West Grantham Church of England Secondary Academy Review 2026: Calm culture, strong pastoral systems, and improving ambitions

A smaller 11 to 16 secondary in Grantham, this academy’s most consistent strength is the culture it has built around safety, order and belonging. Behaviour is a headline positive, and the school’s Church of England character is present in daily routines, collective worship, and an explicit values framework that shapes expectations across the day.

Academically, outcomes sit below England average on the most recent published measures, and the school is candid, through external evaluation, about uneven curriculum development across subjects. That combination often suits families who prioritise a calm, well-supported secondary experience and want their child to be known well, while also being realistic about the need for sustained improvement in academic consistency.

Leadership is structured with an Executive Principal at trust level and a Head of School leading day-to-day standards. Executive Principal Clare Barber took up her trust-wide role on 24 February 2025.

The school’s stated identity is explicitly Christian and inclusive. Admissions information makes clear that students are expected to participate in daily acts of worship, while the academy also welcomes families of other faiths and none. In practice, this tends to create a shared vocabulary about conduct and responsibility, with values such as integrity, love, ambition, courage and belief used as a reference point for what good looks like in classrooms, corridors, and community life.

A calm, purposeful atmosphere is repeatedly reinforced through formal expectations and routines. The daily timetable begins with registration at 8.30am and finishes at 3.00pm, which can help students who benefit from predictability and clear boundaries.

Pastoral care is central rather than peripheral. A full-time academy chaplaincy is positioned as a visible support for reflection, relationships and wellbeing, with structured opportunities such as prayer and “share” groups and nurture groups described as part of the wider support offer. For families considering a Church of England school, the important question is not whether faith is present, it is how comfortable your child will be with it being part of the everyday rhythm of school.

On the most recent published GCSE measures the school’s Attainment 8 score is 34 and Progress 8 is -0.28.

Ranked 3,666th in England and 6th in Grantham for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), performance sits below England average, within the bottom 40% of schools in England (around the 80th percentile on the FindMySchool measure).

EBacc indicators suggest relatively low performance on EBacc-related measures, including an average EBacc APS of 2.78 and 2.3% achieving grade 5 or above across the EBacc measure reported. These figures, taken at face value, indicate that EBacc outcomes are an area to interrogate carefully when comparing options locally.

Parents comparing local secondaries will usually get most value from using the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool, because it lets you benchmark GCSE outcomes and demand data side-by-side rather than relying on impressions.

Curriculum intent is broadly ambitious, with a clear emphasis on structured knowledge and building secure foundations over time. Where the model works well, teaching focuses on checking understanding frequently and using recap to reduce anxiety about assessment and improve retention. Reading is treated as a priority: library use and reading culture are described as a positive feature, alongside targeted support for students who arrive needing to catch up in literacy.

The most important nuance is consistency. A key development point identified through formal evaluation is that curriculum planning and implementation are stronger in some subjects than others. For parents, that is less about any single department and more about the lived experience across a week. If your child thrives on joining dots across subjects, or is motivated by clear academic trajectories, it is worth asking how curriculum leadership is being strengthened across the full subject range, not only in headline areas.

The academic offer includes a mix of traditional and applied pathways at Key Stage 4, with vocationally oriented options such as engineering, construction and the built environment, and hospitality and catering appearing in school materials. For many students, that breadth matters because it makes success more achievable through a curriculum that aligns with strengths and interests, rather than relying on a one-size route.

Where Students Go Next

This is an 11 to 16 school with no sixth form. Post-16 progression therefore depends on local sixth forms and further education routes, plus employment and apprenticeship pathways.

Careers education is treated as a practical programme rather than a single annual event, with the school describing structured careers guidance and external business links designed to broaden students’ understanding of the workplace and technical routes. For families, the useful test is specificity: ask which employers and training providers are actively engaged, how many students access meaningful encounters, and how the school supports those aiming for academic sixth form routes alongside those seeking technical options.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through Lincolnshire, with the school’s published deadline for applications for September 2026 entry stated as 31 October 2025. That deadline is now in the past, but it gives a reliable indicator of the typical timing for future rounds.

