Fitzharrys School Review 2026: A values-led Abingdon secondary with a defined catchment and a joint sixth form

A calm, community-minded secondary in Abingdon where the headline values, Aspiration, Opportunity, Integrity, are used as working language rather than poster text. The June 2023 Ofsted inspection (25 and 26 April 2023) confirmed the school continues to be Good and reported effective safeguarding arrangements.

Leadership has continuity, with Mr Will Speke leading the school since 2020. The structure is also clear: Fitzharrys is part of Abingdon Learning Trust, with governance through a Local Academy Committee and shared oversight for the joint sixth form, JMF6.

For families weighing up fit and logistics, practicalities are well defined. The published school day runs from 08:40 to 15:15, and the site operates with clear routines around registration, lessons, and personal development time.

The strongest impression is one of inclusion with structure. External review evidence points to students feeling safe and cared for, alongside clear expectations and consistent behaviour systems that keep lessons purposeful.

House identity is a meaningful organising feature, not a gimmick. All students are placed into one of five houses, Dragon, Griffin, Pegasus, Phoenix or Valkyrie, which is used to build participation and healthy competition across school life. The school also runs a recognisable recognition model, with Aspiration, Opportunity and Integrity awards at bronze, silver and gold levels, culminating in a Full School Colours tie for those who complete all three at gold.

Pastoral work is woven into the timetable and the wider programme. A character curriculum is delivered through tutor time and assemblies, including work on mental health and relationships, and careers education runs from Year 7 through sixth form.

At GCSE level, outcomes sit in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). Ranked 1426th in England and 3rd in Abingdon for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), Fitzharrys performs solidly in its local context. Progress 8 is +0.12, indicating students make above average progress from their starting points.

The Attainment 8 score is 45.5. On the English Baccalaureate measures 29.1% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in EBacc, and the average EBacc APS is 4.32.

At A level, the picture is weaker relative to England. Ranked 1738th in England and 6th in Abingdon for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), results sit below England average overall. In the most recent dataset, 35.29% of grades were A* to B, compared with an England average of 47.2%. At the top end, 17.64% of grades were A* to A, compared with an England average of 23.6%.

A practical interpretation for parents is that Key Stage 4 performance is steadier than post 16 performance in this data cycle. Families considering sixth form should treat subject choice, teaching teams and support structures as the key differentiators, rather than assuming an automatic continuation of GCSE momentum.

To compare GCSE and A-level context against nearby options, FindMySchool’s Local Hub pages and the Comparison Tool can be useful for viewing this ranking data side by side.

Curriculum intent is clearly articulated, with sequencing and retrieval built into how learning is organised. Official review evidence describes a coherent curriculum designed around revisiting knowledge and building in small steps, alongside teachers using strong questioning and addressing misconceptions quickly.

Language learning is a notable feature at Key Stage 3. All Year 7 students study French and Mandarin; in Year 8 students study French and Spanish, with an option to join an after-school Mandarin course. This matters because it signals ambition in the early curriculum and supports those who may want a language pathway through GCSE and beyond.

At Key Stage 4, the school is explicit that a large proportion of students take a modern foreign language and either History or Geography alongside the core, supporting EBacc participation and keeping post 16 options open.

Reading and vocabulary are treated as whole-school priorities, with additional targeted support for weaker readers to build fluency.

For the most recent published leaver destinations cohort (2023/24), 47% progressed to university. Apprenticeships account for 16%, employment 26%, and further education 3%.

Post 16 provision is delivered through JMF6, a joint sixth form shared with John Mason School. The published offer includes around 30 subjects and enrichment such as the Extended Project Qualification, Core Maths, and named Oxbridge and Russell Group pathways.

For students who are undecided at 16, the destinations profile suggests that the school’s route is not “university or nothing”. Apprenticeships and employment feature meaningfully, and the programme is set up to support technical and vocational decision-making as well as traditional academic routes.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through Oxfordshire County Council. For September 2026 entry, the published LA timeline shows applications opening on 12 September 2025, closing on 31 October 2025, with National Offer Day on 2 March 2026 and a response deadline of 16 March 2026.

Fitzharrys has a Published Admission Number of 180 for Year 7. Oversubscription is governed through a structured priority order. After children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school and looked after or previously looked after children, the criteria include staff children, siblings, and defined priority for children living in catchment who attend Abingdon Learning Trust primary schools, followed by other catchment children, then out-of-catchment categories, with distance used as the tie-breaker.

