University Academy Long Sutton Review 2026: Community secondary with improving culture and a major rebuild underway

A school can be on a clear improvement journey while still feeling like a work in progress. University Academy Long Sutton sits firmly in that space. The most recent full inspection (26 and 27 September 2023; report published 15 November 2023) judged overall effectiveness as Requires Improvement, while rating behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management as Good.

Leadership continuity matters here. The Principal, Mr Liam Davé, was appointed in July 2019 and has remained in post through the period of structural change, including the academy’s place within University of Lincoln Academy Trust.

The most distinctive practical feature is not a programme but a project. A School Rebuilding Programme development is progressing, with trust communications indicating the new building is on track for opening in 2026. For families, that signals disruption in the short term and a significantly upgraded learning environment in the medium term.

This is a school that has put deliberate effort into making day-to-day routines feel calmer. Formal evidence describes lessons as orderly and relationships between staff and pupils as positive, with pupils reporting that the school accepts them for who they are.

A practical, modern dimension runs through the academy’s self-presentation. Curriculum documentation and communications show a strong emphasis on clarity, structure, and consistent expectations, alongside frequent reference to revision support, intervention sessions, and regular reporting tools used to manage homework and behaviour.

Parents should also factor in the physical context. Rebuild updates indicate that parts of the site and movement routes have been managed carefully during works, with specific instructions around access to areas such as the library, sports hall, music spaces, and IT rooms. That sort of operational detail tends to show up when a school is actively managing disruption rather than postponing improvement until the building is finished.

Performance measures paint a challenging picture at GCSE level, and the published figures suggest the school is behind typical outcomes across England on key indicators.

Ranked 3,620th in England and 6th in the Spalding area for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), which places it below England average overall (within the bottom 40% of schools in England on this measure). Average Attainment 8 is 35.8. Progress 8 sits at -0.68, a negative score indicating students make below-average progress from Key Stage 2 starting points compared with similar pupils nationally.

The curriculum, rather than pupil behaviour, is the main constraint highlighted in the most recent inspection evidence. That aligns with what the outcomes suggest: when implementation varies between subjects or classes, results tend to become inconsistent and improvement takes longer.

For families comparing options locally, it is sensible to use FindMySchool’s Local Hub and Comparison Tool to place these figures alongside nearby schools. The local context matters, but so does trajectory, and the most useful conversations with a school usually begin with a clear view of the baseline.

Curriculum planning appears ambitious in intent. The inspection report describes an ambitious and well planned curriculum in place for most subjects, with the key issue being consistency in delivery and checking of understanding.

The published curriculum model points to a broad Key Stage 3 core and a Key Stage 4 structure where students select option subjects alongside core study. Options listed include Computer Science, Digital Information Technology, Engineering, Food Preparation and Nutrition, Media Studies, Sport and Coaching, and Child Development, among others. The practical implication is that the school is trying to keep pathways open for students whose strengths lean applied as well as academic, without narrowing too early.

Support structures for examination preparation show up repeatedly in routine communications, including structured revision guidance and after-school intervention. For families with a child who benefits from explicit organisation, this can be a genuine advantage, provided the student is willing to engage with it.

With an 11 to 16 age range, the post-16 question is central. The academy publishes guidance on 16 plus routes that covers both academic and vocational pathways, reflecting the local reality that many students will consider further education colleges, sixth form colleges, apprenticeships, or training routes rather than a single default option.

What is not published in the supplied performance dataset is destination percentages for leavers, so families should treat post-16 planning as something to explore directly: which providers are most commonly chosen, how the school supports applications, and what sustained guidance looks like from Year 9 options onwards. The presence of careers activity in school life is supported by the inspection narrative, which references regular “super learning days” focused on careers education.

University Academy Long Sutton is a state-funded, non-selective secondary and applications for Year 7 are coordinated through Lincolnshire County Council. The academy’s published admissions guidance sets out a clear annual rhythm: apply before the end of October, with offers issued in March.

The school also states a standard admission number of 144 per year group, which is useful context when thinking about peer group size, staffing, and the likelihood of mid-year movement.

