The Hayling College Review 2026: A mixed 11 to 16 secondary on Hayling Island

On Church Road, reached by the bridge onto Hayling Island from Havant Road, The Hayling College sits on the daily route for most local families. It is an island school in the most literal sense, with buses and bridge traffic shaping morning routines as much as timetables.

This is a state secondary school for boys and girls aged 11 to 16 in Hayling Island, Hampshire, with a published capacity of 750. The headteacher is Martyn Reah, and the college’s own language is direct about what it wants for students: Happy, Healthy, High Performing. The 2024 Ofsted inspection rated the college Requires Improvement across the key areas now graded.

The mantra Happy, Healthy, High Performing is not tucked away in a policy appendix. It sits upfront in the college’s public welcome and ethos, and it tells you what leaders want the place to feel like day to day: calm enough for learning, supportive enough for confidence, and ambitious enough that students are pushed to take their next steps seriously.

The most persuasive evidence for families is the emphasis on relationships and belonging. Staff know students well, and warm relationships are described as a strength. There is a clear attempt to build a cohesive experience year by year, with tutor time, assemblies, pupil voice, and a visible house strand through the school experience (house captains, interhouse competitions, year and house assemblies). That matters on an island, where friendship groups can be long-standing and where a school either becomes the community’s anchor or feels like a service people use and leave behind.

There is also a candid edge to the picture. Behaviour routines are in place and most students follow instructions, but the consistency of what happens in every classroom is not yet where it needs to be. For some children, that is the difference between a steady day and a tiring one.

GCSE results

The headline number in the performance data is Progress 8 at -0.78, which points to students making less progress across eight subjects than similar students nationally. Attainment 8 stands at 34.9.

Ranked 3671st in England and 1st in Hayling Island for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the college sits within the lower-performing 40% of secondary schools in England. In other words, it is not currently a results-led outlier; it is a school with clear work to do on outcomes and consistency.

EBacc measures add useful colour. The average EBacc APS is 2.81, and the percentage achieving grades 5 or above in the EBacc is recorded as 0. For families with a child who thrives on academic stretch, this is the section to read slowly, then compare locally using FindMySchool’s comparison tools, subject by subject, before deciding what “good fit” looks like for your own child.

Curriculum shape

The curriculum information published by the college is unusually specific for a school website, including the structure of learning through Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 and the subjects taught across those phases. The shape is broad: English, mathematics, science, modern foreign languages, humanities, technology, computer science, and creative subjects including art, drama, music, and dance, alongside physical education and personal development education.

There are signs of deliberate rebuilding. Recent curriculum changes are described as aiming for greater depth, with clear routines and a drive to identify and sequence the knowledge students need. The weak point, as it stands, is not the intent but the classroom follow-through: the balance between explaining, checking, and then giving students enough well-pitched independent practice to secure learning. Where that balance slips, students can end up moving on before they have properly got hold of the ideas.

Support for students with SEND is also part of that story. Staff awareness is there, but the sharpness of reviewing and updating support plans is a lever the school needs to pull more consistently, because it affects how reliably students get the help that works for them.

Post-16 routes

Year 11 is the exit point at The Hayling College. That means the “next step” work has to start early, not in the final term when GCSEs are already pressing. The school experience published for older year groups includes careers week, work experience, encounters with employers and further education, and specific support points such as college application interviews and apprenticeship assemblies.

For families, the practical implication is straightforward. A strong Key Stage 4 experience here is not only about GCSE grades; it is also about leaving at 16 with a realistic plan and the confidence to act on it. The college’s stated emphasis on aspiration and confidence-building support is well aligned with that reality, especially for students who benefit from clear structure when making choices.

Routes and criteria

The Hayling College is a non-selective, mixed secondary, with admissions coordinated through Hampshire. In the published admissions demand data, there were 97 applications for 88 offers, which works out at about 1.10 applications per place. That is oversubscribed, but only mildly, so the challenge for most families is usually about criteria and timing rather than an extreme scramble for places.

For in-year moves, the college describes a transition approach that includes a tour for families, information-sharing with the current or previous school, and a buddy for new arrivals. Those are practical steps that matter in a small community where children often know each other already and where joining midstream can feel exposed.

