University Academy Long Sutton
84 Little London, Long Sutton, Spalding, PE12 9LF
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- UNIVERSITY OF LINCOLN ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Sher Alam
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- University of Lincoln
- Constituency
- South Holland and The Deepings
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 720
- Pupils on roll
- 708
- URN
- 147268
- Local authority
- Lincolnshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01406362120
About this school
University Academy Long Sutton is a secondary academy in Spalding. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 708 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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 no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Needs attention
- Curriculum and teaching
- Needs attention
- Achievement
- Urgent improvement
- Attendance and behaviour
- Needs attention
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Expected standard
- Leadership and governance
- Needs attention
- Safeguarding
- Met
Ofsted placed the school in a category of concern: requires significant improvement.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 139 | 139 | 139 |
| Attainment 8 score | 34.6 | 35.8 | 32.4 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.48 -0.72 to -0.24 | -0.68 -0.91 to -0.44 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 17% | 19.4% | 17.3% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 44% | 51.1% | 41% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 7% | 2.9% | 1.4% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.6 |
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 Long Sutton 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 | 34.6 | 42.9 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 35.8 | 41.1 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 32.4 | 39.8 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 12.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 11.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 10.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 703 |
| 2023/24 | 721 |
| 2024/25 | 696 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How University Academy Long Sutton compares
University Academy Long Sutton ranked 50th of 54 secondary schools in Lincolnshire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 24% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 6% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 32.4 | 10.7% | 41% | 708 | — |
| University Academy Holbeach | 39.9 | 9.9% | 32.8% | 1,378 | 4.9 miles |
| Marshland High School | 45.5 | 8.1% | 27% | 821 | 7.2 miles |
| St Clement's High School | 45.3 | 8.7% | 27.5% | 704 | 7.4 miles |
| Thomas Clarkson Academy | 37.4 | 10.9% | 41.4% | 1,295 | 9.7 miles |
| The Wisbech Academy | — | 10.6% | 40.2% | 205 | 9.7 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.
Inspection history
-
Graded inspection report24 March 2026
- 26 September 2023
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 40.95%
- English as an additional language
- 5.9%
- Overall absence
- 10.68%
- Persistent absence
- 33.86%
Location
Nearby schools
-
University Academy Holbeach4.9 miles
Secondary · Spalding
-
Marshland High School7.2 miles
Secondary · Wisbech
-
St Clement's High School7.4 miles
Secondary · King's Lynn
-
Thomas Clarkson Academy9.7 miles
Secondary · Wisbech
-
The Wisbech Academy9.7 miles
Secondary · Wisbech
Other schools in Spalding
University Academy Long Sutton ranks 6th of the 6 ranked secondary schools in Spalding.
- Cowley Academy Secondary
- Spalding Academy Secondary
- Spalding Grammar School Secondary
- Spalding High School Secondary
- University Academy Holbeach 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
Recorded changes at this school
Previous headteacher: Mr Simon Gilman (until July 2026).
- Headteacher changed from Mr Simon Gilman to Mr Sher Alam recorded 14 Jul 2026
Common questions
- What year groups does University Academy Long Sutton teach?
- University Academy Long Sutton teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Spalding.
- Who is the headteacher of University Academy Long Sutton?
- The headteacher of University Academy Long Sutton is Mr Sher Alam, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was University Academy Long Sutton last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected University Academy Long Sutton, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is University Academy Long Sutton?
- University Academy Long Sutton has 708 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is University Academy Long Sutton full?
- University Academy Long Sutton has capacity for 720 pupils and 708 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 Long Sutton a faith school?
- No. University Academy Long Sutton has no designated religious character.
- Is University Academy Long Sutton a selective school?
- No. University Academy Long Sutton is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs University Academy Long Sutton?
- University Academy Long Sutton 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 Long Sutton's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 34.6 in 2022/23 and 32.4 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does University Academy Long Sutton rank locally?
- University Academy Long Sutton ranked 50th of 54 secondary schools in Lincolnshire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 24% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 6% 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 Long Sutton's absence rate?
- University Academy Long Sutton's overall absence rate is 10.7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are University Academy Long Sutton's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, University Academy Long Sutton'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 15 July 2026.