Passmores Academy Review 2026: A cooperative secondary with a clear inclusion focus

Passmores Academy’s identity is unusually explicit for a large 11 to 16 secondary. It describes itself as a cooperative academy, built around principles such as openness, democracy, and social responsibility, and even links this to practical choices about how the school is designed and run.

That values-led positioning shows up most clearly in inclusion. Alongside mainstream classes, the academy runs an Enhanced Provision called the Autism Support Centre, designed to help eligible pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan access the mainstream curriculum and gradually build time in lessons, with a supervised safe space for regulation when needed.

The headline accountability picture is stable. The latest Ofsted inspection (14 and 15 February 2024) reported that the academy continues to be a Good school, and safeguarding arrangements are effective.

For families comparing outcomes locally, the FindMySchool GCSE ranking places Passmores Academy 3,427th in England and 5th in Harlow for GCSE outcomes, based on official data. This sits below England average overall, placing it in the lower 40% of secondary schools in England on that measure.

A cooperative ethos can read as abstract until you see how it is used as a behavioural and relational anchor. Passmores frames expectations around respectful relationships, effort, and upholding basic standards, while also stressing that pupils should feel welcome and listened to. The language is clear that inclusion is not a bolt-on, it is part of how the school wants to operate day to day.

The House system reinforces that pastoral structure. Pupils and staff are placed into one of four Houses, Dragon, Griffin, Lion, or Unicorn, which the academy positions as a belonging mechanism and a channel for participation and team spirit rather than purely competition.

The strongest evidence on culture comes from how the school treats difference and additional need as part of the mainstream story. In the Autism Support Centre model, pupils are supported to access mainstream learning over time, with individualised timetables, planned regulation time, and the option to return to a supervised safe space if dysregulated. It is a structured approach rather than an informal promise.

Leadership is also a current defining feature. Natalie Christie is named as Principal, and the most recent inspection notes a specific leadership transition, with the principal taking full responsibility for the role in September 2023 after previously sharing the position with the trust’s current chief executive.

Passmores Academy is a state school and exam performance should be read alongside context such as attendance, cohort need, and local intake. The most important benchmark here is consistency: the most recent inspection describes pupils who attend regularly doing well in Year 11 examinations, and it links weaker published outcomes to persistent absence, with a focus on re-engaging pupils into education.

From the FindMySchool dataset, the academy’s most recent GCSE picture includes:

• Attainment 8 score of 37.6.

• Progress 8 score of -0.67 (below the England benchmark of 0).

• EBacc average point score of 3.01.

• 4.3% achieving grades 5 or above across EBacc subjects.

For parents trying to translate those metrics into practical implications, Progress 8 is often the clearest signal. A negative Progress 8 indicates that, on average, pupils made less progress between the end of primary school and GCSEs than pupils nationally with similar starting points. This does not tell you what any individual child will achieve, but it does suggest that families should pay close attention to how well the school matches their child’s learning habits, resilience, and support needs.

Rankings are not destiny, but they help with shortlisting. The FindMySchool GCSE ranking places Passmores Academy 3,427th in England and 5th in Harlow for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). That positioning suggests the academy is not primarily defined by top-end exam statistics, and that its value proposition leans more towards breadth, inclusion, and the quality of the day-to-day educational experience for a wide intake.

If you are comparing options in the area, FindMySchool’s Local Hub and Comparison Tool can be a practical way to view GCSE outcomes side by side, using the same underlying official datasets and consistent definitions.

The academy describes a deliberately mixed approach: mixed ability classes in almost all cases, with setting used where the school believes it correlates strongly with success, and GCSE Mathematics is given as the explicit example. That matters for families because it signals a mainstream comprehensive approach for most subjects, with targeted grouping where it is seen as beneficial.

Curriculum structure is also distinctive. The school describes Key Stage 3 as Years 7 and 8, designed as a platform for later success, and then Key Stage 4 spanning Years 9 to 11 with widening options, including the English Baccalaureate pathway for those for whom it is appropriate. In practice, that means decisions about GCSE direction are brought forward earlier than in some schools, so Year 8 and Year 9 information and guidance becomes particularly important for pupils who are undecided or who need time to build confidence in core subjects.

Technology is presented as a core teaching tool rather than an add-on. The academy references dedicated computer suites, iPad sets, and a bring-your-own-device approach where pupils may use their own device in lessons with teacher consent. The implication for families is twofold. First, pupils who engage well with digital workflow and online homework platforms may find the system supportive and familiar. Second, households should be ready for practicalities, device policies, and consistent routines for homework and revision, particularly in Year 10 and Year 11.

The inspection evidence also gives a clear picture of classroom practice. Teaching is described as structured, with staff breaking learning into manageable chunks and checking understanding before moving on, while also noting variability in lesson pacing and questioning, where over-long retrieval tasks or too many closed questions can slow learning and limit depth. This kind of feedback is useful for parents because it is not a generic critique. It points to a school that has agreed pedagogical approaches and is still working on consistent execution.

Passmores Academy is an 11 to 16 school, so the key destination question is post-16 transition rather than university pipelines. The academy’s most recent inspection describes careers education as comprehensive and notes that pupils learn about potential pathways, including apprenticeships. For many families, that matters more than headline GCSE statistics, especially where pupils need structured guidance on realistic next steps and how to access them.

