Trinity Church of England School, Belvedere Review 2026: Church of England secondary with a broad sixth-form offer

A mixed, Church of England 11 to 18 school in the London Borough of Bexley, Trinity combines a clear faith-informed ethos with the realities of serving a wide ability range in a selective borough context. It sits within Trinitas Academy Trust and has grown beyond its published capacity, a sign of sustained demand and a reminder that day-to-day experience is shaped by careful organisation of space, staffing and routines.

Leadership is stable and visible, with Mr John Willoughby named as Principal and a long-standing message that places character, safety and aspiration alongside achievement. The current academy structure dates to April 2011, with a continuity of place and community that matters to local families who often measure schools by how well they know their pupils, and how well they support transition into Year 7 and on into post-16 choices.

The latest Ofsted inspection, carried out in October 2021, confirmed the school continues to be Good and stated that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Trinity’s identity is explicitly values-led. The school places its Christian ethos front and centre, and it is not framed as a narrow intake or a single-track academic environment. Instead, the positioning is about being a Church of England secondary for “students of all abilities”, with worship and pastoral expectations integrated into the weekly rhythm. For families who value a faith-informed approach, that clarity can be reassuring. For families of other faiths, or of none, the site language suggests an inclusive stance while still keeping worship and Christian practice as a normal part of school life.

A distinctive feature is the way student voice is channelled into community norms. The October 2021 inspection report describes pupils contributing to behaviour expectations and a code of conduct, which is a meaningful indicator of how leadership attempts to secure buy-in rather than relying on compliance alone. That tends to matter most in large mixed-ability secondaries, where consistency and fairness often drive parent confidence as much as results headlines.

The house system adds another layer to identity and belonging. Trinity runs the Invictus House Competition across six houses, each named after a saint, with mixed-age participation from Year 7 through Year 13 and leadership roles for older students. In practical terms, a house structure can be more than a badge and a colour, it can be the mechanism for cross-year mentoring and for ensuring pupils who are not natural “joiners” still find a place in the wider community.

At GCSE level, Trinity’s outcomes sit below England average on the available headline indicators. The school’s Attainment 8 score is 39.3, and its average EBacc APS is 3.57. EBacc grade 5 or above is reported at 10.8%. These figures point to the central challenge: achieving strong outcomes across a broad ability intake, while also ensuring the most able are stretched and the most vulnerable are supported to stay on track.

Rankings provide additional context. Ranked 2,888th in England and 1st in Belvedere for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), Trinity sits below England average overall. For parents, the important implication is not simply the rank itself, but the likelihood that progress and attainment may vary by subject and by starting point, with the most consistent gains coming where teaching is well-sequenced and literacy expectations are embedded across the curriculum.

Post-16 outcomes follow a similar pattern. Ranked 1,795th in England and 1st in Belvedere for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the sixth form is also positioned below England average on the available headline measures. Grade distributions indicate 5.45% of entries at A*, and 37.27% at A* to B. The most useful way to interpret this is alongside Trinity’s stated breadth of pathways, which includes vocational routes alongside A-levels. A sixth form built for breadth can be an excellent fit for students who want choice and support, but it can also mean fewer of the “high concentration” top-grade outcomes seen in more selective sixth forms.

Trinity’s curriculum is described as broad and ambitious, including in the sixth form, with subject plans structured around what pupils should learn and when. That sequencing matters in schools serving mixed starting points because it reduces reliance on pupils already knowing how to learn independently. The October 2021 report also describes a strong emphasis on key facts and essential knowledge, with pupils building towards more complex ideas.

Two practical threads stand out. First, reading is promoted through specific routines such as book club, reading in tutor time, and library quizzes. This is the sort of “everyday literacy” approach that often helps schools raise attainment across subjects, especially where reading confidence is uneven at intake. Second, teachers are expected to use assessment to spot gaps and adapt teaching, with an explicit acknowledgement that consistency in that cycle is still an area to tighten.

SEND support is presented as structured and multi-layered. The Inclusion information names key staff roles and describes a menu of supports, including adaptive teaching, small group and 1:1 interventions, emotional regulation support, safe spaces, and a specialist resource provision for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Education, Health and Care Plans via local authority referral. For parents of children with additional needs, the implication is that support is not framed as a single intervention, but as a set of practical options that can be combined and reviewed.

Trinity’s sixth form offer is designed around pathways. The October 2021 report highlights “an impressive choice of pathways”, including numerous A-level subjects and vocational courses, with work experience as a normal expectation for sixth-form students. For students who learn best when they can connect subjects to future steps, that practical orientation can be a genuine advantage.

For leavers in the 2023/24 cohort (84 students), 63% progressed to university, 19% went into employment, 5% started apprenticeships, and 1% progressed to further education. This is a mixed destinations picture, which aligns with a sixth form that supports both academic progression and employment-led routes rather than channelling everyone into a single outcome.

The sixth form’s published course catalogue reinforces that breadth: options include applied pathways such as BTEC Applied Science and Applied Law, alongside creative and technical routes such as Digital Media and Art and Design qualifications. That kind of menu tends to suit students who want a clear line of sight from study to a sector, as well as those who are still deciding and benefit from structured guidance.

