Everest Community Academy Review 2026: Community-focused secondary in South Ham, Basingstoke

A school can be on an improvement journey and still feel settled day to day; that is the clearest headline here. Pupils describe a strong sense of community and say staff know them as individuals. Behaviour has improved and lessons are calmer than in recent years, supported by clearer systems and more consistent expectations.

Academically, the picture is more mixed. GCSE outcomes sit below England averages, and the Progress 8 figure indicates that, on average, pupils have not made the progress typically seen nationally from similar starting points. In April 2025, the latest Ofsted inspection graded Quality of education as Requires Improvement, while Behaviour and attitudes, Personal development, and Leadership and management were graded Good.

For families comparing local options, this is a school where culture and safety look stronger than raw results, and where the priority question is whether the current improvements translate into consistently stronger classroom delivery over time.

The most distinctive feature is the community feel. Pupils say teachers take time to know them properly, and that there are trusted adults to turn to if problems arise. That matters in any secondary setting, but it is particularly important where families want reassurance about belonging and day-to-day confidence, not just headline grades.

Behaviour is described as typically calm in lessons, with improved attendance and a reduction in suspensions. The implication for families is practical: calmer classrooms generally mean fewer lessons lost to disruption and a better chance for students who are not naturally confident learners to stay engaged.

Leadership stability is also relevant. The current headteacher, Alison Reid, was appointed substantively in June 2024, following several headteacher changes. That timeline helps explain why many changes are recent and still bedding in, and why parents may experience a school that feels like it is consolidating rather than fully “finished” in its improvement work.

Bullying is an area parents frequently ask about. Pupils report that bullying is uncommon and dealt with when raised. As always, families should probe this during open events and discussions with pastoral staff, but it is a positive indicator that pupils recognise improvement and feel able to report concerns.

This section uses FindMySchool rankings and the official outcome metrics provided for England comparisons.

GCSE performance and England context

Ranked 3,507th in England and 6th in Basingstoke for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data).

The school’s Attainment 8 score is 34.3, compared with an England average of 45.9. This suggests that, across a pupil’s best eight GCSE slots (including English and maths), grades are, on average, meaningfully lower than the England picture.

Progress 8 is -1.12, indicating pupils have, on average, made significantly less progress than pupils with similar prior attainment nationally. For parents, Progress 8 is often the more revealing measure than raw grades because it speaks to how effectively teaching and support move pupils on from their starting points. A negative figure of this size points to inconsistency in classroom learning and the need for stronger day-to-day teaching impact.

On the English Baccalaureate measure provided here, 7% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above across the EBacc, which is a low figure and suggests either limited entry to the full EBacc suite, weaker outcomes within it, or both.

How to interpret this as a parent

A realistic reading is that the school is not currently delivering consistently strong academic outcomes across the whole cohort. However, the results do not automatically tell you what your child’s individual experience will be, particularly if they thrive with clear structure, improved behaviour systems, and targeted support in core skills. The key is whether teaching consistency continues to improve, since that is the limiting factor described in the latest inspection findings.

Parents comparing nearby secondaries can use the FindMySchool Local Hub page and Comparison Tool to see how these measures sit alongside local alternatives, including whether any schools nearby show stronger progress from similar starting points.

There is a clear curriculum intent. Subjects are organised so that knowledge builds in a planned sequence over time, and the curriculum is described as broad and ambitious. The challenge is delivery consistency, specifically that sometimes teachers do not check pupils’ understanding well enough during lessons, meaning misconceptions persist and gaps accumulate. This is particularly significant for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The most practical takeaway for families is to ask targeted questions about classroom routines and adaptive teaching. For example:

• How do teachers check understanding during lessons?

• What happens when a pupil is stuck but not confident enough to ask?

• How are scaffolds adjusted for pupils with SEND, and how quickly is extra help triggered?

There is evidence of targeted literacy support. Pupils who need extra help with reading are identified and receive support, including phonics. In secondary schools, this kind of structured reading intervention can be a turning point for pupils who have arrived with weaker literacy, because it directly affects access to every subject, from history to science and design technology.

With an age range that ends at 16, the central transition is post-16 progression. The school has a planned careers programme and meets the provider access requirements, which means pupils should receive structured information and engagement around technical education and apprenticeships as well as academic routes.

