Greenwood Academies Trust

The Academy, which is part of Greenwood Academies Trust, is the first secondary school in the city of Nottingham to be inspected under Ofsted’s new inspection framework, which no longer results in a single overall grade. Instead, schools receive a detailed report card with separate judgements across key areas of school life, offering parents and carers a more balanced picture of a school’s strengths and priorities.

Following the inspection, Ofsted confirmed that The Wells Academy is meeting the expected standard across all six areas of the inspection framework – achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance and personal development and wellbeing.

Within the report, inspectors recognise the significant improvements achieved in recent years, particularly in strengthening teaching, improving behaviour and attendance and supporting pupils to achieve the strongest GCSE outcomes in the Academy’s history in 2025.

Inspectors also praised the Academy’s leaders for their unwavering commitment to pupils, highlighting that ‘school leaders work with moral purpose and determination to ensure the school improves pupils’ life chances regardless of any challenging circumstances in their lives’.

This commitment has also positively shaped the Academy’s culture, which was celebrated as calm, orderly and inclusive and that pupils ‘appreciate how staff greet them every morning at the school gates and throughout the day in corridors and lessons’. This culture has also transformed pupils’ engagement with their learning, with inspectors commenting how ‘pupils understand and live up to leaders’ high expectations’ and how attendance has improved ‘because [pupils] value their school and know that education is important’.

The report also highlights the Academy’s strong pastoral systems and success in integrating pupils who join mid-year – noting that leaders swiftly identify pupils’ needs and provide effective academic, emotional and social support. Inspectors praised the ongoing work to support pupils’ wider development, noting that pupils benefit from a well-considered PSHE programme, a strong careers offer and a growing enrichment programme which includes partnerships with universities and sports organisations.

Additionally, the Academy and Trust leaders were commended for building strong relationships with families, with Inspectors reporting that ‘leaders have won the confidence of parents and carers’ and that ‘parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school’.

George Coles, Principal at The Wells Academy, said:

“We are incredibly proud that Ofsted has recognised the journey we have been on. This is a landmark moment for The Wells Academy and the most positive inspection outcome in our history.

“This report reflects the hard work of our colleagues, the determination of our pupils and the strength of our partnership with families and the Trust. Most importantly, this report confirms that our pupils are achieving well, feel safe and valued and are being prepared successfully for their next steps.”

“Over the past three years, we have focused relentlessly on building a culture of high expectations, strong relationships and excellent teaching. To see that work recognised so clearly is incredibly rewarding.”

Wayne Norrie, CEO of Greenwood Academies Trust, added:

“This is a significant and well-deserved outcome for the entire community at The Wells Academy. The report recognises the moral purpose, determination and strategic clarity that have driven sustained improvement in recent years and I couldn’t be more proud.

“I am also incredibly proud of the leadership and high standards Mr Coles has instilled across the academy and of the way colleagues and pupils have embraced this. This inspection confirms that The Wells Academy is providing a high-quality education for the pupils we serve and I look forward to continuing to support the community as it builds on these strong foundations.”