Accrington Academy Review 2026: Oversubscribed United Learning academy with a clear behaviour reset

A large secondary academy with a strong community footprint, this is a school where day to day routines and expectations are being tightened, while teaching consistency is still catching up. The newly upgraded 3G pitch and the wider sport and leisure offer help explain why the site has a higher profile than many local secondaries, and why extracurricular life can feel substantial for students who opt in.

The latest Ofsted inspection in March 2025 graded quality of education and leadership and management as Requires Improvement, with behaviour and attitudes and personal development graded Good.

Accrington Academy is part of United Learning, a national trust, and is led by Principal Jamie Peel, who was in post by August 2023.

The clearest theme in recent official commentary is that students broadly want to be here and can articulate a sense that the school is improving. A revised behaviour policy, with clearer rules that are more consistently understood, is presented as a practical turning point. The implication for families is straightforward: if your child needs calm, predictable boundaries to learn well, the direction of travel is encouraging, even if it is not yet fully embedded across every classroom.

Relationships are described as generally positive, with students reporting that they feel safe and can identify a trusted adult. Staff responsiveness when students raise concerns is highlighted as a strength, which matters because it shapes whether pastoral systems work for children who will not proactively ask for help.

Personal development is not treated as an optional extra. The school council is referenced as a route for student voice, and trips abroad are cited as part of the wider experience, including Malawi and New York. For many families, the implication is that school life can extend well beyond lessons, particularly for students who benefit from responsibility and real world horizons.

Faith character is listed as Christian. In practice, families should expect an ethos that includes values language and community service, while recognising that observance typically sits on a spectrum in mixed intake schools.

At GCSE level, the headline picture in the FindMySchool performance dataset is challenging. The school’s Attainment 8 score is 39.7 and Progress 8 is -0.62, indicating that outcomes and progress sit below what many families aim for when comparing schools across England. EBacc indicators are also modest, with 11.2% achieving grade 5 or above in the EBacc, and an EBacc average point score of 3.55 (England comparison: 4.08).

In the FindMySchool GCSE ranking based on official outcomes data, Accrington Academy is ranked 2,841st in England and 3rd locally for GCSE outcomes. This places it below England average overall, and makes it a school where families should focus on trajectory, subject level strength, and the match between teaching and a child’s learning habits, rather than assuming results will take care of themselves.

Sixth form outcomes in the FindMySchool dataset are also below typical benchmarks. About 29.1% of A level grades are A* to B (England comparison: 47.2%), and about 12.6% are A grades. The FindMySchool A level ranking places the sixth form 2,066th in England and 2nd locally.

A practical caveat matters here: the sixth form provision is due to close in July 2025, so published post 16 results mainly help families understand the school’s recent history rather than the offer for new Year 12 entrants.

Parents comparing options should use the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool to place these figures alongside nearby alternatives, then ask sharper questions at open events about how teaching consistency is being strengthened subject by subject.

Leadership has increased curricular ambition and has worked to identify the key knowledge students should learn, including how new content should build on earlier learning. The intent is coherent: tighter sequencing, clearer expectations, and fewer gaps. The limiting factor is delivery. Teaching is described as variable across subjects, which is exactly the sort of issue that can create very different experiences for students depending on their timetable.

Where teaching is constructed well, subject knowledge and explanation are secure. The key improvement need is consistency in checking prior knowledge and understanding, so misconceptions are surfaced early rather than becoming embedded. For parents, the implication is to ask about assessment routines, retrieval practice, and how departments support students who fall behind, particularly in English, mathematics, and science where cumulative knowledge is critical.

Reading is treated as a priority, with targeted support for students at early stages of reading and an approach that includes reading in form time. A school that actively builds reading fluency can materially widen access to the wider curriculum, especially for students whose confidence has been dented by earlier gaps.

Students with special educational needs and disabilities are identified in a timely way and staff are given useful information to adapt teaching. The remaining challenge is that uneven curriculum delivery can still cap progress for some students who need careful scaffolding and well designed learning tasks.

Because the sixth form is due to close in July 2025, families should think of destinations in two ways: what recent cohorts achieved, and what routes are likely to be most relevant going forward.

For the 2023 to 2024 leaver cohort in the published destinations dataset, 49% progressed to university, 7% to further education, 3% to apprenticeships, and 20% to employment. With a cohort size of 70, this is a meaningful snapshot of pathways across an average sized post 16 group.

