Hastings High School Review 2026: A structured, values-led secondary with strong progress

CARES is more than a neat acronym here. Community, Ambition, Responsibility, Enrichment and Self-development are presented as the organising principles for daily routines and expectations, and the strongest evidence of impact is the calm working culture described in formal external review, alongside consistently positive messaging about achievement across the school community.

This is an 11 to 16 secondary in Burbage, serving local families across Hinckley and the surrounding area, and it has expanded into a full secondary model since its earlier middle school structure. The school states it opened in 1956, which places it firmly in the post-war era of community schooling and helps explain the practical, local character of its intake and day-to-day priorities.

Leadership is shared. The school identifies two co-headteachers, Miss C Bradley and Mr S Shipman, with a leadership team structure that also names heads of key stages and a designated careers lead. While the school is clear on current leadership, it does not publish start dates for the co-headteacher appointments on the sources reviewed.

For parents comparing options in the area, this is best understood as a strong, oversubscribed local comprehensive that aims to combine consistent classroom routines with broad personal development, rather than an exam-only culture.

The dominant impression from published evidence is purposeful and orderly, with pupils described as learning well in most lessons, moving around the site calmly, and taking pride in their work. That matters for families who prioritise a settled atmosphere over novelty, particularly in the tricky transition years of Year 7 and Year 8.

The school’s values language is embedded in a way that feels operational rather than decorative. CARES is positioned as central to school life, and the same evidence points to high expectations, low-level disruption being well controlled, and bullying being uncommon with swift follow-up when issues arise. For a typical family, the implication is simple: classrooms are likely to feel like working spaces, and behaviour systems are designed to reward compliance and effort.

There is also a clear “Hastings Family” framing in official reporting, which often signals a smaller-school mindset even when numbers are substantial. In practice, this usually shows up as consistent routines, a familiar set of adult faces for pupils, and a strong emphasis on belonging. It will suit pupils who like clear boundaries and predictable processes, and it can be a stabilising fit for those who are anxious about the move from primary.

The practical day structure supports that sense of routine. The school publishes an early on-site opening, a formal morning registration time, and a 15:00 finish, which is useful for working families coordinating transport and after-school commitments.

On the FindMySchool GCSE outcomes ranking, Hastings High School is ranked 1468th in England and 1st in Hinckley (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This places performance in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile), which is broadly consistent with a well-run comprehensive that performs strongly within its local context.

Looking at the underlying GCSE performance indicators provided, the Attainment 8 score is 52 and the Progress 8 score is +0.40. Attainment 8 summarises achievement across eight GCSE subjects, while Progress 8 estimates progress from pupils’ starting points at primary school. A positive Progress 8 figure indicates pupils, on average, make more progress than similar pupils nationally.

EBacc outcomes also feature in the data, with an EBacc average point score of 4.52 and 13.9% achieving grades 5 or above across EBacc subjects. The practical implication is that pupils are making strong overall progress, while EBacc strength will vary by pupil pathway and subject choices, which is typical in mixed-intake comprehensives that balance academic routes with vocational and creative options.

Parents who want to benchmark this school against nearby alternatives should use the FindMySchool Local Hub page and Comparison Tool to view these measures side-by-side, particularly Progress 8 and the local ranking position, which often explains why a school is popular even when national ranking bands look “middle of the pack”.

The most useful insight into classroom practice is the emphasis on consistent routines and retrieval. The published inspection evidence describes teachers with strong subject knowledge, frequent checking of prior learning, and regular quizzing, alongside a named “First 5 minutes” approach at the start of lessons to confirm key knowledge before moving on. In a secondary setting, that combination usually benefits pupils who need structure and who improve when teachers are explicit about what must be remembered and practised.

Leaders also place visible weight on oracy and vocabulary. This is a practical strategy rather than a slogan, because it supports learning across subjects, particularly for pupils who may be capable but lack the language to explain, justify, and write convincingly. Linked to this, the school’s reading support is described as targeted, with staff training to provide specific help for pupils who need it, which matters in an 11 to 16 school where literacy gaps can otherwise widen rapidly by Year 9.

In key stage 4, the curriculum intent is described as broad, with encouragement to maintain humanities and languages alongside other choices. That framing typically signals a school trying to avoid premature narrowing at GCSE, while still recognising that not every pupil thrives on the same balance of subjects. Families should read the Year 9 options guidance carefully and consider how the school’s priorities align with their child’s strengths and future plans.

Because the school is 11 to 16, the central “next step” is post-16 transition into sixth form, college, apprenticeships, or training routes. The published evidence is clear that careers guidance is treated as a structured programme rather than a one-off event, including detailed information to support subject choices in Year 9 and a careers curriculum designed to prepare pupils for the next phase.

For families, the key implication is that planning starts early. Year 9 options are presented as an informed decision rather than an administrative tick-box, and the school signposts post-16 routes, including A-levels, apprenticeships, and technical pathways. A pragmatic approach here is to treat Year 9 as the point to begin conversations about whether a pupil is likely to prefer a school sixth form, a sixth form college, or a vocational route, and to use work experience opportunities and employer engagement to pressure-test those preferences while there is still time to adjust.

Beyond qualifications, personal development opportunities are used as proof of employability skills. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award offer is set out explicitly, including expedition training and local assessed activity, and the school positions this as a way for pupils to evidence skills such as teamwork, problem solving, and resilience. For pupils who are less defined by grades and more by practical competence, that kind of structured enrichment can be a meaningful differentiator in post-16 applications and early job interviews.