Year 7 admissions are coordinated through Bexley. For September 2026 entry, the application window opens on 1 September 2025 and closes on 31 October 2025, with offers issued on 2 March 2026. If a place is offered that is not first preference, families are expected to respond by mid-March, with Bexley giving 17 March 2026 as a key date for acceptance before an offer may be withdrawn.

Trinity publishes its own admissions policies, including a 2026 to 27 version, and provides supplementary information forms for the same cycle. For Church of England schools, supplementary forms often relate to faith-based criteria where these apply within oversubscription arrangements, so it is worth reading the policy carefully, then cross-checking how it sits alongside the local authority process and deadlines.

Sixth form admissions are clearer still. Trinity states that its 2026 to 27 application form becomes available on Thursday 6 November, with a deadline of Friday 12 December 2025 for applications. This is earlier than many families expect, particularly those planning a late pivot after Year 11 mock results, so diary discipline matters.

For families using distance as part of their decision-making, tools such as FindMySchool’s Map Search can help you check your exact route and proximity against the realities of local travel, especially where more than one school is feasible within the same commute.

Pastoral culture is presented as a defining strength. Trinity’s inspection evidence and school messaging both emphasise safety, adult availability, and a “community feel”, with specific references to pupils knowing where to go for help and reporting that bullying is handled. The safeguarding approach is described as active and regularly reviewed, including online safety education and staff training around harmful sexual behaviour and reporting routes.

There is also a practical wellbeing strand that extends beyond the school gates. The October 2021 report describes pupils acting as wellbeing ambassadors for local primary schools and participating in wider projects such as climate change initiatives and charity work. The implication is that personal development is not treated as an optional add-on, but as a route into responsibility and leadership for students who may not see themselves as academic high-flyers.

SEND pastoral support is framed as integrated, not separate. Alongside targeted interventions, the Inclusion information references emotional regulation support, mentoring, and safe spaces. For many families, that “day-to-day scaffolding” is the difference between a child attending and a child thriving, particularly during the transition into Year 7 and the pressure points of Key Stage 4.

Trinity’s extracurricular offer reads as participation-focused with space for different interests. The October 2021 report lists activities including trampolining, netball, basketball, football, drama and art. Those are not niche clubs, but they are the kind of dependable programme that can support routine and belonging for a broad student body.

The Invictus House Competition adds a second track of enrichment through mixed-age events, with examples including photography, product design and poetry as well as sport. The benefit of that model is breadth: a student who does not want a team sport can still contribute points for their house through creative and technical events, and older students can model leadership in a structured way.

Academic habits are also encouraged through reading routines. Book club, tutor-time reading, and library quizzes are described as part of the culture, with a stated aim of building a love of reading. In a school where literacy is explicitly a development priority, these kinds of habits can have compounding effects across subjects, from history extended writing to science technical vocabulary.

For sixth formers, facilities and identity appear intentionally differentiated. The school references a Westminster Sixth Form Centre with study spaces and specialist rooms such as a media suite, drama studio and art workshop, which can be important for students who need a visible shift in expectations and independence after GCSEs.

The school day runs from Period 1 at 8.45 to an end of day at 15.20, with tutor time and an act of worship built into the mid-morning structure.

For travel, the school’s published guidance references Erith as the train option, and local bus routes 99 and 180. For families balancing commuting with clubs and after-school commitments, that clarity is useful, especially for older students managing more independence.

Wraparound care is not usually a feature of secondary schools in the way it is for primaries. Families who need structured after-school supervision should check directly what supervised study, enrichment, or sixth form study space access looks like on the days that matter to them, rather than assuming it is equivalent to primary after-school provision.

• Literacy consistency is still an active improvement priority. The October 2021 inspection report highlights that subject-specific vocabulary and wider literacy expectations were not yet fully embedded in every area. For some pupils, that can show up as uneven confidence between subjects, and families may want to ask how vocabulary and extended writing are reinforced in the current curriculum.

• Assessment follow-through can vary. The same report notes that assessment is not always used swiftly enough to identify when some pupils are falling behind. The practical question for parents is how quickly support is put in place when a child slips, and how that is communicated home.

• GCSE and post-16 results sit below England average on the available headline measures. Trinity’s offer is broad and inclusive, but families aiming for highly academic, top-grade outcomes should weigh the school’s results profile alongside its strengths in pathways, pastoral support and participation.

• Sixth form application deadlines arrive early. With a stated deadline of 12 December 2025 for September 2026 entry, Year 11 students considering staying on, or joining externally, need to plan earlier than many expect.

Trinity Church of England School, Belvedere is a values-led secondary with a clear community identity, a structured house system, and a sixth form built around choice of pathway rather than a single academic track. Its strongest case for families is pastoral: safety, belonging and practical support, including a clear SEND offer and a participation-first enrichment culture.

Who it suits: students who will benefit from clear routines, a Church of England ethos, and a broad post-16 menu that keeps both academic and vocational routes open. The key trade-off is that headline attainment sits below England average, so families prioritising the highest academic outcomes should scrutinise subject-level fit and support structures as closely as the wider culture.