The school’s careers education is referenced as a strength, with students receiving guidance on next steps and exposure to a range of education and employment options. The practical implication is that motivated students can be supported into a next step that suits them, even when headline attainment does not yet match the strongest local competitors.

If you are shortlisting for a current Year 11 student, confirm which external sixth forms and colleges are common routes locally, and how transition support is structured.

Year 7 admissions are coordinated by Lancashire County Council, with applications opening on 1 September 2025 and the deadline on 31 October 2025 for entry in September 2026. Offers are issued on 2 March 2026, reflecting the national offer date pattern when 1 March falls on a weekend or bank holiday.

The published admission number is 200 for Year 7, and students are admitted without reference to ability or aptitude. Oversubscription is handled through a clear priority order. Looked after children and previously looked after children sit at the top, followed by students with exceptional medical or social needs supported by evidence, then siblings currently in Years 7 to 11. A distinctive feature for local families is the linked school priority: children who have been educated at Peel Park Primary School or Mount Pleasant Primary School from the start of Year 6 receive priority within the published criteria. Distance from home to school is used as a later criterion, measured as a straight line.

In practical terms, this admissions model suits families who can demonstrate a priority category, and it also means that address and timing matter. Parents should use the FindMySchoolMap Search to check how their home location relates to the school site and to plan realistically, then validate details each year because published criteria and local demand can shift.

For in year admissions, the academy participates in local Fair Access arrangements in line with the admissions code, which is relevant for families moving into the area mid year.

Personal, social, health and economic education is described as giving students the information they need to keep themselves healthy and safe, including internet safety, healthy relationships, and mental health. The practical benefit is that students receive structured input on risks that increasingly affect school age children outside the classroom, not only through reactive assemblies.

Students are described as kind and considerate, with positive relationships with staff and an ability to identify trusted adults. This matters for families who prioritise day to day emotional safety as the baseline for learning, particularly for students who have previously struggled with confidence.

The March 2025 Ofsted inspection confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Extracurricular breadth is explicitly described as wide, and the examples are unusually concrete for a state secondary inspection report. Clubs are said to range from pottery to swimming and baking. That mix matters because it signals an offer that can suit both sporty students and those whose confidence is built through quieter, skill based activities.

Trips also feature as part of the wider experience, including international travel. For families who want education to expand horizons, this can be a meaningful differentiator, particularly for students who may not otherwise access overseas experiences.

Sport is a visible pillar. The academy site includes a newly upgraded 3G pitch developed with Football Foundation involvement, designed to support multiple match formats and wider community use. The pitch is also described as a base for Accrington Stanley Women’s and Girls’ Football Club, and the school hosts the Hyndburn and Ribble Valley School Sports Partnership. For students, the implication is increased access to high quality facilities and a sport culture that can be more structured than a typical after school kickabout.

Year 7 entry is Lancashire coordinated, so families should plan around the county timetable for applications and offers.

Specific published start and finish times for the school day were not available from the official sources accessed for this review, so families should confirm the current timetable directly with the school, particularly if wraparound routines or travel connections are a deciding factor.

Transport wise, most families will think in terms of bus and car access from the Accrington area, and students who travel independently should practise the route early, especially for winter travel and after school clubs.

• Teaching consistency varies by subject. Curriculum intent has been strengthened, but delivery is not yet even across departments; this can lead to very different experiences depending on timetable.

• GCSE outcomes are below many England benchmarks. The Progress 8 figure in the published dataset is negative, which makes home learning habits, attendance, and subject support particularly important for students aiming for higher routes.

• Post 16 planning needs extra attention. Sixth form provision is due to close in July 2025, so families should confirm current routes for Year 11 leavers and what guidance is offered into colleges and other sixth forms.

• Admissions criteria include linked primaries. Priority for students from specific feeder primaries may affect how quickly distance criteria are reached in an oversubscribed year, so families should read the criteria closely rather than relying on assumptions.

Accrington Academy is a school with a clearer behaviour culture than its overall grade headline suggests, and with a tangible extracurricular and sports offer that can be a real advantage for students who engage. The limiting factor is academic consistency, with outcomes still below what many families want and variability in curriculum delivery across subjects.

This option suits families who value improving routines, strong pastoral responsiveness, and extracurricular breadth, and who are ready to stay closely involved in learning, especially through Key Stage 4. The main decision point is fit: a motivated student who benefits from structure can do well here, while families seeking consistently high academic outcomes across all subjects may prefer to compare several local alternatives before committing.