Admissions for Year 7 are coordinated through the local authority route. The school directs families to apply via the local authority system and highlights the national closing date of 31 October for secondary applications. For September 2026 entry, Leicestershire’s published timelines indicate applications open in early September 2025, with national offer day on 2 March 2026, and late applications processed after the main round.

The school also signposts that its admissions policy sets out the catchment area and oversubscription criteria. While the policy documents linked from the school site were not accessible without sign-in at the time of review, the practical advice remains consistent: families should check catchment eligibility early, confirm how distance and priorities are handled, and avoid relying on a single preference if the school is routinely oversubscribed.

Demand indicators in the available admissions data point to oversubscription, with 394 applications and 189 offers, a ratio of 2.08 applications per offer. That is meaningful because it suggests competition is real even for a community comprehensive, and it reinforces the importance of understanding priorities, catchment, and realistic contingency planning. (Distance data for the last offer is not available in the supplied data for this school, so families should not assume proximity alone is sufficient without checking the current admissions arrangements.)

Parents who want to ground this in reality should use the FindMySchool Map Search to check their distance to the school gates and then compare that against the current oversubscription rules, remembering that application patterns vary from year to year.

Pastoral systems are presented as proactive and tightly linked to behaviour routines. The published inspection evidence points to calm conduct and an orderly environment, which usually reflects clear expectations, consistent follow-up, and staff alignment on what “good behaviour” looks like in corridors and classrooms. That consistency tends to reduce anxiety for many pupils, especially those who struggle when boundaries shift from teacher to teacher.

Support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities is described as integrated into classroom practice, with teachers adapting resources and leaders developing routines to strengthen how pupils with SEND are supported, including consideration of how teaching assistants can add more learning value in lessons. The implication for parents is that SEND support is present and evolving, and the best outcomes will come when families share timely information and work with the SENCO team to shape a clear support plan.

Safeguarding arrangements are described as effective, with strong systems for recording and tracking concerns and regular staff training aligned to the local safeguarding context. For families, that is the baseline expectation, but it is also a practical reassurance that the school’s processes are documented and actively maintained.

The extracurricular programme is unusually transparent because it is published as a structured weekly timetable, with clubs and support sessions running across lunchtimes and after school. This gives parents a clearer sense of what enrichment looks like in practice: not a generic “lots of clubs”, but a calendar of named activities.

A standout example is the Journalism Club, which links directly to the production of the Hastings Herald. The evidence here matters because publishing work to a deadline is a real-world skill: pupils practise writing for an audience, editing, and working collaboratively, which supports literacy across subjects and builds confidence in public communication.

The programme also signals inclusive breadth. Pride Club appears as a regular lunchtime offer, alongside Book Club, Lego Club, dance provision, and sport options such as mixed hockey and table tennis. There are also targeted academic and coursework sessions, including Year 7 Cooking Club, subject-specific catch-up and GCSE revision sessions, and Year 11 “Golden Ticket” support slots, which suggests the school tries to use enrichment time both for interest-based activities and for structured academic help.

Homework support is formalised through the Homework Hangout Club, running daily at lunchtime and after school until 16:00, with staffed ICT rooms and equipment access. The practical implication is significant: pupils who lack a quiet workspace at home, or who need support organising tasks, have a predictable place to complete work, which can reduce family friction and improve homework completion habits.

Finally, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award offer gives a clear route for pupils to build a track record beyond school, including volunteering, physical activity, skills development, and expedition training within Leicestershire. For pupils who grow through challenge and structured responsibility, this is a meaningful extension of the CARES values into action.

The school publishes a day structure with a site opening time of 08:10, morning registration at 08:30, and a 15:00 finish, alongside a stated 32.5 hours provided in a typical week.

Wraparound care is not described as a standard “breakfast club and after-school club” model in the published sources reviewed. Families who need childcare coverage beyond the published school day should ask the school what is currently available, and whether there are supervised study options such as Homework Hangout that can help bridge the gap for older pupils.

For travel, most families will treat this as a local-journey school for Burbage and Hinckley. Practical planning should include realistic drop-off and pick-up timing, and checking bus options and walking routes based on your exact address, as these factors affect daily quality of life as much as headline school performance.

• Competition for places. Demand indicators show oversubscription, with 394 applications for 189 offers in the available admissions data. For families outside the priority criteria, securing a place may be challenging without a clear catchment advantage.

• Curriculum consistency. Inspectors highlighted that, in a small number of subjects, curriculum implementation was not yet consistently embedded, which could affect pupils’ precision of recall in those areas.

• No sixth form on site. Pupils move on at 16, so families should be ready to engage early with post-16 planning, including open events at local colleges and sixth forms, and a clear sense of which pathway suits the pupil best.

• Extended-day childcare is not clearly published. The school day ends at 15:00, and while structured homework support exists, families needing formal childcare beyond that should confirm arrangements early.

Hastings High School comes across as a disciplined, community-minded comprehensive with a clear emphasis on routines, literacy, and personal development, supported by a well-articulated enrichment timetable and a strong progress story. The best fit is for families who want a calm working atmosphere, structured homework support, and a wide set of opportunities that combine clubs with academic help. The main challenge is entry in an oversubscribed context, followed by thoughtful planning for post-16 options once a place is secured.