Healing Academy Review 2026: A Good, improving 11 to 16 academy with strong culture work

There is a clear “reset” story here. Healing Academy moved from Requires Improvement (April 2022) to Good in June 2024, with leaders focusing hard on culture, expectations and consistency.

It is a relatively large 11 to 16 academy, with capacity for 1,020 pupils and 778 pupils on roll shown on the Ofsted profile page. The school sits within Harbour Learning Trust, and the trust’s wider values language is visible in school policy and day to day messaging.

For families, the key question is fit. This is a school that is explicitly tightening routines and aligning staff expectations, while also widening enrichment through an Upskill offer and structured leadership roles for pupils. It will suit students who respond well to clear rules, steady teacher direction and a culture that rewards participation, particularly as the school continues to build consistency across subjects.

The tone is purposeful, with a strong emphasis on values and conduct. The school’s behaviour policy explicitly links culture to the trust’s DANCE values (Delight and joy, Ambition, Nurture, Community, Empower), and frames good behaviour as a shared responsibility between pupils, staff and families.

There is also a visible student leadership structure. The enrichment page describes a Student Government with roles that mirror national politics, including a Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, plus cabinet positions such as Minister for Sustainability and Environment and Minister for Clubs and Enrichment. That kind of structure tends to land well for students who like having a defined voice and a formal way to contribute.

Leadership has changed recently. Stephen Logan is named as Principal on the school website, and the school announced his appointment on 10 May 2024, stating he was expected to start in September of that year after the departure of the previous principal. In practice, this means families are looking at a school still settling into a newer leadership chapter, with improvement work that is relatively recent rather than long embedded.

One useful marker of culture is how enrichment and personal development are framed. Here, enrichment is not just a list of clubs. The Upskill model is described as term long commitments with a Bronze, Silver and Gold badge progression. There is also practical support for participation, including transport home to certain nearby areas for those who need it.

Healing Academy’s most recent GCSE performance indicators in the provided dataset show:

• Attainment 8 average score of 47.9

• Progress 8 score of -0.03

• EBacc average point score (APS) of 4.44

• 20.1% achieving grade 5 or above in the EBacc measure

A Progress 8 figure close to zero is broadly consistent with outcomes that are near average progress from students’ starting points, and this aligns with the most recent inspection commentary about progress being in line with wider averages by the end of Year 11.

Rankings in this review are proprietary FindMySchool rankings based on official data. Healing Academy is ranked 1,531st in England for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking), and ranked 2nd within the Grimsby local area in the same ranking set, placing it in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

The most parent relevant interpretation is consistency. The overall indicators suggest a school that is not positioned as a headline results outlier, but is operating at a level where incremental improvements in teaching consistency and reading support can move outcomes meaningfully, especially for disadvantaged pupils and students who need extra literacy catch up.

Parents comparing options locally can use the FindMySchool Local Hub page to view results side by side using the Comparison Tool, particularly helpful when weighing a school that is improving quickly against a school with more stable long term outcomes.

The curriculum is described by the school as following a “3:2” model, with three years devoted to Years 7 to 9 programmes of study, then a two year Key Stage 4 model across Years 10 and 11. The intent is presented as knowledge rich and ambitious, with Year 9 used as the point where students choose GCSE options for Years 10 and 11.

A concrete academic offer worth noting is science at GCSE. The school states that students can opt for Separate Sciences (Biology, Chemistry and Physics as three GCSEs) rather than the combined route, and that an additional option block is built into the timetable to make sure teaching time matches that more demanding pathway. For students considering A-level sciences later, that option can matter.

Reading is treated as a whole school priority, with a named before school reading club called Starbooks. The most recent inspection narrative highlights that the school identifies students who struggle with reading, but that support does not always help them catch up quickly, which is an important detail for families whose child needs structured literacy intervention beyond quality first teaching.

Beyond subject teaching, the school also describes “extended learning” structures with named resources such as Train Your Brain booklets and Love to Learn projects for Years 7 to 9. For many students, this type of structured home learning resource is easier to manage than open ended homework, and it gives parents a clearer line of sight on what is expected.

Where Students Go Next

There is no published destination dataset included for this school in the provided information, and the school does not present quantified leaver destination statistics in the sources used here. The most reliable way to assess post 16 progression is therefore to look at the school’s careers programme design and how it prepares students for local sixth forms, colleges, apprenticeships and training routes.

The careers programme is framed as an entitlement for all students, with a mix of careers education, work related learning, and guidance. The inspection narrative also references a Careers Corner initiative that allows pupils to speak with representatives from different industries. For students who are undecided, or who want to understand vocational and technical routes alongside GCSE choices, that matters.

For families thinking ahead, a sensible approach is to ask directly, at open events, which providers are most common after Year 11 and how the school supports applications for those routes, especially if your child is considering technical pathways or apprenticeships as well as a sixth form route.

