Henlow Church of England Academy Review 2026: Faith-rooted secondary with modern facilities and broad enrichment

A school that has had to reinvent itself quickly. Henlow Church of England Academy moved from its middle-school roots to a full 11 to 16 secondary model, with its first GCSE cohort completing exams in summer 2024. That transition matters because it explains much of what parents see today, a curriculum built to span Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 coherently, new and refurbished buildings, and a growing emphasis on post-16 readiness despite having no sixth form.

Leadership is stable. Mrs Caren Earp is the headteacher and also leads the trust as chief executive, having joined the academy in September 2014. Miss N Chalkley is listed as Head of School within the senior leadership team.

The most recent Ofsted inspection (29 and 30 April 2025) graded the school Good across quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management; safeguarding was judged effective.

Henlow’s culture is built around a set of named values that are used as everyday reference points, not just branding. Pupils describe a friendly and inclusive feel, with positive relationships and clear expectations around effort and conduct. The tone is purposeful rather than intense, with structure, routines, and plenty of supervised space for students who want to be busy at lunchtime and after school.

Student voice is not treated as a token gesture. The pupil-led School Action Group is part of how the school gathers feedback and then translates it into practical decisions, which helps students feel heard and gives older students a route into leadership and responsibility. Alongside that, roles such as prefects and pupil librarians give visible status to contribution, not just academic attainment.

The site tells a story of change. School communications highlight a newer two-storey block with a four-court sports hall, modern classrooms, and upgraded science laboratories, plus an adapted auditorium and a central library referred to as the Henlow Hub. For families, the practical implication is that the school is investing in spaces that support both sport and core learning, rather than relying on temporary fixes.

A final distinctive feature is how closely the school ties identity to local history. The house system is explicitly linked to people and families connected with Henlow’s past, including Tilley, Raynsford, Addington, Gribble, and Lennox-Boyd. If your child enjoys history and community context, it can feel grounding. If they do not, it is still a gentle, low-pressure way to create belonging across year groups.

This is a state school with no tuition fees.

Henlow’s secondary performance sits around the middle of England schools on FindMySchool’s proprietary ranking (based on official data). Ranked 2,753rd in England and 1st locally for GCSE outcomes, results align with the upper end of the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). This is a useful framing for parents: outcomes are neither weak nor elite, but broadly typical, with room for continued improvement as the newer secondary model beds in.

The headline performance measures show a similar picture. The school’s Attainment 8 score is 43.5 and Progress 8 is -0.23, which indicates students make slightly below-average progress from their starting points across eight subjects. For families, the practical question is fit: students who thrive with clear routines, consistent homework, and active support typically do well; students who need frequent stretching and highly tailored extension may require parents to be proactive about asking for challenge.

The English Baccalaureate picture is currently limited. The percentage achieving grade 5 or above in the EBacc measure is 7.6, and the average EBacc APS is 3.47. On its own, that suggests a relatively small proportion are currently securing strong EBacc outcomes, although the school has signalled that modern foreign language uptake is increasing as more pupils opt to study a language at GCSE.

Because the school’s GCSE journey as a full secondary is relatively recent, it is sensible to view current outcomes as a baseline rather than a final verdict. The most recent inspection explicitly references continuous improvement work and raising standards, including in mathematics and across different pupil groups.

Teaching is organised around a logically sequenced curriculum where new learning builds on what has gone before, with deliberate revisiting of key knowledge and skills. Teachers are described as having good subject knowledge and checking for misconceptions, which is the core of strong classroom practice.

The school’s curriculum structure has some unusual features that can suit the right child well. There is an explicit emphasis on electives in Years 7 and 8, and denominational inspection material gives examples such as critical thinking, the science of spying, and computer programming. For students who like variety and applied learning, this is often where confidence grows, especially for those who are still deciding what they enjoy.

