Cleethorpes Academy Review 2026: A Restless Improvement Story, with Strong Pastoral Routines

A school can be improving rapidly and still have real work to do, Cleethorpes Academy currently sits in that space. The most recent inspection set a clear headline, the quality of education was judged as requiring improvement, while behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management were judged as good.

What makes this academy distinctive is the clarity of its improvement narrative. Routines at the start of the day are described as a visible signal of a more settled culture, with staff and pupils greeting each other warmly and tutor-time pastoral support playing a central role. The school is part of Lincolnshire Gateway Academies Trust, which matters because trust capacity and interim support are explicitly part of the current leadership picture.

From a parent’s perspective, the practical question is fit: this is a non-selective, inclusive secondary for local families, with significant change underway and a clear expectation that classroom consistency and reading support, particularly for older weaker readers, must continue to strengthen.

The tone of the school’s own language is values-led and community-focused, with a repeated emphasis on students being caring, curious, and creative, and on a safe environment that supports day-to-day learning. That matters because it frames how the school wants pupils to show up in lessons and in social spaces, not just how they perform in tests.

External evidence aligns with parts of that picture. Pupils describe the community as inclusive, and the report highlights pastoral support through tutors, alongside a visible tightening of routines, particularly at the start of the day. In practical terms, this suggests a school trying to reduce friction points that often drive low-level disruption, late arrival, and uneven readiness to learn.

Leadership is a defining element of the current moment. Paul Thundercliffe is the Principal, and he started in post in September 2024. The same source also flags wider leadership change beyond the Principal, and references interim support from the trust. For families, the implication is straightforward: the experience for students is likely to feel more structured than it did a few years ago, but the consistency of teaching across subjects remains the key variable to watch.

For GCSE outcomes, Cleethorpes Academy is ranked 2,991st in England (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), and 1st locally for the Cleethorpes area. Based on that England position, performance sits below England average, within the lower band of schools in England.

The headline attainment measure available here is an Attainment 8 score of 43.1. Progress 8 is -0.53, which indicates students, on average, make less progress than pupils nationally with similar starting points.

Those numbers explain why the school’s improvement work has to land in classrooms, not just in systems. The inspection evidence points to a curriculum that has been strengthened in many subjects and is now more carefully sequenced and ambitious than what pupils previously studied, but teaching is not yet consistently translating that intent into secure knowledge for all pupils.

A useful way to interpret this as a parent is to split “direction of travel” from “current reliability”. The direction of travel is supported by improving behaviour, raised expectations, and staff morale. Current reliability depends on whether teachers consistently check understanding, address misconceptions, and adapt teaching to what pupils know, because the report is clear that pupils’ experiences vary between lessons.

If you are comparing options locally, FindMySchool’s Local Hub and Comparison Tool are useful for placing this Progress 8 and ranking context alongside neighbouring schools, without relying on anecdote.

Curriculum design is described as broad and balanced, with a strong focus on literacy and numeracy as foundations for success. At Key Stage 3, pupils study a full suite including English, mathematics, science, geography, history, religious education, physical education, ICT, technology (including resistant materials and textiles), plus French and Spanish. That breadth matters for a mixed-intake school because it keeps pathways open until choices become more informed.

Key Stage 4 is built around a three-year GCSE model, and the academy describes this as giving students time to go deeper in their chosen subjects. Options guidance is explicit that core subjects remain compulsory, and that students select option subjects through a structured process with in-school guidance rather than a first-come system. The implication is a school that wants to reduce last-minute, rushed choices, and connect options to next-step planning.

Careers and personal development is positioned as a whole-school strand, with partnership references including NCOP, SHINE and Young Enterprise, and an intention to map careers provision against Gatsby Benchmarks from Year 7. External evidence reinforces this emphasis: the inspection notes a comprehensive careers programme delivered through personal, social and health education, with talks from employers and local colleges that support informed choices.

Two academic pressure points are particularly relevant. First, teaching consistency: in the strongest lessons, teachers explain new content clearly, question effectively, and give feedback that helps pupils improve; in weaker lessons, teaching does not always adapt to what pupils know. Second, reading: early-stage reading support has been updated and targeted at pupils who need it when they join in Year 7, but support for older pupils who are not fluent readers is described as limited, which can restrict access to the full curriculum.

With an 11 to 16 age range, planning the post-16 move matters. The school’s own materials for GCSE options frame choices as a “passport” to further and higher education and employment, and they direct families to mainstream careers and pathways resources, including apprenticeship information.