For families, the implication is that decision-making should start earlier than Year 11. In schools without sixth forms, pupils often benefit from early exposure to local post-16 options, because the “default” of staying on-site is not available. A good question to ask is how the school supports:

• applications to sixth form colleges and FE colleges,

• employer encounters and work-related learning,

• apprenticeship understanding and the realities of entry requirements,

• guidance for pupils aiming for more academic sixth form routes.

Everest Community Academy is a Hampshire state school, so there are no tuition fees. Admissions for Year 7 are run through Hampshire’s coordinated admissions process rather than direct selection by the school.

Published Admission Number (PAN)

The local authority lists 150 Year 7 places for September 2026.

Key dates for September 2026 entry (Year 7)

Hampshire’s main round timetable states: applications open 08 September 2025, the deadline is 31 October 2025, and offers are issued on 02 March 2026.

Catchment changes and why they matter

Hampshire notes that some catchment areas will change or cease from September 2026. For families relying on proximity or traditional catchment assumptions, this is a serious practical point, and it is worth checking current mapping and the admissions policy carefully before assuming that a previous boundary pattern still applies.

Parents shortlisting based on distance should use FindMySchool Map Search to estimate their likely travel reality and to sanity-check how realistic the school is for daily routines, even before a formal offer is made.

Pupils report feeling safe and say there are adults they can go to if there is a problem. Safeguarding is also confirmed as effective in the latest inspection.

Personal development appears to be a relative strength. Pupils value personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE), including coverage of mental health, addiction, and online safety, and there is a structured approach to British values. For families, this matters because a coherent PSHE programme is often the mechanism through which a school builds a shared vocabulary around safety, relationships, and decision-making, especially in the early secondary years.

The most useful parental lens is whether pastoral strength is integrated with academic support. In a school where results currently lag, the quality of tutoring, subject intervention, and SEND responsiveness can make the difference between “safe but underperforming” and “safe and improving”.

There are opportunities for pupils to take on leadership roles and contribute to the wider community, with an emphasis on recognising effort and achievement through weekly assemblies. Many pupils take part in extra-curricular opportunities, including sporting teams and clubs linked to the curriculum.

While detailed club lists are not consistently available from accessible official sources, the underlying structure is still meaningful for parents. Leadership opportunities typically suit pupils who gain confidence from responsibility, such as peer mentoring, ambassador roles, or helping with assemblies and events. Curriculum-linked clubs often support pupils who learn best through applied practice, for example subject competitions, enrichment projects, or skills-based sessions that reinforce classroom learning. The best question to ask is not simply “what clubs exist”, but “which clubs run reliably every term and who participates”, because consistent participation is what builds confidence, friendships, and stronger school attachment.

The school sits in the South Ham area of Basingstoke, with the town’s rail hub at Basingstoke station and a network of local bus routes serving residential areas nearby. Hampshire’s school travel guidance and route planning tools are available via the local authority’s school listing, which is a useful starting point for families building a realistic travel plan.

School day start and finish times, and any breakfast or after-school provision, are not reliably published in the accessible official sources used here. Parents should confirm timings directly before relying on a childcare plan.

• Teaching consistency. Quality of education was graded Requires Improvement in April 2025, with variability in how well the curriculum is delivered. Families should ask how teaching is being made more consistent across departments.

• Academic outcomes versus culture. Progress 8 (-1.12) and Attainment 8 (34.3) suggest outcomes currently lag behind England averages. If your child is academically motivated, ask what higher-attaining pathways and stretch are available, and how subject intervention works when pupils are underachieving.

• Admissions planning. Hampshire has highlighted catchment changes from September 2026. Do not assume last year’s catchment logic applies unchanged.

• Leadership transition. The headteacher was appointed substantively in June 2024 after a period of leadership change. Improvement work may be real and visible, but it may not yet be fully embedded across every classroom.

Everest Community Academy reads as a school with improving culture, stronger behaviour, and a community ethos that pupils recognise and value. The limiting factor is academic consistency, reflected in below-average GCSE measures and a recent inspection judgement of Requires Improvement for Quality of education.

Who it suits: families who prioritise safety, belonging, and a school that is actively working on improvement, particularly where a child benefits from clearer expectations and structured support in reading and behaviour. Families seeking consistently strong academic outcomes across the cohort should probe hard on teaching quality, intervention, and how quickly improvements are translating into better results.