The Coleshill School Review 2026: A Trust-Led Secondary with a Clear Behaviour Culture and Broad Post-16 Pathways

Purposeful routines and clear expectations are central to daily life here. The Coleshill School sits within The Arthur Terry Learning Partnership, and the most recent inspection evidence points to raised standards around conduct, a more carefully sequenced key stage 3 curriculum, and a school-wide approach known locally as “the Coleshill way”.

Academically, the picture is mixed. FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking places the school in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile), which is what many families expect from a large, non-selective secondary. Sixth form outcomes sit below England average in the FindMySchool A-level ranking. For families, that usually translates into a sensible question about fit: is your child likely to thrive with firm routines, structured expectations, and a broadly vocational-academic post-16 offer, or are you seeking a more consistently high-attaining academic pathway across Years 10 to 13?

This is a state school with no tuition fees. The costs to plan for are the familiar ones, uniform, trips, and optional extras such as music or enrichment activities (which vary year to year).

The strongest clue to what the school feels like comes from how it describes behaviour in practice rather than in slogans. The latest inspection evidence ties the school’s values to visible routines, including a morning line-up, and it reports that expectations have been raised through an agreed approach referred to as “the Coleshill way”. Pupils are described as generally respectful to staff and each other, and the evidence points to calm movement around the site even where shared spaces can be busy.

Leadership structure matters here. The current head of school is Rebecca Brindley, and official inspection documentation states she has been in post since September 2023. The same document places the school within The Arthur Terry Learning Partnership, which provides an additional layer of responsibility and oversight above the school, including trust leadership roles.

For parents, the implication is straightforward. If your child responds well to consistent routines, clear boundaries, and a predictable day, this style often helps them settle quickly and build confidence. If your child needs a more flexible culture, or struggles with tight whole-school systems, it is worth probing how behaviour is managed in classrooms as well as corridors, and how the school differentiates between purposeful structure and unnecessary rigidity.

FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking puts the school at 2,584th in England and 68th in Birmingham. That position is broadly in line with the middle 35% of secondary schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). These rankings are FindMySchool measures built from official outcomes data, designed to help parents compare local schools on a like-for-like basis.

On GCSE attainment and progress indicators, the published figures suggest challenge as well as opportunity. The school’s Progress 8 score is -0.62, which indicates that, on average, pupils made less progress than pupils with similar starting points nationally. Attainment 8 stands at 41.3. The EBacc-related indicator provided shows 14.3% achieving grades 5 or above in the EBacc measure recorded.

At sixth form, FindMySchool’s A-level outcomes ranking is 1,918th in England and 36th in Birmingham, placing results below England average overall (bottom 40% by percentile). Grade distribution shows 1.94% A*, 9.68% A, 25.16% B, and 36.77% A* to B. The England comparison sits at 23.6% A* to A and 47.2% A* to B. For students aiming for highly competitive courses, this is a signal to look closely at subject-level performance, teaching stability, and the support available for high grades.

One important nuance appears in the most recent official inspection evidence: it notes that outcomes in the 2024 examinations were below national averages, especially at key stage 4, and that the school has put in place targeted work for current Year 11 to close learning gaps. It also links curriculum work, particularly in key stage 3, to building stronger foundational knowledge over time.

For parents comparing schools, the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool can be useful here, especially to see whether the academic profile is improving relative to nearby alternatives, and whether the sixth form picture aligns with your child’s intended pathway.

Curriculum design is described in official evidence as ambitious and carefully sequenced, with stated improvements since the previous inspection, particularly in key stage 3. The rationale is clear: if pupils build knowledge in a more coherent sequence earlier on, they are better prepared for the demands of GCSE later.

At key stages 4 and 5, the school positions itself as offering breadth. That breadth is visible in the published sixth form prospectus, which frames post-16 as a mix of A-levels, applied routes (including BTEC and Cambridge Technical options), and T Levels.

The sixth form entry requirements are explicit. The prospectus sets a minimum threshold of 32 points from a student’s best 8 GCSE results, including English and maths at grade 4 or above, and it gives a worked example of subject-level thresholds, such as expecting at least a grade 7 in GCSE maths for A-level maths. It also describes pathway guidance that links point ranges to likely programmes, including a stated threshold of 48+ points for a three A-level pathway.

The practical implication is that the school is trying to reduce mismatch at sixth form entry, which is often a major driver of retention and outcomes. For families, the key question becomes how consistently those entry thresholds are applied in practice, and what happens if a student is close to the boundary. The prospectus indicates some flexibility “in certain circumstances”, considered case by case, which can work well when decisions are grounded in teacher evidence and a realistic plan.

The most recent destination picture available in the provided dataset relates to the 2023/2024 leavers cohort, size 97. It records 33% progressing to university, 3% to further education, 6% to apprenticeships, and 43% into employment. This mix suggests a sixth form where outcomes are not dominated by a single route; there is a sizeable employment pathway alongside higher education.

That can suit students who want to move quickly into work, training, or a more vocational route, particularly if the school’s provider access work is well developed. The latest official inspection evidence states that the school meets the provider access legislation requirements for Years 8 to 13, which matters for families who want clear exposure to technical education and apprenticeship pathways rather than relying purely on informal guidance.