The published admission number is 120. When oversubscribed, priority follows a clear hierarchy: looked-after and previously looked-after children first, then siblings, then supported medical or social grounds, then children attending the trust primary, followed by distance from home to the academy. If distance cannot separate applicants for the final place, a lottery is used.

Demand data in the provided dataset shows 221 applications for 120 offers, a ratio of 1.84 applicants per place, and the school is recorded as oversubscribed. For families outside close proximity, the practical implication is to treat this as competitive even before you reach the tie-break stage.

If you are weighing distance-based criteria, the FindMySchool Map Search is the most efficient way to sanity-check travel and proximity assumptions before you commit emotionally to a single option.

The school’s strongest and most distinctive feature is how it positions safety and care as non-negotiable foundations for learning. Anti-bullying expectations are framed clearly, and students are expected to report concerns with confidence that issues will be addressed quickly. Support for social, emotional and mental health is described as sensitive and structured, with safe spaces and services designed to help students feel secure enough to learn.

Faith-based pastoral elements are an additional layer rather than a replacement for mainstream safeguarding and wellbeing systems. Chaplaincy is described as part of the daily fabric of school life, including reflection, collective worship, and accessible support. This can suit students who value a values-led environment, but families who prefer a more secular school experience should consider carefully whether the daily worship expectation is right for their child.

Inspectors confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

The co-curricular programme is structured around regular lunchtime and after-school opportunities, with a published timetable for 2025 to 26 indicating a mix of sport, enrichment and academic support. This includes a STEM Club, Debate Club, Christian Union, Gardening, Music Club, and a targeted KS3 Friendship Club, alongside sport sessions such as dodgeball, basketball, and football. For students who find friendships easier when there is something to do together, that combination of social and activity-based clubs can make the school day feel more manageable.

The library programme is unusually explicit. Timetabled “quiet reading”, chess, Scrabble, vocabulary building and structured homework and revision time give students a clear place to go, particularly useful for those who benefit from calm spaces at break and lunchtime.

Faith-linked enrichment is also visible in the wider offer. The school describes weekly enrichment periods that can include activities such as archery, cooking and clay sculpture, with additional reflection and chaplain-led opportunities available.

The academy day runs from 8.30am to 3.00pm, with different period structures for Years 7 to 8 versus Years 9 to 11.

Breakfast provision is advertised as free through the National School Breakfast Programme, running from 8.15am and including bagels and cereals.

After-school clubs are generally described as running from 3.00pm to 4.00pm.

For term planning, the school publishes term dates, with the 2025 to 26 year running from 3 September 2025 to 24 July 2026.

Transport-wise, this is a Grantham-based secondary serving the local area; families should focus on realistic door-to-door travel time, especially during winter and on days with after-school enrichment.

• Academic outcomes sit below England average in the published dataset. Attainment 8 of 34 and Progress 8 of -0.28 indicate that many students leave with results that may not reflect strong progress from starting points. If academic stretch is the primary driver, compare carefully with local alternatives.

• Curriculum consistency is a stated improvement priority. Some subjects are described as earlier in their curriculum development than others. This can mean a student’s experience varies more by subject mix than families expect.

• Faith expectations are real, not cosmetic. Daily worship participation is an expectation stated in admissions information. Families comfortable with an explicitly Christian framework will likely see this as a positive; others may find it a poor fit.

• Oversubscription makes proximity and criteria matter. The published admission number is 120 and the academy is described as oversubscribed, with distance a key criterion after higher priorities. Plan on evidence, not assumptions.

This is a Church of England secondary that has built a compelling culture around safety, belonging and calm conduct, supported by explicit values and a visible pastoral framework. Academic outcomes in the published dataset are the main limitation, and families should go in with clear eyes about the difference between a strong environment and strong exam results.

Who it suits: families who want a smaller-feeling 11 to 16 school, value clear routines and behaviour, and are comfortable with a Christian framework shaping the daily experience, while also being prepared to support learning proactively and monitor academic progress closely.