Walton Academy - The School Companion

Walton Academy

South Kesteven · NG31 7JR

General information Secondary School · 11-18 years Who goes here 822 pupils, 38.6% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 15.1% on SEN support Behaviour 10.5% absence rate Staff 10.6% turnover Financials £8,740 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Walton Academy

General Information

Address: Harlaxton Road, Grantham, NG31 7JR – View on map
Phone: 01476563251
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Caroline Saxelby
Age range: 11-18 years
Demand for places (Year 7, September 2026): 80 families put it first for 175 places – 5 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. 2 of the 175 places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 9 · 2024 7 · 2025 6 · 2026 5
Sixth form: Yes
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: None
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

822 pupils out of 900 places

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 284
% eligible for free school meals: 38.6%
Pupil mix: 4 in 10 (more mixed than the South Kesteven average)
English as an additional language: 20% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 10.6% a year (South Kesteven 15.4%, typical in England 15.5%) Low turnover
Where they went: about 42% moved to another school, 58% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. "Low turnover" means it's among the quarter of similar schools in England where teachers are most likely to stay.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Lincolnshire: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 189 (3.8 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.7)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 2
Suspensions for bullying: 96 (1.9 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.9)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 63 (1.3 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.8)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state secondary schools in Lincolnshire (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 10.5%
Persistently absent pupils: 28.2%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 15.1%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 3.6%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Specific learning difficulty: 80 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 38 pupils
Other difficulty or disability: 3 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 2 pupils
Vision impairment: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Specific learning difficulty: 13 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 12 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 2 pupils
Hearing impairment: 1 pupil
Physical disability: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2022 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Attainment 8 score: 41.1
Compared with the area: 11.2 points below the South Kesteven average (52.3)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (−1.5 points against an expected 42.6)
Grade 4+ in English and maths: 54% (South Kesteven 73%, England 65%) Falling
Data year: 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

GCSE results over time

This schoolSouth Kesteven averageEngland↘ Falling Down 6.9 points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 11.2 points below the South Kesteven average (52.3).

About the Attainment 8 score

Attainment 8 measures a pupil's average result across 8 GCSE-equivalent qualifications (English and maths count double). It shows how pupils performed, not how much progress they made getting there - a school with a higher score doesn't necessarily add more value, since pupils often arrive with different starting points. Progress 8 is the measure designed to account for that, but it currently can't be calculated for any school for the two most recent academic years, due to a nationwide gap in the data caused by COVID-19 disruption to Key Stage 2 testing.

6th of 10 secondary schools in South Kesteven for Attainment 8

#4Bourne Academy47.2
#5The Priory Ruskin Academy41.4
#6Walton Academy41.1
#7West Grantham Church of England Secondary Academy40.3
#8Stamford Welland Academy39.7

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

Rank School Score

#1The King's School, Grantham72.7
#2Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School68.8
#3Bourne Grammar School68.6
#4Bourne Academy47.2
#5The Priory Ruskin Academy41.4
#6Walton Academy41.1
#7West Grantham Church of England Secondary Academy40.3
#8Stamford Welland Academy39.7
#9The Deepings School38.6
#10Charles Read Academy37.6

Leaver Destinations

In education, employment, or training a year later: 95.0%
Went into further education: 90.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About leaver destinations

This shows where a school's Year 11 leavers were recorded the following year - in a "sustained" destination means in education, an apprenticeship, or employment for at least 6 months, not just enrolled briefly. It's a different picture from exam results alone, and can highlight schools that support pupils well beyond just their GCSE grades.

GCSE Subjects Offered

Maths (General)
English Language
English Literature
Science Double Award
Geography
Sociology
History
Food Technology
Photography
Computer Science
Physics (General)
Art & Design
Chemistry (General)
Biology
Religious Studies
Spanish
Speech & Drama
French Language
Dance: General
Polish

About this subject list

This isn't the school's own description of its curriculum - it's real DfE exam entry data, showing which GCSE subjects this school's pupils were actually entered for in 2024/25. A subject not appearing here may still be taught but had no pupils entered that year, so treat this as a helpful guide rather than a complete guarantee - it's worth confirming directly with the school for the year your child would actually study.

View full Ofsted inspection report

6th of 7 secondary schools in South Kesteven for Ofsted rating

#4Bourne Grammar SchoolGood
#5The King's School, GranthamGood
#6Walton AcademyGood
#7West Grantham Church of England Secondary AcademyGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Kesteven and Grantham Girls' SchoolOutstanding
#2The Priory Ruskin AcademyOutstanding
#3Bourne AcademyGood
#4Bourne Grammar SchoolGood
#5The King's School, GranthamGood
#6Walton AcademyGood
#7West Grantham Church of England Secondary AcademyGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £8,740 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

2nd of 10 secondary schools in South Kesteven for spending per pupil

#1Charles Read Academy£11,022
#2Walton Academy£8,740
#3West Grantham Church of England Secondary Academy£8,722
#4Stamford Welland Academy£8,166

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Charles Read Academy£11,022
#2Walton Academy£8,740
#3West Grantham Church of England Secondary Academy£8,722
#4Stamford Welland Academy£8,166
#5The Priory Ruskin Academy£7,834
#6The Deepings School£7,452
#7Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School£7,386
#8Bourne Academy£7,045
#9The King's School, Grantham£6,836
#10Bourne Grammar School£6,381

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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General Information

Who goes here

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Behaviour

Across Lincolnshire: suspensions by reason

Attendance

SEN

Most common needs - SEN Support

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Educational Attainment

Attainment 8 ranking

Leaver Destinations ?

GCSE Subjects Offered ?

Ofsted Rating ranking

Financials

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Leaver Destinations

GCSE Subjects Offered