Henley In Arden School Review 2026: Small 11 to 16 secondary with a strong Performing Arts identity

A compact 11 to 16 secondary with a clear community feel, Henley In Arden School sits in a part of Warwickshire where families often balance rural living with connections to Solihull, Birmingham and Stratford. Its defining feature is a serious Performing Arts specialism that is built into the timetable, rather than treated as an add-on, alongside a mainstream GCSE offer. The latest Ofsted inspection (06 and 07 December 2022) confirmed the school continues to be Good.

For parents, the headline is a school that aims for calm, purposeful learning in a smaller setting, with a post 16 transition at 16 because there is no sixth form. Admissions run through Warwickshire’s coordinated process and a school-defined priority area, so understanding distance and criteria matters early.

Henley’s strongest first impression on paper is how deliberately it positions itself as both local and outward-looking. It describes itself as a smaller secondary that appeals to families seeking a friendlier scale, while still operating within the normal expectations of GCSE study and behaviour routines.

Inspectors recorded that pupils are friendly and welcoming, that behaviour is very strong, and that pupils feel safe, with staff trusted to deal with bullying if it occurs.

Leadership structure reflects the Arden Multi Academy Trust model, with Joseph Roper listed as the headteacher on government and inspection records, and also shown on the school website as Associate Headteacher.

The school’s public messaging is anchored in “Achieving Excellence Together”, and its ethos material focuses heavily on excellence as a daily expectation, including excellence in lessons and in developing kind, forward-thinking citizens.

Henley In Arden School ranks 2,030th in England and 1st locally for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This reflects solid performance, in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

At GCSE level, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 45.7. Progress 8 is 0.31, which indicates students, on average, make above-average progress from their starting points across eight subjects.

For families comparing options across Warwickshire and nearby Solihull, it is worth using the FindMySchool Local Hub pages and the Comparison Tool to place these figures alongside other realistic commutable schools, especially when a smaller school is being weighed against larger comprehensives.

It is also useful to read the results data alongside Henley’s curriculum model. The school states that almost all students take nine Level 2 qualifications, mostly GCSEs, with some applied routes such as Performing Arts (Acting and Dance), IT, Graphics and Business.

The curriculum narrative is clear and quite structured. On entry, students follow a broad Key Stage 3 programme including English, mathematics, science, humanities, religious education, computing, art, design and technology, drama, dance, music and languages, with French and Spanish referenced as options.

The most recent inspection describes a curriculum that has been redesigned, mapped and sequenced so that knowledge builds over time, with subject leaders setting out what is taught and when. It also notes that in a small number of subjects, curriculum thinking was still at an earlier stage, with leaders supporting subject teams to tighten what pupils must learn and when.

Where Henley differs from many similarly sized secondaries is the way Performing Arts is positioned as a specialist pillar. The school states it offers discrete, timetabled Dance, Acting and Music at Key Stage 3, taught by specialist staff, as preparation for Key Stage 4 routes.

Because Henley is 11 to 16, “destinations” means what happens after Year 11 rather than university pathways. The school’s published destination snapshot for Year 11 leavers (2021 to 22) indicates that students progressed to a mix of sixth forms and further education, with a portion moving into specialist provision or apprenticeships, and a small percentage into the Armed Forces.

The prospectus also sets out careers education that starts well before Year 11. It describes one week of work experience in Year 10, and access to at least one interview with an independent careers adviser. It also references targeted support for those at risk of becoming not in education, employment or training, alongside wider careers input through lessons, assemblies and external speakers.

For parents, the practical implication is that you should judge the school not only on GCSE preparation, but on how clearly it supports a smooth handover to sixth form or college at 16. If your child is likely to need a very specific post 16 route, ask how the school supports applications, interviews and transport planning.

Year 7 admissions are coordinated by Warwickshire. For September 2026 entry, Warwickshire states applications open on 01 September 2025 and the on-time deadline is 16:00 on 31 October 2025, with national offer day on 02 March 2026.