Healing Academy is a state school with no tuition fees. Entry is primarily through the Local Authority coordinated process for Year 7, with the school’s admissions policy setting out oversubscription criteria and how distance is measured.

For September 2026 entry, the Published Admissions Number for Year 7 is 180. When oversubscribed, priority is given in a standard hierarchy, including looked after and previously looked after children, siblings, and children of staff in specified circumstances. After those priorities, the policy uses distance measures, including a “nearest school” criterion and straight line distance calculations carried out by the local admissions team.

The school is oversubscribed in the most recent admissions data available in the provided dataset, with 229 applications for 129 offers, equivalent to 1.78 applications per place. While the Year 7 admissions number for 2026 entry is 180, year to year offer counts can vary due to cohort size, in year movement and operational decisions, so families should treat application ratios as a competitiveness signal rather than a guaranteed predictor.

Key dates for secondary transfer into September 2026 in North East Lincolnshire include: applications due by 31 October 2025, and allocations notified on 2 March 2026.

Open events appear to follow a familiar autumn pattern. The school advertised a Year 5 and 6 open evening for mid September in 2024, which is a useful guide to typical timing, but families should check the school’s latest announcements for the current year’s schedule.

Parents concerned about distance should use the FindMySchool Map Search to understand travel practicality from their exact address, then cross check how “nearest school” and straight line distance are handled in the admissions policy.

Pastoral structures are visible through named safeguarding leadership roles. The school’s staff list names a Vice Principal who is also the Designated Safeguarding Lead, alongside a SENCO and a year based support structure.

The most recent inspection confirms that safeguarding arrangements are effective. That matters because it indicates the basics are in place: reporting routes, staff training and follow up.

Attendance is another part of wellbeing culture. The inspection narrative reports attendance above wider averages and describes a system to identify and respond to students struggling with attendance, with persistent absence reducing during that year. While there are no published percentages in the sources used here, the direction of travel is the relevant point, and it aligns with the school’s wider “tightening consistency” story.

The standout feature is how co-curricular life is packaged. The Upskill Programme is framed as skills development linked to future pathways, with students selecting a session and committing for a full term, then working through Bronze, Silver and Gold badges across the year. The stated intent is to build teamwork and self management alongside practical skills, and the model includes “lunch bites” capped at 15 students, which can work well for students who prefer smaller groups.

Leadership opportunities are also positioned as part of extracurricular life. The pupil parliament model described in the inspection narrative includes students in roles like Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister participating in staff interviews, which can be a meaningful experience for students interested in debate, leadership and civic life.

The school also references Debates and Discussion lessons, which suggests structured or timetabled oracy development rather than an optional club that only a small group attends. For many students, this is where confidence develops, especially if they are not drawn to sport based activities.

Finally, there are smaller but telling culture signals. The 2022 inspection narrative references Praise Friday, where pupils choose work to showcase, including a poetry recital connected to an English competition entry. That kind of routine often supports motivation for students who respond to recognition and public celebration of work.

The school publishes a structured day model with staggered breaks and lunches by year group, which is typical of larger secondaries managing space and supervision.

Transport support is referenced in the enrichment model, with transport home provided for students who require it to specific nearby areas. For families balancing after school activities with travel, it is worth asking how transport works for the current year’s timetable and which activities it covers.

Because this is an 11 to 16 secondary, wraparound care is not usually framed as breakfast and after school childcare in the way a primary school might. The school does, however, describe a free breakfast option for all pupils in the inspection narrative, which can be practically important for some families.

• Reading catch up needs clarity. The school identifies students who struggle with reading, but the latest inspection notes that support has not always helped those pupils catch up quickly. Families with literacy concerns should ask what intervention programmes are currently in place and how progress is tracked.

• Consistency across subjects is still a live improvement area. The inspection narrative describes strong curriculum design overall, but notes that in some subjects the activities used in lessons do not consistently match leaders’ ambition. For some students, this shows up as uneven classroom experience depending on the subject.

• Behaviour policy implementation is being refined. Pupils generally behave well and the atmosphere is described as calm, but some pupils felt sanctions could be unfair, and leaders were reviewing the policy in response. If your child is sensitive to perceived unfairness, ask how sanctions are applied and how restorative follow up works.

• Parent communication has been a pressure point. The most recent inspection notes that some parents feel disengaged and not well informed about changes over time, with a recommendation to strengthen communication and engagement. Families who value frequent, clear updates should explore how information is shared now.

Healing Academy is a Good 11 to 16 school on an upward trajectory, with a clear focus on culture, routines, leadership opportunities and structured enrichment. The academic picture is broadly in line with middle England performance, and the strongest “future facing” elements sit in curriculum planning, the Upskill model, and careers engagement rather than in headline exam dominance.

Who it suits: students who respond well to clear expectations, want leadership opportunities, and benefit from structured enrichment and careers exposure. Admission is the practical hurdle, especially in oversubscribed years, so families should engage early with the local admissions timeline and understand how distance and priority criteria apply to their circumstances.