In practical terms, students typically move on to sixth forms or further education providers in the area, and the school’s careers programme is designed to support that transition through guidance, employer encounters, and exposure to other education providers. The strongest indicator for parents to look for is how well a Year 9 options process translates into Year 11 outcomes and confident post-16 destinations, because in a school focused on improvement, guidance and execution must match.

Cleethorpes Academy is oversubscribed in the most recent admissions data available here. There were 286 applications for 137 offers, a ratio of 2.09 applications per place. This is meaningful because it signals consistent local demand, even while the school is still strengthening classroom outcomes.

For September 2026 entry into Year 7, the local authority coordinated timetable sets out the key national-style milestones. Applications close on 31 October 2025, and allocation notifications are issued by 2 March 2026. The academy also makes clear that Year 7 intake applications are handled through the coordinated process rather than direct application to the school.

A practical point for families moving into the area is that distance cut-offs vary and are not published here as a single headline, so it is worth using FindMySchoolMap Search to understand your likely positioning relative to the school and to other realistic alternatives.

Pastoral structures are described as a current strength. Tutors are presented as central to support, and the inspection evidence highlights a positive start-of-day routine and effective pastoral support, with pupils feeling safe and ready for learning.

Safeguarding is a non-negotiable for any school, and the report states that safeguarding arrangements are effective. For parents, the value of this line is not reassurance alone, but the implication that systems and culture around safeguarding are functioning as expected.

Support for special educational needs and disabilities is presented as an improving area with clear operational detail. The inspection points to strengthened SEND support, with teachers receiving clear information on how to support pupils with SEND, plus ongoing training to improve consistency. On the school’s own information, the SENDCo is Mrs E Cross, and the approach emphasises early intervention and partnership with families.

The best extracurricular programmes are not just long lists, they are structured and attended. Here, the academy timetable includes an enrichment hour after the formal end of the school day, from 15:00 to 16:00, which creates a predictable slot for clubs, support, and wider experiences. That structure matters for families who rely on routine, and for students who benefit from a clear end-of-day rhythm.

Clubs and activities mentioned in external evidence include British Sign Language and cooking club, and the report notes that pupil voice is used to shape what clubs run, with strong attendance. From the school’s own published programme, PE clubs include cheerleading, netball, badminton, dance, and fitness across year groups. The implication is a blend of skills-based clubs and participation sport, rather than only competitive teams.

The school also leans into whole-community events. An open evening is described as being supported by more than 200 current students, and the same account references a school production of Mary Poppins as part of the event programme. These are not academic indicators, but they do point to student buy-in, which tends to be a leading indicator for behaviour stability and attendance improvements.

The timetable provides unusually clear operational detail. Gates open at 08:15, with breakfast club running 08:15 to 08:40 and described as including a free breakfast. Tutor time runs 08:45 to 09:10, and the school day ends at 15:00, followed by scheduled enrichment 15:00 to 16:00.

For travel, students come by bus, on foot, and by bicycle. The school highlights covered cycle storage and advises using a D-lock or similar, and it notes that the academy is within walking distance of Cleethorpes.

• Teaching consistency. The curriculum has been strengthened, but pupils’ experiences vary between lessons, and not all teaching is yet adapting to what pupils know. For families, this means asking specific questions about how departments check learning and close gaps, not just about intent.

• Progress 8 is currently negative. A Progress 8 of -0.53 indicates below-average progress from similar starting points. If your child needs consistently strong academic stretch, it is important to understand which subjects are improving fastest and how the school supports high prior attainers.

• Reading support for older weaker readers. Early reading support is being strengthened for pupils who need it on entry, but support for older pupils who are not fluent readers is described as limited. If literacy is a concern, ask how intervention works beyond Year 7.

• No sixth form. Planning the post-16 move is part of the journey here. Strong careers education is in place, but families should consider transport, course availability, and fit at likely next-step providers.

Cleethorpes Academy is a local, non-selective secondary with a clearly stated improvement trajectory and a settled pastoral backbone. Behaviour, personal development and leadership are judged as good in the latest inspection, while the quality of education judgement makes it clear that classroom consistency still needs to catch up with ambition.

Who it suits: families wanting an inclusive community school with structured routines, a strong tutor model, and a visible focus on improving culture, particularly where extracurricular participation and after-school enrichment are important. The main trade-off is that academic outcomes and progress measures signal that improvements must continue to embed across all subjects.