Pupils are accepted from some distance outside this three-village catchment area for which it was built, as a result of which a place at the school for local children is not guaranteed.

After months of disagreement, lobbying and legal challenges, a crucial vote of Lincolnshire County Councillors in March 1986 settled the issue and it was decided to go ahead with the original proposals for the Scothern site.

Results have continued to deteriorate between 2004 and 2007, as shown by the table below, and whilst schools in Lincolnshire have improved their aggregate performance each year, Ellison Boulters School has achieved a lower outcome in each successive year.

Until the change of policy introduced by the current head, almost all children moved from Ellison Boulters to the comprehensive William Farr School at age 11.

The 2001 Ofsted inspection report[4] rated the school as "excellent", commenting in its summary: "This is an excellent school that has many areas of strength and no significant weaknesses in any aspect of its work., The 2006 Ofsted inspection[5] judged the overall effectiveness of the school "Grade 2 (Good)", and the report commented "... in some lessons, the work does not closely meet the needs of all learners, especially the most able.