Timeline and practicalities

The college puts real weight on transition. There is a Year 5 taster day, and Year 6 induction is described as a multi-step programme: close work with feeder schools, a transition evening for families, and two induction days in July for incoming Year 7s. There are also headteacher tours for prospective pupils and parents that typically run in June, July, September and October.

If you are weighing travel and convenience alongside admissions criteria, the FindMySchool Map Search is a useful sense-check: not just for distance, but for what the bridge and bus routes mean for daily punctuality and after-school commitments.

Safety and support

Safeguarding arrangements are effective. Students are described as feeling safe, and the strongest pastoral thread is the relationship between students and staff. That matters for a school working to lift outcomes, because students learn best when they trust the adults setting the standards.

The college also describes active work on bullying, including a focus on the impact of banter and a sense among students that incidents are reducing as staff become more effective at dealing with them. Attendance support is part of the wider picture too, with a sense of improvement alongside continued support for families who need it.

Behaviour is the area where families should ask the most practical questions. Clear routines help, but disruption is not always dealt with consistently across lessons, and a small number of students with complex behavioural needs can experience disrupted education through suspensions. The school also uses alternative education to help some students re-engage, and the reintegration process is an important indicator to explore if your child needs strong consistency.

Clubs & enrichment

Enrichment at The Hayling College is organised in a practical, year-by-year way, with published timetables and a mix of lunchtime and after-school options. The names give a good sense of what the school values beyond exams: STEAM Club, Technical Theatre Group, Debate, Homework Club, Art Club, Dance Club, and a Board Games and Dungeons and Dragons session that will delight the right child. There is even a Minecraft club at lunchtime, a small detail that often matters more than parents expect for Year 7 settling-in.

Sport sits alongside this as a steady strand rather than a single flagship. The enrichment timetable includes options such as netball, badminton, rowing and running club, and the wider “Hayling experience” includes sports teams and interhouse competitions.

Experiences and careers

For students, the calendar also includes bigger set-piece moments. Activities Week creates a different kind of learning rhythm for Years 7 to 9, and school production and performing arts feature repeatedly across year groups. Careers week, careers fairs, work experience, and apprenticeship-focused assemblies underline that the school is trying to make life after 16 feel concrete rather than abstract.

Transport & parking

The college gives clear travel guidance: most families approach via Havant Road and the bridge onto Hayling Island, with bus travel signposted through local services. Parking is the main pinch point. There is an overflow car park accessed through a second gate, but families are asked not to use the car parks for drop-off and pick-up in the interests of site safety. For students with mobility needs, ground-level wheelchair access and disabled parking near reception are specifically referenced.

The school day

The school day starts at 8.20am and ends at 2.50pm, with staff supervision from 8.10am. The day is structured around five lessons, a morning break, lunch, and tutor time. After-school enrichment, revision sessions, and performances are what turn that relatively early finish into a full secondary-school day, so it is worth thinking ahead about transport and routines if your child will stay for clubs regularly.

Outcomes and pace: With Progress 8 at -0.78 and Attainment 8 at 34.9, this is a school still working to lift exam outcomes. If your child needs consistently high academic results as a safety net, weigh this carefully against the other strengths on offer.

Consistency between classrooms: The school’s direction of travel includes curriculum development and clear routines, but learning is not always matched tightly enough to students’ needs, and some students do not get enough independent practice to secure new ideas. Children who need very steady, lesson-by-lesson structure may find that tiring.

Behaviour, disruption, and reintegration: Most students follow expectations, but disruption is not handled consistently in every lesson. If your child is easily distracted, ask directly how teachers protect learning time and how students are supported back into school after any time out.

Island logistics: The bridge approach and bus dependence are part of real life here, especially when after-school clubs and events extend the day. Add in the request not to use the car parks for drop-off and pick-up, and daily planning becomes more important than it might be at a school with easy on-site parking.

The Hayling College is a local, mixed 11 to 16 school that puts relationships, safety, and structured transition at the centre of the student experience, with a clearly signposted enrichment offer and a serious focus on next steps at 16. The challenge lies in outcomes and classroom consistency rather than the breadth of opportunity.

It best suits families on Hayling Island who want a community secondary with clear routines, a strong transition programme, and clubs that give different kinds of children a way in. Competition for places exists but is not extreme, and families who shortlist it should use FindMySchool’s Saved Schools feature to keep notes from open events and compare it realistically against nearby alternatives.