The Newark Academy
London Road, Balderton, Newark, NG24 3AL
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- NOVA EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Miss Inma Pena
- Sponsor
- Nova Education Trust
- Constituency
- Newark
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,110
- Pupils on roll
- 1,164
- URN
- 144489
- Local authority
- Nottinghamshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01636615000
About this school
The Newark Academy is a secondary academy in Newark. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,164 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The Newark 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's most recent visit was a short inspection on 5 February 2025, where inspectors found the school has improved significantly. 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 | 180 | 207 | 205 |
| Attainment 8 score | 46.5 | 47.7 | 45.4 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.34 +0.14 to +0.55 | +0.40 +0.21 to +0.59 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 45% | 49.8% | 47.3% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 72% | 71% | 68.3% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 21% | 29.5% | 21.5% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.9 |
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 The Newark 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 | Nottinghamshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 46.5 | 39.2 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 47.7 | 39.8 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 45.4 | 39.7 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,122 |
| 2023/24 | 1,144 |
| 2024/25 | 1,145 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Newark Academy compares
The Newark Academy ranked 26th of 44 secondary schools in Nottinghamshire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 59% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 19% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 45.4 | 7.6% | 26.6% | 1,164 | — |
| Magnus Church of England Academy | 35.7 | 10.1% | 45.9% | 678 | 0.8 miles |
| The Suthers School | 46.4 | 9.5% | 26.1% | 684 | 1.5 miles |
| The Priory Belvoir Academy | 46.3 | 7.3% | 16.3% | 672 | 8.7 miles |
| Sir William Robertson Academy, Welbourn | 39.8 | 8.8% | 23.4% | 1,015 | 9.1 miles |
| Toot Hill School | 55.9 | 6.6% | 15.8% | 1,838 | 10.5 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)
- 26.62%
- English as an additional language
- 12.3%
- Overall absence
- 7.61%
- Persistent absence
- 19.95%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Magnus Church of England Academy0.8 miles
Secondary · Newark
-
The Suthers School1.5 miles
Secondary · Newark
-
The Priory Belvoir Academy8.7 miles
Secondary · Nottingham
-
Sir William Robertson Academy, Welbourn9.1 miles
Secondary · Lincoln
-
Toot Hill School10.5 miles
Secondary · Nottingham
Other schools in Newark
The Newark Academy ranks 3rd of the 5 ranked secondary schools in Newark.
- Magnus Church of England Academy Secondary
- The Dukeries Academy Secondary
- The Suthers School Secondary
- Tuxford Academy Secondary
- All Saints Anglican/Methodist Primary School Primary
- Barnby Road Academy Primary and Nursery school Primary
- Bilsthorpe Flying High Academy Primary
- Bishop Alexander L.E.A.D. Academy Primary
- Caunton Dean Hole CofE Primary School Primary
- Chuter Ede Primary School Primary
- Coddington CofE Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Dunham-on-Trent CofE Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does The Newark Academy teach?
- The Newark Academy teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Newark.
- Who is the headteacher of The Newark Academy?
- The headteacher of The Newark Academy is Miss Inma Pena, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Newark Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Newark 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 The Newark Academy?
- The Newark Academy has 1,164 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is The Newark Academy full?
- The Newark Academy has capacity for 1,110 pupils and 1,164 on roll (105%), 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 The Newark Academy a faith school?
- No. The Newark Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is The Newark Academy part of an academy trust?
- The Newark Academy is part of NOVA EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The Newark Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 46.5 in 2022/23 and 45.4 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The Newark Academy compare with other schools in Nottinghamshire?
- The Newark Academy ranked 26th of 44 secondary schools in Nottinghamshire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 59% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 19% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The Newark Academy's absence rate?
- The Newark Academy's overall absence rate is 7.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Newark Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Newark 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 10 July 2026.