This matters in practice. Families who are not in catchment, and do not have a sibling link, should read the admissions rules carefully and be realistic about how far distance allocation typically stretches. Using FindMySchool’s Map Search to measure your precise home-to-school distance can help you sense-check feasibility before you commit to a move or a single-school strategy.

For sixth form entry, JMF6 uses a separate application route. For the September 2026 cycle, external applications open from late November, and the published closing date is 31 January 2026.

Open events follow a consistent autumn pattern. The school runs an Open Evening in late September and a week of Open Mornings in late September to early October, with booking required for the morning tours. Dates vary annually, so families should check the current year’s schedule directly with the school before making plans.

Pastoral support is organised around early identification and coordinated intervention. Inspectors identified two priorities for improvement: refining precision in support for some students with SEND, and reducing persistent absence among vulnerable students. For families, this is useful context: support systems exist and have been strengthened, but the school itself signals that consistency and impact for some pupils is still a live improvement area.

There is also on-site specialist provision. The school has a resourced provision for 14 pupils with speech, language and communication needs, which can be a significant factor for families seeking mainstream schooling with additional specialist capacity on site.

Beyond formal structures, wellbeing links extend into the local community, including partnership support referenced by the school through Abingdon Bridge.

Extracurricular life is organised with a blend of open-access clubs and targeted extension, and the published timetable provides concrete breadth.

Academic and skills-focused options include Mock Trial Competition (Years 8 to 9), Poetry by Heart, Creative Writing Club, Computer Coding Club, GCSE Computer Science Support, and a suite of science-led opportunities including Fame Lab Science Academy (Year 9) and Green Chemistry (Year 12). The implication is straightforward: students who engage can build evidence for competitive post 16 and post 18 applications without relying solely on grades.

Arts and performance are not an afterthought. The clubs offer includes Choir, Orchestra, Soul Band by invitation, and structured rehearsal time through music rooms, plus school show dance, music and staging rehearsals across the academic year. For many students, this provides a dependable weekly rhythm of rehearsal that develops confidence, teamwork and performance habits.

Sport is present in multiple formats, with both competitive and social options. The published offer includes rugby, hockey, netball, badminton, table tennis, and indoor and social football.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a key enrichment pathway from Year 9 (Bronze) and continues into sixth form, with expedition experiences described in school publications as a highlight of the wider programme.

One distinctive early experience is the Year 7 annual camp at Youlbury, positioned as a confidence and teamwork builder with structured activities such as archery and climbing challenges.

The school day is published as 08:40 to 15:15. A detailed daily structure is available, including morning registration, lesson periods, break, lunchtime, and afternoon registration that incorporates PSHE.

For families needing extended supervision rather than childcare, there is a before-school Study Space (08:00 to 08:30) and after-school Homework Club (15:15 to 16:15) on multiple days. This is useful for students who benefit from routine and a quiet start or finish, but it is not a substitute for primary-style wraparound care.

Travel planning is addressed directly. The school promotes walking and cycling, operates a Park and Stride approach to reduce congestion, and asks families dropping off by car to do so away from the gate where possible; there is on-site parking for staff and visitors.

• Sixth form outcomes in this data cycle. A-level results sit below England average in the most recent dataset, so families considering staying on should ask detailed questions about subject-level performance and support, not only the headline offer.

• Admissions priorities reflect Trust strategy. The published criteria give defined priority to children in catchment who attend Abingdon Learning Trust primary schools, as well as siblings and distance. This structure can materially affect chances for out-of-catchment applicants.

• SEND precision and persistent absence are improvement priorities. External review evidence highlights that support for some students with SEND should be more precise, and persistent absence among vulnerable students remains too high.

• Sixth form timelines are not the same as Year 7 timelines. JMF6 has its own application window, with published deadlines that can fall during the spring term of Year 11.

Fitzharrys School is a well-structured Abingdon secondary where inclusion, behaviour consistency and curriculum organisation are clear strengths, underpinned by an established house system and a visible enrichment offer. GCSE outcomes are solid in England terms and strong within the local peer set, while post 16 results are weaker in the latest dataset and warrant careful subject-level scrutiny. Best suited to families who want a community-rooted, values-led school with clear routines, a defined catchment, and a practical pathway into the shared JMF6 sixth form.