Religious Education is also positioned as a serious academic subject rather than an add-on. The denominational inspection describes generous curriculum time for RE and reports that all students take a full GCSE in religious studies. For families who value religious literacy and structured discussion of beliefs and ethics, that is a clear strength. Families less comfortable with a strong faith-shaped rhythm should read the admissions and curriculum information closely to ensure the approach matches their expectations.

Reading is another visible strand. The library is described as well used, with frequent opportunities to read a range of literature, and a defined catch-up offer for students who are earlier in their reading journey. In practice, this tends to matter most in Key Stage 3, where reading fluency is the gatekeeper for success across the curriculum.

There are two well-defined improvement points that parents should understand. First, teaching does not always adapt activities precisely enough to different abilities, which can mean higher-attaining pupils are not moved on quickly enough at times. Second, delivery of personal, social, health and economic education is not consistently strong across staff, which can reduce the coherence of personal development learning. These are specific, addressable issues, and they are worth exploring during tours by asking how staff training and quality assurance are being used to close the gaps.

Henlow has no sixth form, so every student transitions at 16. The school’s planning for that is well developed, which is important for a school that cannot offer continuity into Year 12. Careers education is structured around the Gatsby Benchmarks and is supported by external careers input, with students able to access guidance meetings and targeted support around key decision points such as Year 9 options and Year 11 post-16 choices.

There are some concrete, age-specific experiences that help make careers education feel real. Year 9 includes a self-organised “take your child to work day” in April, and Year 10 completes a one-week self-organised work experience placement in July. For many students, that first week in a workplace is where motivation for GCSE study becomes more tangible.

Encounters with colleges and higher education providers are also part of the offer. Careers events have included local providers such as North Hertfordshire College, Bedford College, and the University of Bedfordshire, and the school uses Unifrog accounts to help students and parents explore routes and requirements.

For parents shortlisting options, the practical advice is to look beyond the label of “no sixth form” and focus on progression clarity. Ask what proportion of Year 11 move into A-level routes versus vocational pathways, how references and applications are supported, and how students who change their mind late are guided. The right school at 11 to 16 is the one that keeps doors open at 16.

Year 7 admissions are coordinated through Central Bedfordshire. The school’s published admission number is 150 for Year 7, and the application deadline for September 2026 entry is 31 October 2025. National offer day for on-time applications is 2 March 2026, with a late allocation round offer day of 24 April 2026.

Henlow uses a detailed set of oversubscription criteria. After looked-after children and previously looked-after children, priority includes siblings, catchment area, children of permanent staff, children on the roll of Meppershall Church of England Academy, named feeder schools, and then faith-based criteria covering Church of England or other Christian commitment, plus provision for other faiths verified by a faith leader. Distance from the main entrance is used as a tie-break where needed.

The faith criteria are not a decorative line in a policy. Families who expect faith to play no part in admissions should be aware that it can be used as a priority category, and families who do want faith to be reflected in school culture will likely see that as a positive. The right choice depends on values alignment.

Demand fluctuates year to year, but the local authority’s published allocation information gives a helpful snapshot. For the initial allocation in March 2025, there were 152 requests for 150 places, and the last place offered was recorded at 10,950.33 metres from the school. Distances vary annually based on applicant distribution; proximity provides priority but does not guarantee a place.

Open events typically take place in September and October. For the 2026 entry cycle, one listed open evening date was Thursday 25 September 2025, running 6pm to 8pm, with headteacher talks scheduled at 6pm and 7pm. Parents should use FindMySchool’s Map Search to sense-check realistic travel and the likely reach of distance tie-breaks before relying on a single preference.

Pastoral support is described as multi-layered, combining onsite staff and external agencies. The school offers 1:1 support focused on confidence, resilience, and coping strategies, as well as group work that includes restorative approaches to friendship issues and peer support where older pupils help younger ones. Referrals and liaison can include the school nurse, CHUMS, and Early Help Assessment pathways.

