Bluecoat Aspley Academy
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,344 pupils
91% stayed in education · Attainment 8 48.6
Free schools
Nottingham Free School
- Pupils on roll
- 699of 626 places
- Free school meals
- 27.8%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 119
- Ofsted
- School remains Good, 9 November 2022Read the Ofsted report
What the data says
Of the 112 pupils who finished Year 11 at Nottingham Free School in 2023, 31% stayed on in Nottingham Free School’s own sixth form (Nottingham average 27%), 39% went to a further education college and none started an apprenticeship.
Among the 23 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 43% went to university (Nottingham 32%, England 37%), and 32% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Spanish is unusually popular at GCSE: 60% of the year group took it, against 19% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 51.5 against 46.1 across England and 43.0 in Nottingham, with 55% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Nottingham and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Nottingham Free School | Nottingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 112 | 3,152 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 92% | 88% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 92% | 85% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 31% | 27% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 21% | 14% | 13% |
| — further education college | 39% | 42% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 2% | 3% |
| Employment | 0% | 2% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 4% | 7% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 4% | 5% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Nottingham Free School | Nottingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 23 | 4,779 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 83% | 76% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 43% | 32% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 32% | 15% | 19% |
| Further education | 0% | 9% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 7% | 7% |
| Employment | 22% | 28% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 0% | 18% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Nottingham Free School | Nottingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 51.5 | 43.0 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 55% | 40% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 79% | 59% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 65% | 27% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.84 | 3.73 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 28% | 42% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 40.9 | 35.1 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 55.6 | 48.8 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 22% | 35% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Literature | 119 | 100% | 86% | 23% | 21% | 83% |
| Mathematics | 119 | 100% | 88% | 29% | 22% | 80% |
| English Language | 119 | 100% | 89% | 21% | 20% | 80% |
| Combined Science | 94 | 79% | 65% | 21% | 9% | 78% |
| Geography | 73 | 61% | 41% | 21% | 25% | 63% |
| Spanish | 71 | 60% | 19% | 32% | 27% | 76% |
| Business Studies | 56 | 47% | 18% | 11% | 20% | 64% |
| History | 46 | 39% | 41% | 37% | 26% | 67% |
| Fine Art | 32 | 27% | 9% | 47% | 28% | 100% |
| Religious Studies | 26 | 22% | 31% | 27% | 32% | 92% |
| Physics | 22 | 18% | 23% | 45% | 46% | 95% |
| Computer Science | 22 | 18% | 13% | 9% | 30% | 45% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 21 | 18% | 8% | 14% | 21% | 67% |
| Biology | 21 | 18% | 23% | 57% | 45% | 95% |
| Chemistry | 20 | 17% | 23% | 50% | 47% | 100% |
| Physical Education | 18 | 15% | 11% | 33% | 24% | 89% |
| Drama | 14 | 12% | 7% | 7% | 27% | 64% |
| Music | 8 | 7% | 5% | 0% | 33% | 13% |
| Design and Technology | 5 | 4% | 11% | — | 23% | — |
| Russian | 3 | 3% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Turkish | 2 | 2% | 0% | — | 71% | — |
| Punjabi | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 48% | — |
| Polish | 1 | 1% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Portuguese | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Statistics | 1 | 1% | 5% | — | 20% | — |
| Urdu | 1 | 1% | 1% | — | 42% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports / Movement Science | 6 | 19% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Nottingham Free School | Nottingham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 75 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 31 | 1,923 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | C | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 31.10 | 31.64 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 10% | 15% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biology | 10 | 32% | 20% |
| English Literature | 9 | 29% | 11% |
| Mathematics | 8 | 26% | 31% |
| Chemistry | 7 | 23% | 17% |
| Psychology | 7 | 23% | 23% |
| Business Studies | 6 | 19% | 13% |
| Sociology | 6 | 19% | 13% |
| Religious Studies | 6 | 19% | 4% |
| Economics | — | — | 13% |
| English Language | — | — | 4% |
| Computer Science | — | — | 5% |
| Geography | — | — | 10% |
| History | — | — | 13% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
| Music | — | — | 0% |
| Physical Education | — | — | 3% |
| Physics | — | — | 12% |
| Arabic | — | — | 0% |
| Russian | — | — | 0% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | — | — | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Nottingham
Bluecoat Beechdale Academy
Academy sponsor led · 887 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 34.0
Bluecoat Wollaton Academy
Academy converter · 879 pupils
92% stayed in education · Attainment 8 49.4
Djanogly City Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 1,270 pupils
83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 38.0
Ellis Guilford School
Academy sponsor led · 1,171 pupils
79% stayed in education · Attainment 8 37.1
Farnborough Spencer Academy
Academy sponsor led · 1,005 pupils
77% stayed in education · Attainment 8 38.9
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.