Watling Academy
Secondary · Free schools · Ages 11–18 · Milton Keynes
Last distance offered · Year 7 2026
1.732 miles
Published by Milton Keynes City Council · offers on 2 March 2026
2022–2025 trend 🔒
Nearby schools' earlier years 🔒
Watling Academy is a secondary school in Milton Keynes for ages 11–18 (free schools). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Outstanding, from the inspection on 16 May 2023. Milton Keynes has published a last distance offered for this school for Year 7 2022 to 2026 entry.
Watling Academy catchment area: last distance offered
Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.
| Entry | Last distance offered |
|---|---|
| Year 7 2026 | 1.732 mi |
| Year 7 2025 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Year 7 2024 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Year 7 2022 | 🔒 With a pass |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- For Year 7 in 2026, the last child offered a place lived 1.732 miles away, the 3rd longest of 6 Milton Keynes secondary schools with a published last distance.
- 2024/25 GCSE English and maths: 55% of pupils got grade 5 or above, the 2nd highest of 9 schools: this one and the 8 nearest secondary schools in Milton Keynes.
- For Year 7 in 2026, there were 380 first-choice applications for 351 offers; 305 offers went to first-choice families and 75 first-choice families were not offered a place.
- 22.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals; the middle figure across the 8 nearest secondary schools in Milton Keynes is 35.5%.
Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Milton Keynes schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.
Key facts
- Address
- Barrosa Way, Milton Keynes, MK8 1EP
- Type
- Free schools
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–18
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Council
- Milton Keynes
- Pupils on roll
- 1,767 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 22.9% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 17.5
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Outstanding Inspected 16 May 2023
Strengths
- “Leaders have exceedingly high aspirations for every pupil at this school.”
- “They are determined that background or circumstance should not be a barrier to academic success or personal development.”
- “These aspirations are underpinned by the school’s values of ‘respect, responsibility and kindness’.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 3 July 2023 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| GCSE English and maths, grade 5 or above (2024/25) | 55% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 50.4 | 46 |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Year 7 entry: 380 first-preference applications, 351 offers in total, 305 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Nearby secondary schools
Straight-line distance, in Milton Keynes.
- The Hazeley Academy 1.1 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Denbigh School 1.5 mi Standards maintained Last distance published
- The Radcliffe School 1.8 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Shenley Brook End School 2.3 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Stantonbury School 2.9 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- St Paul's Catholic School 3.0 mi Standards maintained Last distance published
- The Milton Keynes Academy 3.1 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Lord Grey Academy 3.9 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published