Shavington Academy Review 2026: Community secondary with clear routines and a strong personal development spine

A school that puts structure first. The day is tightly organised, expectations are clear, and the language of values runs through everything from tutor time to enrichment. The headline message to families is consistent, pupils should “enjoy, aspire, create and achieve”, and the school’s SPARK framework (Self-regulation, Pride, Ambition, Resilience, Kindness) is used to anchor both character education and behaviour routines.

For a non-selective 11–16 academy serving Shavington and the south of Crewe, results sit around the middle of the England distribution, with slightly positive progress. The best evidence on day-to-day experience comes from the most recent formal inspection, which describes calm corridors, respectful relationships, and consistent approaches to behaviour.

Facilities have been developing. The school’s prospectus highlights expansion and refurbishment during 2023–2024, including additional classrooms, which matters in a growing area and helps explain how the site has been adapting alongside rising numbers.

The culture reads as purposeful and routine-led rather than informal. Tutor time starts the day, with a clear, predictable rhythm of five lessons split by a mid-morning break and a lunch period. That predictability tends to suit pupils who like to know where they stand and what happens next, particularly through the early months of Year 7.

Pastoral organisation is conventional, in a good way. The school describes five year groups, each with a Pastoral Leader, a non-teaching Deputy Pastoral Leader, and a team of form tutors. That structure matters because it is how communication, attendance follow-up, and early intervention usually work in practice. The stated behaviour approach is restorative, with an emphasis on repairing harm and resetting routines rather than simply escalating sanctions.

The house system adds an extra layer of belonging and competition. Franklin, Lowry, and Owen are used to frame events and inter-house activities, which can give quieter pupils a route into school life without needing to be the loudest voice in a friendship group.

Leadership is stable at the top. The headteacher is Mrs Emma Casewell (also shown as Mrs E.J. Casewell on school communications). Publicly available official sources do not consistently publish an appointment date, so families wanting that detail should ask directly at an information evening or in correspondence.

This is a school with outcomes that are broadly in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile), based on the FindMySchool ranking. Ranked 2,487th in England and 4th in Crewe for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), it sits where many strong community secondaries sit, solid rather than extreme at either end.

Attainment 8 is 45.1, which is close to the England average benchmark (45.9). Progress 8 is 0.04, a marginally positive figure that suggests students, on average, make slightly more progress than peers with similar starting points.

EBacc indicators are weaker. The average EBacc point score is 3.74 against an England benchmark of 4.08, and 8.5% achieve grade 5 or above in the EBacc measure. For parents, the implication is simple: the academic profile is not currently defined by high EBacc outcomes, so it is worth asking how languages and humanities pathways are supported for students who want a more traditional academic suite.

Parents comparing local options should use the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool to place these figures alongside other nearby schools, because the most meaningful decision is often relative rather than absolute.

The curriculum story is strongest where the school has built common threads across subjects. External evidence from the latest inspection describes curriculum planning that is well thought-through in most subjects, with careful sequencing and training to develop staff expertise. It also highlights a practical improvement point, in a small number of subjects, leaders were still finalising curriculum detail, which sometimes left teachers without full clarity on what should be delivered and in what order.

The personal development offer is unusually explicit for an 11–16 school. SPARK lessons are timetabled for one hour per week across Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4, with topics organised under Relationships, Living in the Wider World, and Health and Well-being. That makes the personal development curriculum more than an occasional drop-down day, it is built into the weekly timetable and connects directly to safeguarding themes such as online safety and risk awareness.

Reading is treated as a core access issue rather than an add-on. The most recent inspection notes systems to identify gaps in reading when pupils join, and appropriate support to develop phonic knowledge and confidence, supported by staff training that helps reading fluency across the curriculum. For families with a child who arrives below expected reading age, that matters, it shapes how quickly they can access science, humanities, and longer exam questions.

There is no sixth form, so every student transitions out at 16. The practical implication is that the school’s careers and post-16 guidance has to work well, because families are making a new institutional choice at the point when GCSE outcomes, course requirements, and travel logistics all matter.

The school presents careers education, information, advice and guidance as a defined programme, with published resources aligned to the Gatsby Benchmarks and a clear focus on post-16 preparation. The latest inspection also supports the view that careers guidance helps pupils make informed decisions about next steps.

If you are choosing this school with a specific post-16 goal in mind (A-level pathway, technical routes, or apprenticeships), ask two direct questions early: which local providers are most common destinations, and what the school does in Year 10 and Year 11 to ensure students meet entry requirements for the courses they want. Numbers are not consistently published in accessible official datasets for this school, so a conversation with the careers lead is the best route to clarity.

