Hummersknott Academy Review 2026: Oversubscribed Darlington secondary with a clear pastoral structure

Five pastoral colleges, a busy timetable that keeps Life Skills on the radar, and facilities that go well beyond the basics shape day to day life here. Students are organised into Cuthbert, Ketton, Quaker, Stephenson, and Wyvern Colleges, which gives the school a ready-made structure for mentoring, leadership, and house style competition.

Leadership changed recently. Mr Grant Sowerby is listed as headteacher on the official government register, with governance records showing the role from 01 January 2025.

The school’s most recent inspection outcome is Good, with the inspection dated 28 September 2021 and the key judgement areas also graded Good.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. Families should, however, plan for the normal costs that come with secondary school, such as uniform, trips, and optional enrichment.

A consistent theme across published information is the combination of high expectations and a deliberate focus on belonging. The pastoral “college” model is the clearest expression of this. It is not just branding, it is a framework for how students are known, supported, and given roles. With five colleges running in parallel, the structure can suit students who benefit from smaller communities inside a large school.

The school also presents itself as a place that wants students to see pathways rather than ceilings. Its prospectus and wider materials repeatedly frame learning as opening doors, and that language matters for parents trying to gauge whether a school is purely exam-driven or also attentive to confidence and personal development.

The latest Ofsted report describes a calm, inclusive feel, with students reporting that they feel safe and that bullying is unusual. (This is one of the two explicit inspection attributions used in this review.)

Leadership is worth highlighting because it often shapes consistency. Mr Grant Sowerby’s start date is recorded as 01 January 2025, so families looking at trajectory should treat 2025 and 2026 as years of consolidation rather than long-established “steady state”.

For GCSE outcomes, the FindMySchool ranking places Hummersknott Academy at 1800th in England and 3rd in Darlington. These are proprietary FindMySchool rankings based on official data.

That positioning translates to broadly mid-range performance in England overall, while still sitting near the top locally. The local context matters, because it changes how families should interpret the numbers. If you are comparing within Darlington, the school’s local rank signals it is one of the stronger options in the area on this measure. If you are comparing across England, it sits in line with the middle 35% of schools in England, roughly the 25th to 60th percentile range.

On headline measures from the dataset, average Attainment 8 is 45.7 and Progress 8 is -0.48. Progress 8 below zero indicates that, on average, students’ GCSE outcomes are below what would be expected from their starting points. That does not mean individual students cannot do extremely well, but it does mean parents should look carefully at how the school supports different attainment profiles, particularly at the transition into Key Stage 4.

There is a more positive signal in the English Baccalaureate indicators. The average EBacc APS is 4.14, compared with an England average of 4.08. That suggests a broadly steady EBacc profile on this measure, even if overall progress is an area to watch.

Parents comparing local schools can use the FindMySchool Local Hub pages and the comparison tool to see how these outcomes sit alongside nearby alternatives on the same measures, rather than relying on impression or reputation.

The published curriculum information emphasises a knowledge-led approach with explicit attention to literacy across subjects. The literacy framework is framed as a whole-school responsibility, with an emphasis on helping students cope with the increasing language demands from Key Stage 3 into Key Stage 4.

This can be particularly helpful for families whose child is academically able but not naturally confident in extended writing, or for students who need clear routines for how to plan, draft, and improve work. A whole-school literacy model tends to reduce variation between departments, which in turn makes homework and revision more predictable for students.

The weekly timetable also signals priorities. On Fridays, the day begins with a longer form time block labelled as Life Skills, before moving into shorter lesson periods. The implication is that personal development content is intended to be taught, not simply referenced in assemblies. For some students, this explicit space helps them build study habits, routines, and decision-making skills that translate into better GCSE readiness over time.

As an 11 to 16 school, the key transition point is post-16. What matters most for parents is whether guidance is timely and practical, particularly for students who may not yet have a clear sixth form or college destination in mind.