Henley’s own admissions policy for 2026 to 27 sets out clear oversubscription criteria. After children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, priority is organised around a defined priority area, siblings, and attendance at named partner primary schools, with distance used as the tie-breaker within each criterion. The policy also explains that distance is calculated as a straight-line measurement from the home address point to the school’s centroid, and that waiting lists are held by Warwickshire’s Admissions Service until the end of the Autumn term.

If you are assessing chances, do not rely on general impressions of “close enough”. Use the FindMySchool Map Search to check your home’s precise distance and to sense-check how realistic the priority area is for your address, then cross-reference this with Warwickshire’s published mapping and the school’s policy wording.

Open events are not always best treated as one-off calendar dates because webpages can lag behind. Henley’s published materials indicate that open evening activity typically sits in September, with induction and primary liaison activity commonly happening in the summer term. Use this pattern for planning, but confirm the current year’s dates directly via official school communications.

Pastoral systems are described in practical, traditional terms. The school prospectus sets out tutor groups for daily registration, supported by progress leadership, with escalation routes for more serious pastoral issues.

Attendance expectations are explicit and operational. The school day start is published as 08:40 for registration on most days, with a later 09:00 start on Wednesdays, and a published timetable in the prospectus that runs through to 15:15.

SEND is referenced both in the inspection narrative and in school documentation. The inspection indicates provision generally supports pupils well, but also flags that SEND leadership was not always as sharp as it needed to be, with some inconsistency in ensuring support is implemented as intended. For parents of children with identified needs, the key is to discuss how plans are communicated to subject teachers and how impact is checked across the week, not only in headline meetings.

Performing Arts is the most distinctive strand because it is embedded into timetabling and facilities. The school describes access to a fully rigged technical suite, a dance studio with sprung floor, drama studio, performance theatre, music studio with Apple Mac computers, and an outdoor amphitheatre.

This infrastructure is matched by structured participation routes. The school describes three dance companies, Inspire, Dynamic and Force, plus choirs and a ukulele group, with visiting teachers available for singing across styles, and graded examinations through specialist music lessons.

For students whose interests run beyond the arts, the school also publishes a long-standing equestrian team that competes through the National School Equestrian Association, including training, local shows and competition pathways.

The prospectus adds further named enrichment examples that help make the offer concrete, including the Henley Debating Society, Gardening Club, Let’s Get Cooking Club, Master Chef activities, Maths Challenge participation, and Duke of Edinburgh.

Henley publishes a structured school day and transport guidance in its prospectus. Registration starts at 08:40 on most days, and the published timetable runs to 15:15, with a distinct Wednesday pattern.

For travel, the prospectus references rail links to Henley-in-Arden with services from Birmingham Moor Street and Stratford, describing the station as around a ten-minute walk, plus bus access including the X20 stopping directly outside the school. It also provides practical drop-off guidance that directs peak-time car use away from the Stratford Road entrance.

As an 11 to 16 school, there is no sixth form site routine to consider, but families should plan for a post 16 commute from Year 12 because the transition point is earlier than in 11 to 18 schools.

• No sixth form. Students move on at 16, so you should be comfortable planning post 16 routes early, including travel and subject availability.

• Performing Arts is a defining feature. The specialist timetable and facilities will suit students who want structured arts training, but families wanting a more conventional arts offer should check how much time is allocated and how it fits alongside GCSE choices.

• SEND consistency. External review indicates SEND support is often effective, but that leadership and implementation have not always been consistent across subjects. Parents of pupils with additional needs should probe communication routines and how adjustments are quality-checked week to week.

• Admissions depend on criteria and priority area. The school uses defined oversubscription criteria and distance tie-breaks, so families should read the policy closely and not assume a place based on general proximity.

Henley In Arden School offers a distinctive mix, a smaller 11 to 16 comprehensive structure with an unusually developed Performing Arts specialism and facilities that go beyond the typical school hall model. Academic outcomes sit in the middle range nationally by England percentile, with positive Progress 8 suggesting students tend to make above-average progress.

It suits families who want a community-scaled secondary where arts training is a genuine pillar, and who are comfortable planning a post 16 transition at 16. The key decision points are admissions realism against the published criteria, and whether your child will benefit from the school’s specialist arts identity or would prefer a more conventional secondary offer.