Because the dataset does not provide an Oxbridge picture here, and current published Russell Group proportions were not available from accessible official pages during research, it is sensible to treat the sixth form as broad-route rather than an explicitly elite-university pipeline. Families prioritising highly competitive university destinations should ask for subject-level outcomes and recent destination lists, and then weigh those against the student’s academic profile and the support structures available.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through Warwickshire’s admissions process, not directly through the school. For children due to start secondary in September 2026, Warwickshire’s published guidance states that applications open on 1 September 2025, with a deadline of 4.00pm on 31 October 2025, and it links on-time application to receiving an offer on 2 March 2026 (National Offer Day).

The school’s determined admissions arrangements for 2026 to 2027 set out oversubscription priorities and define a priority area. The published admission number for new Year 7 in 2026 is 225. Priority is given first to children with an Education, Health and Care plan naming the school, then to looked-after and previously looked-after children, followed by siblings (with priority area conditions), then children living in the priority area, then other defined groups including specified local primary schools, and finally by distance as defined by the local authority. The priority area is detailed by parish list, including Coleshill and surrounding parishes such as Water Orton, Curdworth, Shustoke, and others listed in the arrangements.

The practical takeaway is that admissions can be straightforward for families inside the priority area, but more uncertain for those outside it if the year group fills. If you are unsure where you sit relative to the priority area, FindMySchool’s Map Search is a pragmatic way to check location-based criteria before you rely on a particular outcome.

Sixth form entry is separate from Year 7 admissions and is routed directly through the school’s own sixth form process. The prospectus describes a structured timeline for a recent cycle, including an application window closing at the end of January, interviews in February, conditional offers in March, and confirmation once GCSE results are available. Exact dates vary each year, so families should treat this as the typical pattern and confirm current deadlines directly.

The school’s behaviour culture is the most consistently evidenced aspect of wellbeing. The official inspection narrative links clear routines to pupils meeting raised expectations, and it reports that most pupils are attentive in lessons and do not disrupt others’ learning. That matters because, in large secondaries, pastoral care is often experienced through the daily predictability of lessons, corridors, and adult follow-through rather than through a single programme.

Leadership opportunities also form part of the wellbeing picture. The same official evidence references “many leadership roles” across age groups, and it highlights sixth form students being given a voice in improvement work, including supporting open evenings and community events. The implication is a school trying to connect responsibility with belonging, which tends to land well with students who benefit from defined roles and visible contribution.

Families who are primarily concerned about safeguarding and culture should still do the practical checks: understand the reporting routes, ask how concerns are handled, and look for consistency in staff responses. The inspection documentation describes the mechanics of safeguarding evaluation, but families should focus on the lived reality of systems and the clarity of communication.

The school’s wider offer is referenced in official inspection evidence as “rich”, and importantly it names specific examples rather than leaving activities generic. Eco-club and book club are both cited, alongside “many sporting options”.

Those details matter because they signal that extracurricular is not treated as an add-on for a small subset. A book club can be a quiet anchor for students who do not want their identity to revolve around sport. An eco-club can provide a practical route into leadership, project work, and community contribution, which suits students who learn best through applied tasks and visible outcomes.

The inspection evidence also notes that pupils value opportunities to contribute through leadership roles, and it gives concrete examples of sixth form students leading open evenings and supporting a cross-country event for local primary schools. That is a useful indicator for parents assessing confidence-building opportunities, especially for students who may be academically inconsistent but socially capable and motivated by responsibility.

For GCSE choices, the school’s published options booklet for Year 9 illustrates how subjects are framed, including clear signposting of assessment structures and post-16 relevance. For example, it positions geography as directly tied to contemporary issues such as climate change and migration, and it presents history as skills-led with explicit links to careers and university routes. This kind of framing can help students connect choices to longer-term plans, especially when combined with strong guidance at key decision points.

This is a large secondary with sixth form, and the logistical experience matters: travel time, start-of-year organisation, and how effectively communication reaches families. Published term dates indicate staggered starts at the beginning of the autumn term, with Year 7 and Year 12 referenced as starting on Wednesday 3 September 2025, and other year groups staged across subsequent days.

Because accessible official pages during research did not consistently publish daily start and finish times, it is best to confirm the school day, after-school provision, and any supervised study expectations directly, particularly for Year 7 transition and sixth form independent study arrangements.

• Academic outcomes are currently a key question. The dataset shows below-average Progress 8 and below-average A-level outcomes relative to England measures; this does not define every student’s experience, but it does mean families should ask detailed questions about improvement priorities, subject support, and how the school is closing learning gaps.

• Sixth form is broad-route, not obviously elite-route on the available evidence. With a mixed destination profile and no published Oxbridge data available, this sixth form is likely to suit students who want a combination of academic and applied pathways. Families targeting highly selective routes should request the latest subject-level outcomes and destination lists before committing.

• Admissions depend on where you live and how the priority area applies. The determined arrangements for 2026 entry define a priority area by parish and include sibling rules that differ inside and outside that area. If you are near the boundary, check maps carefully and avoid assumptions.

• Strong routines suit many, but not all. The school’s behaviour culture is a clear strength for students who want structure. For students who struggle with strict routines, it is worth exploring how the school balances consistency with individual support.

The Coleshill School presents as a structured, trust-supported secondary where expectations are clearly communicated and reinforced through consistent routines. The academic profile, particularly at GCSE and A-level, suggests a school that is actively working to improve outcomes and rebuild stronger foundations, rather than one currently defined by high attainment.

Who it suits: families who want a large, organised secondary with clear behaviour systems and a sixth form offering a range of academic and applied pathways. The key decision point is whether the current outcomes trend and the school’s improvement work align with your child’s needs, especially if top-grade academic outcomes are a priority.