Carlton le Willows Academy

A free blazer for every new Year 7, weekly Latin lessons for 11 to 16 year olds and a Progress 8 score of +0.49: Carlton le Willows Academy makes a strong practical case for a non-selective state school in Nottinghamshire. This mixed 11 to 18 academy in Gedling has 1,803 students on roll against a capacity of 2,125. It belongs to Delta Academies Trust and is led by Principal Jaspal Mehat.

The academy opened under its present identity on 1 December 2023. Since then, it has not yet been inspected by Ofsted. GCSE results sit in the top 23.7% of schools in England. Demand is clear, with 553 applications for 299 Year 7 places in 2025. The sixth form, which the school describes as one of the largest in the county, runs A-level and applied courses from a dedicated centre. Families get a large comprehensive with real academic momentum, but without an inspection judgement of its own yet.

Since December 2023, Carlton le Willows has operated as a Fresh Start academy under a new identity, although the school's own welcome describes it as having served this community for more than 60 years. The distinction matters for parents reading older material. Before this school opened, the predecessor school (URN 136627) was judged Inadequate by Ofsted in November 2022. That judgement belongs to the predecessor, not to the current academy, which has had no inspection of its own.

The ethos is built around The Willows Way, a set of character traits and qualities developed in conjunction with the Academy's Student Council. These qualities are embedded in the personal development programme and are used to describe what it means to be a Carlton le Willows student. Student voice has a formal structure too. The Academy Council is elected through a two-phase process, with anonymised manifestos read out in every form group and four representatives per year group from Year 7 to Year 10.

Expectations around presentation are firm. Every student wears a Delta Logo Blazer, Delta Tie and plain black polishable shoes, and staff are required to apply the uniform policy rigorously and consistently. Forgetting PE kit earns a C4 detention, and repeated lapses escalate to a C5 and contact with home. For some families that structure is reassuring; for others it will feel strict.

Delta Academies Trust shapes daily life more than most trusts do. The trust's vision is Changing Lives, its common assessments run across its schools, and a Year 9 reader here was a winner in the Delta Academies Reading Plus Awards 2026, a competition involving all Delta's 63 schools. Trust-wide events, shared resources and a common uniform brand give the school a distinctly networked feel.

At GCSE, Carlton le Willows ranks 922nd of 3,895 in England for GCSE results (top 23.7%) (ranked against all schools in England with published GCSE results, state and independent). These are proprietary FindMySchool rankings built from official data. For a comprehensive intake that is a creditable position, comfortably inside the top quarter.

Progress is the standout measure. A Progress 8 score of +0.49 means students make well-above-average progress from their starting points, since 0 is the England average. In practical terms, students here tend to finish around half a grade per subject higher than students with similar Key Stage 2 results elsewhere. The average Attainment 8 score was 50.8 across a cohort of 298 students at the end of Key Stage 4.

The English Baccalaureate is a weaker area. Some 10.7% of students achieved grade 5 or above across the EBacc subjects, with an average EBacc point score of 4.3. Parents may want to ask how many students take the full EBacc combination, given that the school expects most students to study a foreign language at GCSE.

More recent figures come from the school itself. It reports that in summer 2026, 76% of students secured a strong pass of grade 5 or above in both English and maths, 41% achieved grade 7 or above in maths and 47% achieved grade 7 or above in English. Principal Jaspal Mehat put it plainly: "Our Year 11 students have made their teachers so proud."

A-level results are more middling. The sixth form is 1,184th of 2,562 in England for A-level results, the top 46.2%. In the most recent ranked results, 6% of entries were graded A*, 24% achieved A* or A (in line with the England average of 24%) and 47% achieved A* to B (level with the England average of 47%). The school's own summer 2026 figures report a 100% pass rate, 81% of grades at A* to C and 22% at A* or A. The picture is steady, solid sixth-form performance rather than exceptional results.

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Assessment is frequent and structured. Key Stage 3 students sit Trust Assessments twice a year in English, maths, science, geography, history, French and computing, with revision sessions in class the week before. Year 11 students complete three sets of trial examinations before their GCSEs, sitting them in centralised exam halls. Parents receive a student report twice a year, in January and July, through the My Child at School app (MCAS), covering Key Stage 3 assessments, predicted and target grades in Key Stage 4 and an effort grade in all subjects.

Resources are generous for a state school. The prospectus lists 4,700 free revision guides and knowledge organisers provided to all students, 1,200 free hours of one-to-one tuition and 18,065 student hours on Sparx Maths. In languages, students clock up 260 hours in contact with native speakers each year.

Latin is the distinctive academic thread. Through the Department for Education's Latin for Excellence Programme, students aged 11 to 16 across Key Stages 3 and 4 receive an hour of dedicated weekly Latin, with enrichment including trips to York and a residential visit to Rome. The school also runs a Grammar Stream, which offers access to Latin as a qualification, specialist music programmes to learn an instrument for free, and a closer look at science, astronomy and computer science. The wider offer includes the chance to use university-level telescopes to develop skills in astrophotography.

