SchoolScoresIndependent school guide

Farnborough Spencer Academy

Academy · Secondary, ages 11 to 16 · Mixed

Part of THE SPENCER ACADEMIES TRUST

Farnborough Road, Clifton, Nottingham, NG11 8JW

0115 974 4444 · School website · Map and directions

OfstedGoodInspected 21 September 2022
Grade 5 or above in English and maths41%England 45% · 2024/25
Pupils1,005Room for 1,050
First-choice applications per place0.8149 for 177 places, September 2026

Ofsted inspection

Ofsted rated this school Good at the inspection that started on 21 September 2022.

This inspection used Ofsted's older format with four grades: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement and Inadequate. Newer inspections use report cards. What changed.

AreaGrade
Quality of educationGood
Behaviour and attitudesGood
Personal developmentGood
Leadership and managementGood
SafeguardingEffective

Read the full Ofsted reports for this school

Source: Ofsted state-funded schools inspection data.

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Results

GCSEs (key stage 4, age 16), 2024/25

181 pupils in this year group.

41% — 2 points above the Nottingham average, and 4 points below the England average.

MeasureThis schoolNottinghamEngland
Grade 5 or above in English and maths 41% 40% 45%
Attainment 8 scoreAverage of each pupil's grades across 8 GCSE-level subjects, with English and maths counted twice. Around 50 means grade 5s on average. 38.9 43 46.1
EBacc average point scoreAverage points across the English Baccalaureate subjects: English, maths, sciences, a language and history or geography. 3.5 3.7 4.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths, over time
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% England 2022/23: 45%England 2023/24: 46%England 2024/25: 45% This school 2022/23: 21%This school 2023/24: 21%This school 2024/25: 41% This school England 45% 2022/23 21% 2023/24 21% 2024/25 41%

Progress 8 isn't shown. DfE didn't publish it for 2024/25 because this year group's key stage 2 tests in 2020 were cancelled, and older progress scores aren't comparable.

Source: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25. England figures are for state-funded schools.

After Year 11

Where pupils went next. DfE measures this for pupils who finished in an earlier year, so these figures describe a previous year group.

146 pupils in this year group.

83% — 5 points below the Nottingham average, and 9 points below the England average.

MeasureThis schoolNottinghamEngland
Stayed in education, an apprenticeship or workPupils recorded in sustained education, apprenticeship or employment in the year after finishing Year 11. 83% 88% 92%
School sixth form 12% 27% 34%
Sixth form college 0% 14% 13%
Further education college 64% 42% 37%
Apprenticeship 4% 2% 3%
Work 2% 2% 3%

Stayed in education, an apprenticeship or work, over time

2023/242024/25
85%83%

Source: DfE key stage 4 destination measures, 2024/25 performance tables. England figures are for state-funded schools.

Admissions

Apply through the council where you live, even if the school is in a different council area. This school is in Nottingham. The national closing date for secondary applications is 31 October, and offers are sent on 1 March.

How hard is it to get in?

For the September 2026 intake there were fewer first-choice applications than places.

Places offered177
Families who put it first149
Of those, offered a place149 (100%)
Families who listed it at all198

First-choice applications per place: 2024: 0.9 · 2025: 0.8 · 2026: 0.8

This isn't your chance of getting a place. That depends on the school's admissions rules (for example siblings, distance or faith) and where you live. Source: DfE applications and offers, September 2026 intake.

Admissions dates and schools in Nottingham

Pupils, staff and SEND

PupilsThis schoolNottinghamEngland
Eligible for free school meals in the last 6 years
 43.6% 43.7%* 28.9%
With an education, health and care plan
 0.4% 1.4%* 3.1%
Receiving special educational needs support
 21.8% 14.7%* 13.4%
English as an additional language
 12.2% 34.1%* 19.2%
Overall absence (sessions missed)
 11.1% 8.8%* 8.4%
Persistently absent (missed 10% or more)
 31.0% 24.8%* 23.4%
Suspensions per 100 pupils
 44.2 29.7 21.2
Pupils suspended at least once
 10.8% 10.1% 7.3%
Pupils permanently excluded2 pupils 0.20% 0.61% 0.23%
Pupils per teacher
 18.8 17.0 16.7
Pupils per adult (teachers and support staff)
 10.3 10.7 11.8
Teachers who left during the year
 24.1% 15.7%* 14.2%*

Comparisons are with secondary schools. Scales run from lower (left) to higher (right) figures. For absence and suspensions lower is better, so their scales run green to red; blue scales describe the school's pupils and staff and aren't good or bad. * Calculated by SchoolScores from the council's or England's schools, weighted by pupils (or teachers, for turnover); other figures are published by DfE. Sources: DfE school census 2024/25; DfE pupil absence 2024/25; DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions 2024/25; DfE school workforce census 2025/26; DfE teacher turnover 2024/25.

Nearby secondary schools

Straight-line distance. Distance isn't the same as a catchment area.

Questions parents ask

What is Farnborough Spencer Academy's Ofsted rating?

Farnborough Spencer Academy was rated Good by Ofsted at its inspection in 21 September 2022.

How did Farnborough Spencer Academy do in its GCSEs?

In 2024/25, 41% of pupils grade 5 or above in English and maths, 4 points below the England average of 45%.

Is Farnborough Spencer Academy oversubscribed?

For the September 2026 intake, 149 families put Farnborough Spencer Academy as their first choice for 177 places: fewer first-choice applications than places. 149 of those families were offered a place. Whether you get a place depends on the school's admissions rules and where you live.

Sources

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Page updated 26 September 2026.