Carlton le Willows Academy Review 2026: Large secondary with sixth form, rebuilding confidence after an Inadequate judgement

A big, mixed 11 to 18 academy serving Gedling and the wider Carlton area, with a sizeable sixth form and the feel of a full community secondary. The published day structure is compact, with a 08:25 start and a 14:30 finish, which shapes everything from lunchtime routines to after-school enrichment.

The headline context for families is improvement and consistency. The most recent full Ofsted inspection, dated 15 November 2022, judged the school Inadequate overall, with Leadership and management graded Inadequate and other areas graded Requires improvement. A further Ofsted monitoring inspection took place on 18 and 19 July 2023.

Leadership now sits with Principal Mr J Mehat.

This is a large-scale setting, capacity is listed as 2,125, and the roll is listed at 1,803, so scale is part of daily life. That typically brings breadth, more subject options, and a bigger peer group, but it also puts a premium on routines and consistency in classroom expectations.

The school’s own messaging puts emphasis on a safe, supportive environment and core values of respect, responsibility and resilience. For families, the practical question is how reliably those expectations are experienced across different subjects and year groups, because consistency is what makes a large school feel calm rather than patchy.

Governance and policy pages also make clear that admissions are handled through the local authority route, and that appeals follow the standard national cycle, which gives families predictable next steps if they do not get an offer on the first allocation.

This school’s most usable, current-style indicators are GCSE measures. In the 2024-25 / 2025 dataset, Attainment 8 is 55.1, which is a solid centre-of-gravity score across eight subjects, and 69.9% achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths.

In the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) suite, the average point score is 4.8. For families thinking about the balance of academic breadth, EBacc points are a useful sense-check, because they reflect performance across the core academic subjects taken together, rather than one department at a time.

Sixth form grade breakdown is now available in the 2025 A-level dataset: 20% of grades were A*-A and 50% were A*-B, so families can judge post-16 through both outcomes and curriculum fit.

Parents comparing local schools can use the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool to line up Attainment 8, English and maths outcomes, EBacc indicators, and curriculum breadth side-by-side, rather than relying on reputation.

The sixth form curriculum offer includes both A-level and applied routes, with a long subject list that signals decent breadth. Examples on the published list include Computer Science, Law, Economics, Further Maths, Drama and Theatre Studies, Photography, and Textiles.

At post-16, entry requirements are stated as at least five GCSEs at grades 9 to 4, including English Language and Maths, plus subject-specific requirements by course. The best fit tends to be students who want a clear programme with transparent thresholds, and who are realistic about matching subject choices to prior attainment.

Where Students Go Next

The school has a sixth form, and current A-level data gives families a more useful post-16 benchmark than a single destination headline: in the 2025 dataset, 50% of A-level grades were A*-B.

Destination percentages for university, apprenticeships, employment, and further education are not available for this school, so families should treat destinations as an area to explore directly through sixth form guidance, tutor support, and course choices, rather than expecting a published headline split.

Year 7 applications follow the Nottinghamshire coordinated admissions timetable. For September 2027 entry, applications open from 3 August 2026 and the national closing date is 31 October 2026, with National Offer Day on 1 March 2027.

For the current Year 7 cycle, use the latest school admissions policy for the published admission number and oversubscription detail, alongside Nottinghamshire’s coordinated secondary-transfer timetable.

If you are trying to judge whether proximity is likely to matter in practice, the most reliable approach is to use FindMySchool Map Search to check your exact home-to-gates distance. This is especially important in years where local demand rises, because allocation patterns can shift noticeably year to year.

For many families, pastoral confidence is the decisive factor when a school is in an improvement phase. The sensible approach is to focus on concrete operating details: how behaviour expectations are taught and reinforced, how attendance is monitored, how bullying reports are handled, and how quickly issues are escalated to a form tutor, head of year, or senior leader.

On SEND, the school publishes a SEND policy and information report, which is often the quickest way for parents to see what support looks like day-to-day and how referrals work.

Enrichment is structured and published as a timetable, which is a helpful sign for families because it turns “there are clubs” into something you can plan around.

Specific examples from the 2025 to 26 enrichment timetable include a Warhammer Club, Lego Robotics, Maths Circles (invite only), an LGBTQ+ Cafe, and scheduled basketball sessions, alongside table tennis sessions branded as Ping Pass.

A distinctive facility is the on-site Table Tennis Centre, described as national standard and used for competition and national team training as well as school sport. For students who need a clear extracurricular “home” to feel connected, a recognisable programme like this can be a real anchor.

The published school day runs 08:25 to 14:30. Families should factor that earlier finish into transport and after-school arrangements, particularly for younger students in Year 7 and Year 8.

Admissions for Year 7 are handled through the local authority application route.

• Inspection context and consistency. The most recent full inspection outcome was Inadequate, and families should focus on whether teaching expectations and behaviour routines now feel consistent across subjects, not just strong in pockets.

• A large-school experience. With a large roll and high capacity, some students thrive on the breadth; others do better in smaller settings where they are known by fewer staff but more intensely.

• Shorter on-site day. A 14:30 finish can be a plus for some households and a challenge for others; it is worth checking how enrichment and supervision work after the final bell.

This is a broad, high-capacity secondary with a real sixth form offer and some distinctive enrichment, including a specialist table tennis facility and a published clubs timetable. The key question for 2027 entry is confidence in consistent day-to-day experience while the school rebuilds momentum after an Inadequate judgement. Best suited to families who want a large, comprehensive-style setting with wide options and who will actively engage with open events, pastoral communication, and the details of behaviour and attendance expectations.