Year 7 admissions are coordinated through Cheshire East. For September 2026 entry, the local authority timetable states applications open on 01 September 2025 and close on 31 October 2025, with offers made on 02 March 2026 and acceptances due by 16 March 2026. Supporting documentation is due by 05 December 2025.

The academy describes itself as attracting students from a wide geographical area and notes that the governing body is the admissions authority, while applications route through the Cheshire East parent portal.

Because distance cut-offs and oversubscription patterns vary year to year and are not published here as a single headline figure, families who are relying on proximity should use FindMySchoolMap Search to understand practical travel distance, then cross-check how Cheshire East measures distance in its coordinated admissions process.

The school website also lists a Year 7 Information Evening on 26 January 2026, which can be helpful for late applicants and for families wanting to understand transition expectations even after deadlines have passed.

Pastoral systems are designed to be visible and reachable. The school describes a wrap-around pastoral model built around form tutors, year teams, and Deputy Pastoral Leaders delivering mentoring and support either one-to-one or in small groups. This aligns with the inspection picture of pupils feeling able to speak to trusted adults and valuing pastoral support.

Safeguarding roles are clearly named. The Designated Safeguarding Lead is Mr R Chell (Director of Inclusion), with deputy leads listed as Mrs S McInnes (Deputy Pastoral Leader) and Miss A Woodcock (Attendance and Welfare Officer). For parents, named responsibility matters, it signals clarity of accountability and helps families know who sits behind processes.

Student-facing wellbeing support is described in practical terms, including homework clubs by year group, counselling referrals, and drop-in access to pastoral staff at break or lunch. That kind of offer often matters most in Year 10 and Year 11, when exam pressure rises and attendance patterns can wobble for vulnerable pupils.

The latest Ofsted report (inspection dates 17 and 18 May 2023) states that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Enrichment is presented as a routine part of the day rather than a bolt-on. The school day ends at 3:20pm, and the school states that a range of extra-curricular activities are available after that time.

The most credible snapshot of activities comes from the inspection evidence, which references opportunities such as choir practice, guitar lessons, and diversity clubs. Those examples point to a co-curricular culture that includes both performance and identity-based belonging, useful for pupils who want a community beyond their tutor group.

Sport appears broad and inclusive in its offer. The physical education page lists lunchtime and after-school opportunities including boxing, battleball, badminton, gymnastics, volleyball, and athletics, alongside more familiar team sports. The implication is choice: students can participate competitively if they want, but there are also routes for those who prefer individual or fitness-based activities.

Leadership opportunities are also a defined strand. The wider curriculum pages describe student councils, transition mentors supporting younger pupils, and a Year 11 Academy Ambassador role. For many pupils, those roles become a quieter form of confidence-building, responsibility that is earned through reliability rather than loudness.

The school day runs from 8:50am (form time) to 3:20pm, with five periods and a total of 32.5 hours per week stated by the school.

Term dates are published for both 2025–2026 and 2026–2027, including a Year 7-only return date at the start of the autumn term, which is a common transition practice and worth planning for.

There is no published wraparound childcare model in the way a primary school might offer. Families who need supervised early drop-off or structured after-school care (beyond clubs) should ask directly what is available and how places are allocated.

• Attendance is a stated improvement focus. The most recent inspection notes that while overall attendance is improving, some pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, do not attend as regularly as they should. If your child has a history of anxiety-related absence, ask what early intervention looks like here and how it is coordinated with the pastoral system.

• Curriculum consistency is not identical across all subjects. Inspectors describe a small number of subjects where curriculum planning was still being finalised, which sometimes reduced clarity for teachers and limited outcomes for some pupils. Ask which subjects have been refined since the inspection and how leaders check consistent delivery.

• Every student moves provider at 16. With no sixth form, post-16 guidance needs to be a strength. Families should prioritise understanding the Year 10 to Year 11 careers journey, including how students are supported to meet entry requirements for local colleges and training routes.

Shavington Academy presents as a structured, community-rooted secondary where routines, personal development, and pastoral systems are designed to be clear and consistent. Results sit in the middle of the England distribution, with slightly positive progress, and the most recent external evidence points to calm behaviour, pupils feeling safe, and effective safeguarding.

Best suited to families who want a well-organised 11–16 school with explicit values, a visible pastoral structure, and a personal development curriculum that is built into the timetable. The main question for many families will be fit, whether your child responds well to clear boundaries and routines, and whether the post-16 transition support aligns with your plans from Year 10 onward.