Bohunt Farnborough Review 2026: A secondary school in transition, with a clear focus on routines, safety, and rebuilding trust

The available GCSE performance indicators point to a school still working from a low base.

• Attainment 8 score: 36.8

• Progress 8 score: -0.68

• EBacc average point score: 3.43

• Percentage achieving grade 5 or above in the EBacc: 3.8%

A negative Progress 8 score indicates that, on average, students made less progress than pupils with similar starting points across England in that measure’s methodology. In practical terms, that tends to correlate with a need for tighter curriculum delivery, stronger attendance, and more consistent classroom practice, especially in subjects with staffing instability.

One important nuance for parents: headline improvement stories are best checked against published measures and the lived experience of lessons, rather than a single results headline. If you are visiting, ask how the school is addressing gaps in literacy, what intervention looks like for students behind, and how they ensure strong teaching when staff are absent or new.

The June 2022 inspection report for the predecessor school described a broad, ambitious curriculum plan, with improvement work underway but not consistently embedded across subjects. It also highlighted that disruption and inconsistent behaviour management affected learning, and that pupils with SEND were not achieving as well as they could because adaptations were not consistently strong in classrooms.

For Bohunt Farnborough now, parents should focus on the “implementation layer” rather than intent. The best questions are operational:

• How is lesson disruption handled, and what happens when the same behaviour repeats?

• What support is in place for pupils who fall behind in reading, and how is progress checked?

• How do subject leaders ensure consistent standards when non-specialist staff are teaching?

The school’s published learning support information indicates structured support options such as one-to-one or small-group sessions, nurture and social skills groups, and a Homework Club run after school in the Progress Base on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. For families of pupils who need quiet structure after the bell, that Homework Club can be a practical difference-maker, if it is well-supervised and well-attended.

Where Students Go Next

The best proxy, for now, is to ask about:

• Careers education in Key Stage 4

• Work experience opportunities

• How impartial guidance is delivered for colleges, apprenticeships, and sixth form pathways elsewhere

The June 2022 inspection report described careers guidance as a strength at that time, with pupils valuing work experience. When you visit, ask what this looks like now for Year 10 and Year 11, and which local providers pupils typically progress to.

Year 7 admissions for September 2026 are coordinated through Hampshire County Council. Bohunt Farnborough states it can offer 180 Year 7 places for September 2026, with priority given to children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school.

Key dates the school publishes for the September 2026 intake include:

• Applications made between 8 September and 31 October each year

• National Offer Day notification on 2 March 2026 for on-time applicants

• Hampshire acceptance deadline of 13 March 2026

A practical tip: if you are comparing multiple local secondaries, use FindMySchool’s Map Search tool to understand travel time and day-to-day logistics, then sanity-check your shortlist by reading each school’s admissions policy carefully, especially if you are close to likely cut-off points.

This is the section where the school’s recent history matters most. The predecessor school’s June 2022 inspection report raised serious concerns about bullying, pupils’ confidence in reporting, attendance oversight, and safeguarding record-keeping. Those are not abstract issues, they directly affect whether pupils feel settled enough to learn.

What families should look for now is whether systems are simple, explicit, and reliably enforced:

• Clear routes for reporting bullying, including anonymous options

• Evidence that staff log concerns consistently and act quickly

• Strong attendance follow-up, including first-day response and escalation

For SEND, the school publishes a SEND Information Report naming Miss Rebecca O’Sullivan as SENDCo, and describing her long tenure at the school since 2006, which can be a stabilising factor for families who need continuity.

A school rebuilding culture often uses co-curricular participation as a lever for belonging and routine. Bohunt Farnborough’s published materials emphasise enrichment, including external links and competitions. A joining guide references opportunities such as Model United Nations, plus local competitions connected to employers including BAE Systems and IBM.

The same guide also frames enrichment, trips, and residential visits across Years 7 to 11 as part of the regular experience, rather than an occasional add-on. For pupils who need motivation to engage with school, these structured “reasons to belong” can matter, provided behaviour expectations are strong enough that trips and clubs feel safe and inclusive.

If you want a concrete example to ask about, the school publishes programme documents such as a Year 8 Enrichment Week plan, which signals that enrichment is timetabled and organised, not left to chance.

The school publishes detailed timings for the day. The first morning bell is at 8.35am, and the school day ends at 3.10pm, with co-curricular clubs from 3.15pm.

For transport planning, the key question is not just the route, it is reliability. Look for a commute that keeps your child punctual without daily stress, particularly if they are anxious, have additional needs, or struggle with organisation.

Wraparound care is not typically a feature of 11 to 16 secondaries in the way it is in primaries, but after-school Homework Club options can function as a practical equivalent for some families.

• Recent safeguarding history matters. The predecessor school’s June 2022 inspection judged safeguarding ineffective, with concerns about record-keeping and follow-through. Families should ask to see how safeguarding systems operate now, and what checks ensure consistency.

• Behaviour consistency is the make-or-break factor. The June 2022 report described disruption in lessons and inconsistent application of behaviour routines across subjects. In a rebuilding phase, the day-to-day experience can vary by class and subject, so speak to staff about how consistency is monitored.

• Academic outcomes are still catching up. A Progress 8 score of -0.68 suggests students have, on average, been leaving with less progress than similar pupils. If your child is academically stretched or needs high structure, probe what has changed in curriculum delivery, attendance, and intervention.

• A new academy without an Ofsted report adds uncertainty. You will not yet have a current graded inspection report for the present legal entity, so your decision relies more heavily on visits, policies, and how convincingly leaders can evidence improvement.

Bohunt Farnborough is a local 11 to 16 secondary in a clear turnaround chapter, with a new substantive headteacher in post from January 2025 and admissions demand for 180 Year 7 places for September 2026. The historic inspection record sets a serious baseline, particularly around safety, bullying, and safeguarding systems, so the central question for parents is whether consistency is now strong enough that pupils can learn without disruption and feel confident reporting concerns.

Who it suits: families who want a local school and are prepared to do careful due diligence, including a visit, a close read of behaviour and safeguarding arrangements, and specific questioning about attendance, bullying response, and classroom routines.