Bluecoat Beechdale Academy
Harvey Road, Bilborough, Nottingham, NG8 3GP
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- ARCHWAY LEARNING TRUST
- Head of School
- Mrs Rachael Frearson
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious ethos
- None
- Sponsor
- Archway Learning Trust
- Constituency
- Nottingham South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 900
- Pupils on roll
- 887
- URN
- 140369
- Local authority
- Nottingham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01159135211
About this school
Bluecoat Beechdale Academy is a secondary academy in Nottingham. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 887 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Bluecoat Beechdale Academy, 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 12 October 2022, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 179 | 173 | 173 |
| Attainment 8 score | 33.7 | 32.4 | 34.0 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.65 -0.86 to -0.44 | -0.67 -0.88 to -0.45 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 18% | 13.3% | 21.4% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 38% | 31.2% | 35.3% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 14% | 15% | 15.6% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 2.8 | 2.6 | 2.8 |
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 Bluecoat Beechdale 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 | Nottingham average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 33.7 | 38.5 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 32.4 | 38 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 34 | 38.1 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 12.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 12.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 13.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 900 |
| 2023/24 | 901 |
| 2024/25 | 891 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bluecoat Beechdale Academy compares
Bluecoat Beechdale Academy ranked 18th of 18 secondary schools in Nottingham for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 25% 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 | 34 | 13.3% | 67.9% | 887 | — |
| The Trinity Catholic School A Voluntary Academy | 55.3 | 5.4% | 21.6% | 1,182 | 0.2 miles |
| Nottingham Girls' Academy | 47.7 | 5.4% | 40.1% | 931 | 0.5 miles |
| Bluecoat Aspley Academy | 48.6 | 7.2% | 42.7% | 1,344 | 0.8 miles |
| Nottingham University Samworth Academy | 40.5 | 13.4% | 53.7% | 841 | 1.0 miles |
| Fernwood School | 53.8 | 6.5% | 20% | 1,543 | 1.2 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)
- 67.9%
- English as an additional language
- 15.9%
- Overall absence
- 13.25%
- Persistent absence
- 36.41%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Trinity Catholic School A Voluntary Academy0.2 miles
Secondary · Nottingham
-
Nottingham Girls' Academy0.5 miles
Secondary · Nottingham
-
Bluecoat Aspley Academy0.8 miles
Secondary · Nottingham
-
Nottingham University Samworth Academy1.0 miles
Secondary · Nottingham
-
Fernwood School1.2 miles
Secondary · Nottingham
Other schools in Nottingham
Bluecoat Beechdale Academy ranks 41st 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 Trent Academy Secondary
- Bluecoat Wollaton Academy Secondary
- Bramcote College Secondary
- Carlton Academy Secondary
- Chilwell School Secondary
- Christ The King Voluntary Academy Secondary
- Colonel Frank Seely Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Bluecoat Beechdale Academy teach?
- Bluecoat Beechdale Academy teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Nottingham.
- Who is the head of school of Bluecoat Beechdale Academy?
- The head of school of Bluecoat Beechdale Academy is Mrs Rachael Frearson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Bluecoat Beechdale Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bluecoat Beechdale 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 Bluecoat Beechdale Academy?
- Bluecoat Beechdale Academy has 887 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Bluecoat Beechdale Academy full?
- Bluecoat Beechdale Academy has capacity for 900 pupils and 887 on roll (99%), 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 Bluecoat Beechdale Academy a faith school?
- No. Bluecoat Beechdale Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Bluecoat Beechdale Academy a selective school?
- No. Bluecoat Beechdale Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Bluecoat Beechdale Academy part of an academy trust?
- Bluecoat Beechdale Academy is part of ARCHWAY LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Bluecoat Beechdale Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 33.7 in 2022/23 and 34 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Bluecoat Beechdale Academy compare with other schools in Nottingham?
- Bluecoat Beechdale Academy ranked 18th of 18 secondary schools in Nottingham for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 25% 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 Bluecoat Beechdale Academy's absence rate?
- Bluecoat Beechdale Academy's overall absence rate is 13.3% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bluecoat Beechdale Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bluecoat Beechdale 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.