Campsmount Academy Review 2026: A structured, improvement-focused 11 to 18 academy in Norton

Campsmount Academy is a mixed secondary with sixth form in Norton, serving students aged 11 to 18, with a published capacity of 900. It sits within Leger Education Trust and has been part of the trust since 2019, a detail that matters because several of the school’s recent systems, curriculum changes, and improvement activity are framed at trust level.

The latest full inspection found a school moving in the right direction, with a clear culture shift towards respectful conduct, higher expectations, and a more consistent learning experience across subjects. For families, the practical headline is that this is a state school with no tuition fees, where the daily experience is shaped by structured routines, a strong reading agenda, and a programme of character and leadership that starts early in Key Stage 3.

Campsmount presents itself as a school with a deliberately consistent approach to routines and conduct. The start of the day includes a short tutor-led PREPARE period focused on being ready for learning, covering punctuality, uniform, and equipment expectations. That routine-based opening is not cosmetic; it signals the school’s preference for clarity and predictability, particularly helpful for students who benefit from structured transitions into lessons.

Relationships between students and staff are positioned as central to daily life, with leadership visibility reinforced through student voice structures. The Student Leadership Team is described as a formal channel for ideas and issues from the wider student body to the senior team, and the language is explicitly about listening and acting where possible, rather than token consultation. The implication for families is that students who want to influence their environment, including behaviour culture, enrichment, or community priorities, have a recognised mechanism to do so.

The school’s own published vision, centred on becoming the best version of yourself today in service of tomorrow’s success, is reflected in how it describes personal development, reading priorities, and the ASPIRE framework that runs through the week. Parents should read this as a school that is trying to unify academic habits, conduct, and character under one coherent set of expectations, rather than treating these as separate strands.

Leadership context is also relevant. Current communications name Miss Jordanna Proctor as Headteacher, and her biography emphasises behaviour, inclusion, and safeguarding leadership experience. The school does not consistently publish a clear appointment date on its own pages, but official school documentation shows her named as Headteacher by 01 September 2024, which gives a practical marker for when the current leadership era was in place.

The best way to interpret Campsmount’s outcomes is to separate overall attainment and progress measures from the school’s improvement trajectory and curriculum reforms. The most recent inspection described parts of the curriculum as new, with the impact of recent curriculum developments not yet fully reflected in published examination results at the time.

For GCSE outcomes, Campsmount’s position in England sits below the mid-range. Ranked 3,140th in England and 20th in Doncaster for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), it falls below England average overall, within the bottom 40% band. This is consistent with a school that has work to do on outcomes consistency, particularly for students who need strong subject foundations and steady progress year on year.

The detail in the GCSE profile reinforces that picture. The school’s Progress 8 score is -0.22, which indicates students, on average, made less progress than similar students nationally from their starting points. The Attainment 8 score is 39.9. The school’s average EBacc points score is 3.24, and 6.8% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above across the English Baccalaureate set of subjects. These figures suggest that, for families with highly academic children targeting a traditional EBacc-heavy pathway, the school’s priorities and current outcomes may still be developing.

For A-level outcomes, Campsmount’s sixth form is also positioned below England average overall. Ranked 2,168th in England and 9th in Doncaster for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the profile sits in the bottom 40% band. The grade distribution shows 0% A*, 8% A, 24% B, and 32% at A* to B. Compared with England averages of 23.6% at A* to A and 47.2% at A* to B, this is a weaker headline profile.

The practical implication is not that strong outcomes are unattainable, but that students who want to remain for sixth form should be realistic about what will drive success here. The school’s strongest route is likely to be through disciplined attendance, full engagement with lesson routines and feedback, and early subject planning, especially if aiming for competitive university courses. For students who need a highly academic sixth form culture with top-end A-level outcomes as the dominant feature, families should compare local alternatives carefully using the FindMySchool Local Hub comparison tools.

Teaching and learning at Campsmount is presented as intentionally methodical, with clear attention to knowledge retention and classroom routines. The inspection evidence highlighted structured strategies such as short recall tasks to activate prior learning, planned discussion routines, and rapid feedback methods during lessons. The value of this approach is straightforward: when classroom practice is predictable, students spend less energy decoding expectations and more energy learning.

Reading is a major strategic pillar. Campsmount’s literacy approach includes weekly Aspire Reading sessions using short stories and non-fiction texts, with reciprocal reading strategies embedded, and a declared aim that students leave able to read fluently and confidently. Investment in the library and reading events are also referenced in inspection evidence, alongside a recognition that the weakest readers still need more comprehensive support. For parents, the key question to ask is how reading support is targeted for students arriving below expected standard, including what interventions run, how they are staffed, and how progress is tracked over a term.

Homework expectations are integrated into the school’s wider routines, with reference to Campsmount LEARN tasks within the Code of Conduct expectations. This is a helpful signal for families who want homework habits treated as part of the core learning culture rather than an optional add-on.

Campsmount has a sixth form offer delivered through Leger Post 16, with an online application route promoted through the school’s published materials. This matters because students’ post-16 planning is not only about staying on site, it is also about navigating a collaborative model that is designed to broaden course access and provide stronger progression support.

For the most recently published destination data for the 2023/24 cohort, 41% progressed to university. Apprenticeships accounted for 11%, with 4% progressing to further education and 4% moving into employment. Cohort size was 27, which means individual choices can move percentages materially year to year, but the overall picture is of a mixed set of destinations rather than a single dominant route.

The school’s sixth form guidance also describes practical support for university and work applications, including personal statement and UCAS support. For students who are ambitious but not yet highly independent planners, that kind of structured application support can be a meaningful advantage, especially if combined with strong attendance and sustained subject focus from the start of Year 12.