Literacy support is named rather than vague. The English department uses the Ruth Miskin Fresh Start programme, the Lexia software package, Rapid Plus and Toe by Toe peer mentoring during tutor time, while Reading Routes encourages reading for pleasure across nine genres. At Key Stage 4 the core is English Language, English Literature, maths, combined science and PE, plus four option courses, with at least one of history or geography compulsory.

Destination figures come from the school's own 2025 leavers table, drawn from destinations confirmed so far. Of Year 13 leavers, 78.3% went to universities and higher education institutions, and the school lists 40% under Russell Group. No students went to Oxford or Cambridge that year. A further 1.5% started degree apprenticeships, 2.9% other apprenticeships, 7.2% employment and 1.4% training, while 8.7% took a gap year. The school reports that none of its 2025 leavers were not in education, employment or training.

Named destinations from summer 2026 show the upper end. One student with three A* grades is going to the University of Manchester to study Maths and Physics, another with three A* grades is joining Warwick University for Maths, and a third secured a place to study medicine at Liverpool University. Another student with three A grades will now study to become a primary school teacher.

Careers education has outside recognition. The school lists the Quality in Careers Standard among its awards, and its careers education, information, advice and guidance begins in Year 7. Partners include the University of Lincoln, The University of Hull and Offshore Renewable Energy. Students have regular access to an independent careers advisor, meet employers at scheduled lunchtimes and breaktimes, and take part in full days of employer speed-dating events. For a student uncertain between university and an apprenticeship, that range of contacts is useful.

The sixth form motto is Believe, Achieve, Succeed, and the provision is led by Assistant Principal for Post 16 Ms H Kuczynska-Fryer. The modern Sixth Form centre includes a large common room with a barista-style cafe, two teaching rooms, a computer suite for subject support, a kitchen, a quiet work area and offices. A space of its own gives Year 12 and 13 students a clear step up from the main school.

Breadth is the selling point. The school lists 26 courses under its A Level heading, including Further Maths, Law, Economics, Government & Politics, Computer Science, Photography, Textiles and French. Applied options cover Sport, Criminology, Business and Health and Social Care. Sport students take the Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Sport, which is equivalent in size to two A Levels, while musicians follow the RSL Music Practitioners Subsidiary Diploma Level 3. A Level Drama and Theatre Studies follows the Eduqas specification.

Enrichment adds weight to UCAS applications. The Extended Project Qualification lets students explore an area of interest in a more academic way and can provide additional UCAS points. Through the Student Role programme, sixth formers help younger pupils in lessons, and the Primary Placement Scheme with Netherfield Primary sees them support younger children with literacy and maths. A number of students complete Gold D of E during their time in the sixth form.

Entry for 2026 required at least five GCSEs at grades 9 to 4, including English Language and maths, plus subject-specific requirements. Every applicant is interviewed before an offer is made. The sixth form has a capacity of 316, with 50 places for external candidates, and current Year 11 students may transfer provided they meet the entry requirements. An induction week in the summer term includes taster sessions, a team building day, a university visit and a social day out. The 2026 to 2027 calendar includes a Sixth Form Open Evening on 3 November 2026.

For students from lower-income households, the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund has two parts. The Vulnerable Student Bursary pays up to £1,200 a year in six equal instalments to eligible groups such as young people in care and care leavers. A Discretionary Bursary uses household income bands, with Band 1 covering annual household incomes of £16,190 or less. Payments are linked to attendance, behaviour and performance.

Carlton le Willows is an oversubscribed comprehensive. In 2025 it received 553 applications for 299 Year 7 offers, roughly 1.85 applications per place. The number of first preferences matched the number of first-preference offers that year, which suggests families who put the school first were generally successful. The proposed published admission number for Year 7 in September 2026 is 360.

Applications for the normal Year 7 entry go through the home local authority, Nottinghamshire, on the common application form. The closing date is 31 October in the year before entry, and places are announced on Secondary National Offer Day on 1 March (or the next working day). Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the academy are admitted automatically.

When there are more applicants than places, the oversubscription criteria run in this order:

1. Looked after and previously looked after children.
2. Children living in the catchment area who attend a linked primary school.
3. Other children living in the catchment area.
4. Children living outside the catchment area who attend a linked primary school.
5. Other children living outside the catchment area, nearest first.

Within each of criteria 2 to 5, siblings come first. Any tie within a criterion is broken by straight-line distance.

The catchment area is historical and combines the catchment areas of the linked primary schools. These are All Hallows Church of England Primary School, Burton Joyce Primary School, the Carlton Junior School, Colwick St John the Baptist Church of England School, Netherfield Primary School, Parkdale Primary School, Priory Junior School, Stanhope Primary School, Willow Farm Primary School and Rivendell Flying High Academy.

In 2025, the last place offered on distance went to a family living 13.2 miles from the academy. Distances vary annually based on applicant distribution; proximity provides priority but does not guarantee a place. Unsuccessful applicants join a waiting list ranked by the oversubscription criteria, which stays open until 31 December. Parents may appeal within 20 school days of notification.