The school also places emphasis on transition into secondary from primary, describing it as a priority within its teaching and learning strategy. In practical terms, strong transition work can reduce Year 7 disruption and help pupils establish habits early, which is often the difference between a stable Key Stage 3 and a wobbly start that takes years to fix.

Because the academy does not run a sixth form, families should plan early for Year 11 choices and application timelines. In an Essex context, that often includes sixth-form colleges, school sixth forms, and apprenticeship routes. The right option will depend on predicted grades, course fit, and travel. A useful approach is to treat Year 10 as the start of post-16 planning, not the end of Key Stage 4.

For Year 7 entry, admissions are coordinated through the local authority’s coordinated scheme, with Passmores’ trustees acting as the admissions authority. The academy states a Published Admission Number (PAN) of 240.

For children resident in Essex, the local authority timetable is clear. Applications for a secondary (Year 7) place for September 2026 were open between 12 September 2025 and 31 October 2025, with offer emails sent on 2 March 2026.

Mid-year admissions are handled directly by the school, which can matter for families moving into the area or needing a managed transition at a non-standard time.

Open events appear to follow a predictable annual pattern. For the September 2026 intake cycle, the school communicated an Open Evening on 18 September 2025, and the academy also runs Year 6 tours during the autumn term. If you are planning for a later intake, expect open events to cluster around September and October, and confirm current dates directly with the academy.

Parents who are relying on proximity should note that the most recent distance-offer figure is not available in the provided dataset for this school, so it is sensible to treat admissions as potentially competitive and plan preferences accordingly. FindMySchoolMap Search can still help families understand practical travel distances, which often becomes the deciding factor when comparing several plausible schools.

Pastoral organisation is built around the House system, and the school’s public messaging is clear that belonging and participation are intended outcomes, not just administrative structures.

Support for pupils with additional needs is a major part of the pastoral picture. The Autism Support Centre is presented as a structured enhanced provision, including regulation time, visual timetables, and gradual mainstream integration, with clear eligibility requirements tied to diagnosis and Education, Health and Care Plans. That approach can be particularly valuable for pupils who need explicit routines, predictable environments, and a safe place to reset without being removed from mainstream ambitions.

The inspection evidence also highlights pupil leadership and wellbeing activity, including pupil panels and peer mental health support for younger pupils, alongside charity fundraising through the school’s No Child Without work. This combination is often a strong indicator of a school attempting to build agency and responsibility in its pupils, not just compliance.

Where behaviour is concerned, the inspection picture is broadly positive while acknowledging that some pupils need additional support to meet expectations, and that the school is developing further specialist provision to better support pupils with social, emotional, and mental health needs.

A large school can claim it has “lots of clubs” without meaningfully differentiating itself. Passmores’ published materials make it possible to be more specific. The most recent inspection references extracurricular breadth ranging from musical productions to curling, with many pupils participating in The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, and pupils engaging in leadership and fundraising.

The school’s current clubs list adds practical detail. Examples include Book Club, Glee Vocal Club, Geography Film Club, and Gardening Club, as well as structured Drama provision across year groups, including a Drama club for Years 7 and 8 and an Excellence Club aimed at older year groups.

For families, the implication is that enrichment is not only sport-led. A pupil who is not a natural team-sports enthusiast can still find identity through performance, reading, music, or interest-led groups. It also suggests a school that uses after-school time as an extension of pastoral engagement, which can be particularly important for pupils who benefit from structured routines beyond lesson time.

The academy’s cooperative values also show up here. No Child Without is framed as a practical mechanism to reduce financial barriers to participation, supporting access to opportunities regardless of family circumstances.

The academy runs a two-week timetable, with consistent daily timings across both weeks. The school site is supervised from 8.00am to 3.30pm on weekdays, with agreed activities such as clubs sometimes extending beyond those times.

Uniform expectations are detailed and specific, including clear guidance on footwear and presentation, and this tends to signal a school that uses visible standards as part of its behaviour culture.

For travel planning, most families will consider the local road network around Harlow, school bus options where available, and the practicality of public transport from home to school. If your child is likely to travel independently, it is worth trialling the journey at the same time of day it would be taken during term time.

• Performance is sensitive to attendance. The most recent inspection links below-typical published outcomes to persistent absence for some pupils. Families should ask how attendance is tracked, how support escalates, and what happens when a pupil falls behind.

• Teaching consistency is still a workstream. External review notes variability in lesson pacing and questioning that can limit depth of learning in some classes. This is worth exploring at open events, particularly for pupils who need well-paced lessons to stay engaged.

• SEMH support is developing. The inspection narrative acknowledges more work to do for pupils with social, emotional, and mental health needs, with specialist provision under development. Families should ask what support looks like now, not only what is planned.

• This is an 11 to 16 school. Post-16 progression is a separate decision, so families should factor in travel and course choices for sixth-form college, school sixth forms, or apprenticeships from an early stage.

Passmores Academy is best understood as a large, values-explicit comprehensive with a strong inclusion narrative and practical structures to support it, particularly through the Autism Support Centre. The latest inspection evidence points to a school that combines warm relationships and broad enrichment with a clear focus on improving attendance and sharpening consistency in classroom practice.

Who it suits: families who want a mainstream secondary with a clear ethos, structured pastoral systems, and an approach that takes inclusion seriously, particularly where a child benefits from routines, belonging, and supported access to the mainstream curriculum. The main trade-off is that outcomes and progress measures suggest parents should scrutinise the match between their child’s learning profile and the school’s classroom consistency, and plan proactively for post-16 pathways.