A bursary scheme is also in place for sixth form students, funded through national guidelines, designed to support students from low income households with some of the costs of staying in education. This is worth checking early for eligibility, because practical barriers such as transport, equipment, and course-related costs can affect whether students remain in sixth form and fully access enrichment opportunities.

Campsmount Academy’s Year 7 admissions are coordinated through Doncaster Council, rather than handled directly by the school, which means families should plan around the local authority’s normal admissions timetable and criteria.

For entry to Year 7 in September 2026, Doncaster’s published timetable states that applications should be submitted by 31 October 2025, with offers issued by email on 02 March 2026. In practice, the best approach is to shortlist early, check travel logistics carefully, and then focus on the quality of your preference order rather than trying to second guess where places may be available late in the process.

Open events and transition activities are published on the school’s Year 6 Transition page. In 2025, transition dates and a Year 6 parent information evening were scheduled in early July, which suggests that families should expect similar timing patterns in most years, even if exact dates change.

For post-16 entry, the school promotes an online application route for Leger Post 16. The school’s published admissions policy also frames post-16 places through the wider trust partnership model, so families should read the sixth form offer as part of a collaborative structure rather than a standalone provision.

Pastoral systems at Campsmount are presented as closely linked to behaviour culture and safeguarding, rather than treated as separate services. The school’s leadership biographies reinforce this emphasis, with senior roles explicitly linked to inclusion, wellbeing, attendance, behaviour, and safeguarding responsibilities.

Behaviour expectations are embedded through routine and clarity, with published rules around uniform, equipment, respectful conduct, and mobile phone use on site. This tends to suit students who benefit from firm boundaries and explicit expectations, particularly where earlier schooling has been inconsistent. The trade-off is that students who struggle with compliance, punctuality, or equipment routines may require sustained support and close home-school alignment to settle well.

Safeguarding processes are described in school policies aligned with current statutory guidance, with designated safeguarding roles named, and an expectation that safeguarding is a whole-staff responsibility rather than confined to one team. For parents, the practical test is whether you feel communication about issues, attendance, and behaviour is timely and specific, and whether interventions are applied consistently across subjects and year groups.

Extracurricular life at Campsmount is strongest where it is connected to reading culture, music participation, and structured enrichment that fits around the school day. One example is Books and Bagels, a Friday morning reading opportunity where students can read before formal lessons while having breakfast, which directly reinforces the school’s reading priorities in a practical, low-pressure format. The implication is clear: students who benefit from a calmer start to the day, or who need routine reading time to build fluency, get a supported structure rather than relying on self-motivation alone.

Music is supported through instrumental lessons delivered during the school day by visiting musicians, framed as a skills and concentration builder rather than a niche activity for a small minority. Families should expect additional costs for instrumental tuition, as is standard in state schools, but the availability itself is a positive indicator of enrichment breadth.

There is also evidence of a student-facing culture that embraces interests beyond conventional sport and performance. The Retro Games Club, for example, is framed around interest in how games have developed since the 1980s, providing a route for students who are motivated by digital culture, computing history, and game design thinking, even if they are not drawn to mainstream sports clubs.

For students who want a recognised award pathway, Campsmount offers the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award from Year 9, supported by sponsorship that covered all Year 9 students in at least one recent cycle. This is a meaningful signal of inclusivity, especially when DofE can sometimes become an activity accessible mainly to families who can pay for the expedition and kit costs.

Drama and performance appear in the school’s published materials through production resources such as Beauty and the Beast. For families seeking confident speakers and team-based creative work, the best next step is to check how often productions run, what roles exist beyond acting, and how inclusive casting and technical roles are across year groups.

The compulsory academy day runs from 8:30am to 3:00pm for Years 7 to 11, with five one-hour lesson periods and structured break and lunch arrangements by year group. Breakfast is available to purchase between 8:00am and 8:30am, and there are additional enrichment activities outside the compulsory day.

Location-wise, school materials describe access to major routes including the A1 and M62, helpful for families travelling across village and semi-rural areas north of Doncaster.

• Outcomes remain a development area. Both GCSE and A-level rankings sit below England average, and the Progress 8 figure indicates below-average progress overall. This will matter most for students who need consistently strong teaching across all subjects to thrive.

• Reading support is a declared priority, but the weakest readers need close attention. The school has a clear reading strategy and weekly literacy structures, yet formal review evidence also notes that support for the weakest readers needs to be more comprehensive. Families of children arriving below expected reading standard should ask detailed questions about interventions and impact tracking.

• A structured culture suits some students better than others. The school’s routines and conduct expectations can be a strong foundation, but students who struggle with punctuality, equipment, or behaviour routines may need consistent home-school partnership to avoid repeated sanctions.

• Sixth form outcomes are modest, so course planning matters. With A-level results below England average overall, students should choose subjects carefully, engage early with academic support, and compare the Leger Post 16 offer with other local post-16 routes if aiming for highly competitive university courses.

Campsmount Academy is a structured, routine-led state secondary with a clear improvement narrative, strong emphasis on reading culture, and a student voice model that is positioned as meaningful rather than symbolic. It suits families who want a clear behaviour framework, a school day shaped by consistent routines, and a local academy that is investing in culture, curriculum, and enrichment while outcomes continue to strengthen over time.

Students who thrive on clarity and predictable expectations are likely to settle well here, particularly if home routines support punctuality, equipment, and steady homework habits. Families with highly academic children, or those prioritising top-end sixth form outcomes, should shortlist carefully and use comparison tools to weigh local alternatives alongside Campsmount’s ongoing improvement trajectory.