This is complemented by targeted intervention thinking. Denominational inspection material refers to support approaches that can include counselling, mindfulness, and other structured interventions, which suggests a school that treats wellbeing as part of normal school life rather than a crisis response.

SEND is positioned as a whole-school responsibility. The SEND team is explicitly named, led by the SENDCO (Mrs S Jones) with additional roles covering deputy SENDCO, intervention leadership, outreach liaison, and administration. For parents, the key implication is operational: clear named roles often correlate with clearer communication, faster triage, and better alignment between classroom practice and support plans.

Extracurricular life is broad and, importantly, specific rather than generic. The school runs a timetable of lunchtime and after-school clubs that includes debate, coding, STEM club, Christian Union, a diversity-focused group, and structured academic support sessions such as homework clubs and subject revision.

Arts and performance are visible. Music activities listed include Young Voices, an orchestra, a ukulele group, band practice, and Henlow Harmony, alongside GCSE Music support. Drama also appears as a regular after-school option, with theatre-based sessions across multiple year groups. For students who find belonging through performance rather than sport, these offer a consistent home base across the week.

Sport is well resourced and structured. The school highlights a four-court sports hall and lists activities such as netball, badminton, basketball, futsal, dance, gymnastics, and fitness suite sessions, including a netball academy and invite-only opportunities such as a trampoline squad. The implication is breadth: students can participate casually, but there is also a pathway for those who want commitment and progression.

There are also enrichment strands that are quietly distinctive. Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a known element of the wider programme, and careers education describes real-world project links, including GCSE music students creating a piece for the Shuttleworth Collection. That kind of applied output can be a turning point for students who learn best when there is a real audience and a deadline.

Finally, environmental and outdoor learning has an unusually tangible footprint. The Henlow Bees project is presented as a curriculum-linked activity that builds practical life skills and respect for the natural world. Separately, the Home Grown @ Henlow gardening updates show active work on planting beds and a focus on eco-friendly practice and habitat awareness. Students who like practical, hands-on roles often find these projects offer status and enjoyment that do not depend on exam performance.

The published school day runs from 8:45am to 3:35pm.

Wraparound is unusually strong for an 11 to 16 school. Breakfast Club runs 8:00am to 8:30am and is priced at £2.50 per day; after school, there is a free Homework Club running until 5:00pm with supervised quiet space and access to laptops for appropriate research and online tasks.

For travel, the school provides guidance towards public transport journey planning and highlights Bikeability (typically around October half term) and Walk to School events (typically in May). In practice, families should ask about the lived reality of transport routes for their specific address and how safe walking and cycling are for their child’s age and confidence.

• A relatively new full secondary model. The school’s redesignation to an 11 to 16 structure in 2021, with first GCSE cohort in 2024, means some systems are still settling and improving. This can be positive for families who like momentum and investment, but it can also mean change is more frequent than at long-established secondaries.

• Progress is slightly below average. A Progress 8 score of -0.23 indicates students make slightly below-average progress across subjects. Families should ask how the school targets stretch for higher prior attainers and rapid catch-up for those who arrive behind.

• EBacc outcomes are currently limited. The EBacc grade 5+ measure is low, although the school reports an increase in modern foreign language uptake. If EBacc is important for your child’s future plans, it is worth checking subject take-up, pathways, and guidance at options stage.

• Faith can affect admission priority. The oversubscription criteria include faith-based categories after catchment, feeder links, and other priorities. Families should read the policy carefully and be realistic about how tie-breaks may play out.

Henlow Church of England Academy is a school with clear culture, significant recent investment in facilities, and a structured approach to enrichment and careers education. Results sit around the middle of England schools, and the improvement agenda is now tightly linked to a coherent 11 to 16 model.

Who it suits: families who want a faith-shaped but broadly inclusive state secondary, with strong wraparound, a wide extracurricular menu, and a school that is actively building its newer secondary identity. The main trade-off is that outcomes are still stabilising and improving post-transition, and families should be proactive about understanding how challenge and extension are delivered for their individual child.