
Location
Nearby schools
-
University Academy Long Sutton4.9 miles
Secondary · Spalding
-
Spalding Academy6.6 miles
Secondary · Spalding
-
Spalding High School6.9 miles
Secondary · Spalding
-
Spalding Grammar School7.3 miles
Secondary · Spalding
-
Thomas Middlecott Academy8.5 miles
Secondary · Boston
Other schools in Spalding
University Academy Holbeach ranks 4th of the 6 ranked secondary schools in Spalding.
- Cowley Academy Secondary
- Spalding Academy Secondary
- Spalding Grammar School Secondary
- Spalding High School Secondary
- University Academy Long Sutton Secondary
- Clough and Risegate Community Primary School Primary
- Deeping St Nicholas Primary School Primary
- Fleet Wood Lane School Primary
- Gedney Church End Primary Academy Primary
- Gedney Drove End Primary School Primary
- Gosberton Academy Primary
- Holbeach Bank Primary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does University Academy Holbeach teach?
- University Academy Holbeach teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Spalding.
- Who is the principal of University Academy Holbeach?
- The principal of University Academy Holbeach is Miss Sheila Paige, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has University Academy Holbeach been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected University Academy Holbeach, 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 University Academy Holbeach?
- University Academy Holbeach has 1,378 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is University Academy Holbeach full?
- University Academy Holbeach has capacity for 1,400 pupils and 1,378 on roll (98%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is University Academy Holbeach a faith school?
- No. University Academy Holbeach has no designated religious character.
- Is University Academy Holbeach a selective school?
- No. University Academy Holbeach is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is University Academy Holbeach part of an academy trust?
- University Academy Holbeach is part of UNIVERSITY OF LINCOLN ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have University Academy Holbeach's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 39.5 in 2022/23 and 39.9 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does University Academy Holbeach compare with other schools in Lincolnshire?
- University Academy Holbeach ranked 33rd of 54 secondary schools in Lincolnshire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 38% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 8% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is University Academy Holbeach's absence rate?
- University Academy Holbeach's overall absence rate is 9.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are University Academy Holbeach's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, University Academy Holbeach'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.