Demand indicators available for the school show oversubscription in the most recent published cycle, with 221 applications and 136 offers, which equates to about 1.63 applications per offered place. That level of competition is real, but it is not the same as the extreme pressure seen at the most heavily oversubscribed schools.

For open events, the academy indicates an open evening typically takes place in September or October each year, alongside the option of arranging tours at other points in the year. Because these dates shift annually, families should rely on the school’s current listings rather than older event notices.

If you are considering a move from outside the immediate area, the school explicitly notes that it draws pupils from Lincolnshire as well as Cambridgeshire and Norfolk.

The most persuasive evidence on wellbeing is behavioural climate and safety. The latest inspection evidence describes pupils feeling safe and reporting that bullying is rare, with confidence that staff resolve issues quickly. It also describes calm lessons and staff who are fair and consistent when dealing with behaviour concerns.

Operationally, safeguarding leadership is clearly identified within school communications, and the academy’s statutory information provides a structured framework for how responsibilities sit within the senior team. Families weighing the school should ask about practical mechanisms: how concerns are logged, how parents are updated, and how pastoral support is targeted for students with emerging attendance or behaviour issues.

The school’s improvement trajectory matters in this section too. Where curriculum delivery is uneven, stress can rise for some students, especially close to GCSEs. The presence of planned intervention and revision support is helpful, but the best indicator is whether students experience consistent teaching week to week across their subjects.

Clubs and enrichment appear to be used as a practical tool for engagement rather than a glossy add-on. The inspection report references a range of clubs, naming Rainbow Club as well as sport clubs including netball and football.

Routine bulletins provide a clearer sense of what that looks like week to week. Examples include a Years 7 and 8 Science Club, a Translation Bee Club for Years 8 and 9, and structured lunchtime or after-school revision such as KS4 Statistics revision and subject interventions for Year 11. The implication is twofold: there are opportunities for students who want to extend learning beyond lessons, and there is also a scaffold for those who need to catch up or consolidate.

Facilities are also in active use. Communications around the rebuild reference the library, sports hall, and music spaces as defined locations within the working site. Beyond that, the academy has historically had a leisure centre presence on site; the school’s own news indicates public leisure centre operations are due to end in late January 2026, while community group use and sports club access to the AstroTurf are expected to continue. For families, the school day offer is the key point, but this does show the scale of the sports facilities in the local context.

Travel logistics are a major factor for an 11 to 16 school serving a wide rural area. The academy publishes bus transport information and also references a Wisbech route application pattern, with applications typically opening after 1 July each year for September travel.

Daily timing is best inferred from school communications rather than assumption. Routine guidance references pupils lining up in tutor groups at 8.45am, and transport documentation includes an afternoon school departure time aligned to a 3.30pm end to the day for at least one route.

As a secondary school, wraparound care is not usually framed as breakfast and after-school club in the primary sense. The academy does not present a standardised wraparound offer in the same way a primary might, so families who need supervised provision outside the core day should clarify current arrangements directly with the school.

• Outcomes remain below typical benchmarks. The GCSE performance indicators available show lower attainment and below-average progress. Families should ask how consistency of teaching is being secured across subjects, and what improvement looks like in practical, measurable terms over the next two years.

• A rebuild brings disruption as well as benefit. The 2026 opening timeline suggests a materially improved environment is coming, but short-term logistics can affect movement, timetabling, and use of specialist spaces. Ask how learning is protected during construction and whether any subjects are impacted.

• Post-16 pathways need active planning. With no on-site sixth form within the stated age range, families should understand the school’s guidance and relationships with local colleges and providers, and how early this planning begins.

University Academy Long Sutton is a school with a calmer culture and improving foundations, but academic outcomes still signal real work ahead. It will suit families who value a caring environment, want a non-selective local secondary option, and are prepared to engage with structured support and intervention where needed. Securing consistent teaching quality across subjects is the key factor that will determine whether the school’s improvement story translates into stronger GCSE results.

Families interested in this option should use FindMySchool’s Map Search to sanity-check travel time and day-to-day practicality, then use Saved Schools to track alternatives alongside it while the rebuild progresses.