Watling Academy
Barrosa Way, Milton Keynes, MK8 1EP
1,767 pupils · 79% of 2,250 capacity
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 11–18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Trust
- THE ALLIANCE SCHOOLS TRUST
- Local authority
- Milton Keynes
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Free school meals
- 24.1%
Ofsted
Outstanding (2023) — Rated under the pre-September 2024 inspection system
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 16 May 2023, published 2 July 2023. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Attainment 8 score | 50.4 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 55.2% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 77.9% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 72.4% |
Progress 8 is not published nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26 while KS2 baselines are missing (no SATs in 2020/21). It returns from 2026/27.
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Roughly one first choice per place — 1.08 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 351 | 380 | 1,006 | 351 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 356 | 375 | 1,093 | 356 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 299 | 444 | 1,188 | 299 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 326 | 323 | 980 | 326 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 352 | 279 | 910 | 352 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 266 | 181 | 545 | 263 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- The Hazeley Academy 1.8 km · Good — confirmed 2024 · previous system
- Denbigh School 2.5 km · Standards maintained (2024)
- The Radcliffe School 2.9 km · No overall grade (2025)
- Shenley Brook End School 3.7 km · Good — confirmed 2024 · previous system
- Stantonbury School 4.6 km · Requires improvement (2024) · previous system
- St Paul's Catholic School 4.9 km · Standards maintained (2025)
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.