Colonel Frank Seely Academy

About Colonel Frank Seely Academy

Colonel Frank Seely Academy holds a Good rating from its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022, with the same grade awarded across every category inspected: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision. This represents a consistent performance, as the school was also rated Good in its previous inspection back in 2013. On the most telling academic metric, Progress 8, the school scores 0.14, which places it in the 'Average' band nationally. That figure is notably above the Nottinghamshire local authority average of -0.11, meaning pupils here typically make more progress than their peers across the county. Within the Gedling borough, the school ranks second out of six secondary schools on Progress 8, sitting behind only Carlton le Willows Academy. Nationally, it sits in the top 39% of all schools, a solid mid-table position that reflects consistent, if not spectacular, academic outcomes.

At GCSE, pupils achieve an Attainment 8 score of 46, and 61.4% secure a grade 4 or above in both English and maths, with 43.1% reaching the higher grade 5 threshold. The school enters 53.6% of pupils for the English Baccalaureate, and 31.4% achieve the Ebacc at grade 4 or above. The Progress 8 breakdown shows strongest progress in the EBacc subjects (0.32) and English (0.14), while maths progress sits at exactly zero, in line with the national average. The sixth form is smaller, with 35 pupils in the most recent data, and here the picture is more mixed: the value-added score is -0.27, classed as 'Below average', with an average points per entry of 27.27, equivalent to a C- grade. The best three A-levels average out at a C- as well, and only 3.4% of entries achieve grades AAB or higher.

The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 446 applications for 174 places, with 173 first-preference applications and 169 first-preference offers made. Facilities include a swimming pool, a chapel, a sixth-form centre, music rooms, science labs, and extensive playing fields. Sports on offer range from rugby and football to martial arts and dance, while clubs include Model UN, debate, eco club, and orchestra. The school lists SEND provisions for a wide range of needs, including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language communication needs, and social, emotional and mental health support. This is a solid, well-regarded local secondary that delivers above-average progress for its pupils, particularly in the EBacc subjects, and is popular enough to require careful planning for admission. It will suit families looking for a good all-round state school with a strong sixth form, albeit one where A-level outcomes are more modest than the GCSE results.

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