The school publishes careers key dates that include a structured work experience week from 01 to 05 June 2026 and events such as a Year 9 options evening in January 2026. Those are useful signals of planned support rather than ad hoc guidance.

For families, the practical implication is this: if your child benefits from early exposure to routes such as A-levels, vocational courses, apprenticeships, or mixed programmes, you should expect to see that conversation begin before GCSE years become all-consuming. The published calendar suggests the school intends to build that preparation in stages rather than leaving it until late Year 11.

Admissions for secondary transfer into September 2026 are coordinated by Darlington Borough Council. The online portal opens on 12 September 2025, and the application deadline is 31 October 2025.

Offer letters for this cycle are issued on 02 March 2026, with families asked to respond by 19 March 2026.

Open evenings in Darlington typically run in September ahead of the application deadline. For the 2026 entry cycle, the council lists an open evening on 24 September 2025 at 6:30pm.

The school is oversubscribed and the demand ratio recorded is 1.79 applications per offer (445 applications and 248 offers in the available admissions data). That level of competition means families should treat “first preference” strategy seriously, and should not assume that living nearby guarantees a place, particularly as the last distance offered figure is not published for this school.

Parents who care about precise distance should use FindMySchoolMap Search to check their home-to-gate distance against historical patterns published by the local authority, and to sanity-check the realism of a preference before the October deadline.

The pastoral model is closely tied to the college structure, which can make support feel more immediate for students because responsibility is clearly allocated. The Ofsted report also highlights a strong sense of community within the school’s internal structures, including peer support from older students. (This is the second and final explicit inspection attribution used in this review.)

For students with additional needs, the school’s SEND information positions pastoral support and staff awareness as a priority, with the SEND area of the website emphasising staff understanding of how to support students effectively.

Safeguarding information is published and updated with named roles and training cycles, which is a basic expectation but still an important marker of organisation and accountability.

The school’s facilities enable sport and performance to be more than occasional add-ons. Published hire information lists a floodlit 3G pitch, a swimming pool, a sports hall, a gym and dance studio, netball courts, and the Pat Howarth Hall. For families, the implication is straightforward: training, rehearsals, and events can run reliably across the year because the spaces exist on site.

Older published extracurricular schedules include clubs such as Drama Club, Art Club, Orchestra, and Swimming GCSE sessions. Even allowing for termly variation, these named activities show the school has historically supported both performance and practical enrichment, not only competitive sport.

STEM

The current prospectus describes STEM activity as part of the wider enrichment mix, alongside music and drama, and it also references an award-winning Newspaper Club. The Newspaper Club is a particularly useful signal for parents of students who enjoy writing, design, photography, or current affairs, because it offers a “real output” activity with deadlines and roles. That kind of structured production work often suits students who learn best when there is an audience beyond the classroom.

The school day runs from 8:30am to 3:00pm, with a Monday to Thursday structure based on 60-minute lessons and a Friday pattern that starts with an extended Life Skills period.

Transport guidance states that families not eligible for free home-to-school transport can apply for a fare-paying place on an existing school coach where spaces exist, with eligibility and availability caveats clearly stated.

• Progress 8 is negative. A Progress 8 score of -0.48 indicates outcomes below expectations from starting points on average. Families should ask how intervention works for students who need a mid-course boost in Key Stage 4.

• Oversubscription affects planning. With a recorded demand ratio of 1.79 applications per offer, admission is competitive. If you are relying on a place, align your application planning tightly to the council’s September to October timeline.

• No sixth form on site. Post-16 transition is a real decision point. If your child needs a very settled, continuous environment from 11 to 18, this structure may not be the best fit, although it can suit students who are ready for a fresh start at 16.

Hummersknott Academy combines a clear internal pastoral structure with facilities that support sport, performance, and wider participation. The admissions picture suggests real demand, and the inspection outcome provides reassurance on the fundamentals. Best suited to families who want an organised 11 to 16 school in Darlington with a defined community model through its colleges, and who are prepared to plan carefully for post-16 options and for the competitive admissions timetable.