Each year group, from Year 7 to Year 13, has its own Learning Manager, which gives families a named first contact for day-to-day concerns. The personal development curriculum aims to build character, resilience and practical knowledge, and it is refined to respond to topical issues in school and the wider world. The calendar marks Children's Mental Health Week, Mental Health Awareness Week, Black History Month and Pride Month.

Special educational needs support is led by SENCO Mr N Silcock, and Vice Principal Mr M Storey is also listed on the SEND page. Students identified with SEND receive a bespoke Learning Passport. It sets out the strategies teachers and support staff should use, is written with the family and the student, and is reviewed every term. Additional help can come from Learning Support Assistants, a SEND Teacher or external services. The SENCO also works with local primary schools and the local authority on transition, which matters for children moving up with an existing plan.

Transition is well organised. Incoming Year 7s spend two days at the school to meet teachers and learn the site, are measured for uniform by SPT Uniforms during the visit, and their families are invited to a Year 6 Welcome Evening with the senior leadership team. The school holds the Leading Parent Partnership Award. In the sixth form, the Student Council includes a Welfare Officer focused on student wellbeing.

Sport is the strongest pillar, and the facilities back it up. The site includes an international standard Table Tennis Centre, a new 3G floodlit football pitch and pavilion, four full size football pitches and a clay running track. The lettings list adds a sports hall, gymnasium, indoor cricket nets, netball courts, an athletics track and jumping pit, and a cricket field. After-school clubs cover athletics, basketball, badminton, cross country, football, netball, rugby and table tennis, and the prospectus counts 91 sporting fixtures a year.

Results in competition are real. In July 2026, a junior girls' team of 13 students from Years 7 and 8 reached the national final of the ESAA English Schools' Track and Field Cup in Chelmsford, after winning the North Midlands regional round in Derby. The Year 10 girls' footballers won the South Notts trophy by beating George Spencer Academy 2-1, following a Year 7 girls' win earlier in the term. Football and netball residentials add to the programme.

Music and drama share a department and a showcase group, CLW Stars, which puts on regular academy shows for public audiences. Instrumental lessons cover guitar, singing, viola, violin, piano and drums, and the prospectus counts 1,716 one-to-one music lessons delivered a year. An annual music festival brings primary and secondary students together on stage. Drama students study Pantomime, Physical Theatre, Naturalism and Epic Theatre, take Eduqas GCSE Drama at Key Stage 4 and join workshops with drama practitioners and professional performers. Facilities include a drama and music studio and a school hall with stage.

Outdoor education gives students a chance to build independence. The Duke of Edinburgh's Award runs at Bronze from Year 9, Silver from Year 10 and Gold from Year 12, and the prospectus records 133 Duke of Edinburgh activities completed. Beyond DofE, students can take the Lowland Leaders Award and Outdoor Two Day First Aid. The prospectus presents that figure under a Youth Without Limits banner.

The weekly club list is broad and sometimes offbeat: Dungeons and Dragons, Warhammer, crocheting, 3D CAD modelling, a wildlife club, an eco club, chess, and a debate and diversity group. In total there are 40 weekly enrichment activities, and students log 5,148 hours of volunteering in their community each year.

This is a state school, so there are no tuition fees. Every student joining Year 7 receives a free uniform bundle including blazer, shirts, trousers or skirt and full PE kit, which the prospectus values at £85. Instrumental lessons are subsidised at £75 per term for a 20-minute lesson, with free lessons for students on free school meals and some other qualifying students. Branded uniform comes from SPT Uniforms.

The school does not publish its daily start and finish times, and there is no transport or bus route information on its website. Families should ask the school directly about the school day and check local bus options before applying. Term and holiday dates for 2026 to 2027 and 2027 to 2028 are available from the school.

No inspection of its own yet. The academy opened on 1 December 2023. It has not yet been inspected by Ofsted. Parents are relying on results, the school's own account and visits rather than an independent verdict, so an open evening and questions to leaders carry extra weight.

Sixth-form results are average rather than strong. A-level outcomes sit in the top 46.2% in England, with A* to A and A* to B rates in line with the England averages. Students aiming for the most competitive courses should look closely at subject-level results and the support on offer.

A strict culture. Uniform rules are applied rigorously, and consequences such as C4 and C5 sanctions are spelled out in detail. Children who respond well to clear boundaries should thrive, but families who prefer a looser approach should visit first.

Entry depends on where you live. Catchment and linked primary school attendance drive priority. The proposed admission number rises to 360 for September 2026, but 2025 demand still ran at about 1.85 applications per place, so families outside the catchment should check the local authority map before relying on a place.

Large, well-resourced and genuinely impressive on GCSE progress, Carlton le Willows Academy gives a non-selective Gedling intake a lot to work with. A Progress 8 score of +0.49 and a place in the top 23.7% of schools in England for GCSE results sit alongside unusual extras: weekly Latin, free uniform, free revision guides, an international standard Table Tennis Centre and a busy fixture list. The sixth form offers real breadth from its own centre, though its A-level results are closer to the England middle.

It is best suited to families in the catchment or linked primary schools who want an ambitious, structured state school with strong sport and a wide choice of post-16 courses. The main caveat is that the academy has no Ofsted inspection of its own yet, so parents should weigh its results and the school's own account carefully.