Redmoor Academy Review 2026: A structured, community-focused 11–16 secondary in Hinckley

A school’s tone is often set by the routines that happen every day, not the posters on the walls. At Redmoor Academy, that rhythm is shaped by a clear timetable, a defined expectations culture, and an emphasis on character through its house system and enrichment programme. Students are taught in a mainstream secondary setting from Year 7 to Year 11, with leadership framed around “Excellence, opportunities and success for all”.

For families in and around Hinckley looking for a mixed, non-selective secondary, Redmoor sits firmly in the solid middle tier for outcomes in England, with a positive progress measure suggesting students tend to do better than similar pupils nationally by the end of Key Stage 4. The latest full inspection judgement is Good, with all key areas evaluated as Good.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. The main practical costs for families are the usual ones, uniform, optional trips, and optional paid extras such as some enrichment activities.

The character message is explicit, it is not just about academic results, but about habits, conduct, and community contribution. This comes through most clearly in the house system, where every student is assigned to a tutor group for all five years and houses are themed around tree names. House points are used to reinforce classroom participation, homework habits, and wider involvement, with rewards and house competitions used to keep momentum across the year.

The school also positions student leadership as a practical responsibility, not a badge. House competitions are described as spanning both year-group and whole-school events, with older students taking on captaincy roles. The implication for families is that students who respond well to structure and clear incentives often find it easier to stay engaged, particularly through the busy middle years.

The latest Ofsted inspection (September 2021) judged Redmoor Academy Good overall, and graded Quality of Education, Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development, and Leadership and Management as Good.

Inspectors described students’ conduct as polite and noted a calm and orderly feel, with bullying described as rare and pupils reporting they feel safe.

Redmoor Academy’s GCSE outcomes place it in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). Ranked 1,908th in England and 2nd in Hinckley for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data).

At GCSE level, the Attainment 8 score is 47.6, which is slightly above the England average (45.9). Progress 8 is +0.23, a positive figure indicating students, on average, make above-average progress from their starting points compared with similar pupils nationally.

For families, the important distinction here is that Progress 8 tends to be a better indicator of “added value” than raw attainment alone. A positive score suggests that, for many students, the school is helping them finish Year 11 stronger than their baseline would predict.

EBacc indicators are more mixed. The average EBacc APS is 4.03, close to the England average of 4.08. The percentage achieving grade 5 or above across the EBacc measure is 14.2.

(As with all schools, individual experiences can vary widely by subject set, staffing stability, and attendance patterns.)

Teaching and learning messaging on the school’s site focuses on aspiration and broad opportunity, but the more distinctive detail sits in how support is layered around students who need it. Peer Mentoring is a good example, described as a trained peer coaching model where older students provide regular support for younger students facing barriers such as friendship issues, subject difficulty, behaviour, and confidence. The programme is described as having over 40 trained Year 10 and Year 11 mentors, with meetings taking place weekly.

For parents, this matters because it creates an additional support route that is not purely staff-led. Students who are reluctant to escalate issues to adults sometimes respond better to structured peer support, provided it is well-supervised and clearly scoped.

In Key Stage 4, decision points are handled through a formal options process, with published diary markers around when option forms are issued and when they are due.

As an 11–16 school, the main transition is from Year 11 into sixth form, college, apprenticeships, or employment with training. Redmoor’s careers information is presented under “Redmoor Futures”, including signposting to external careers resources and a Provider Access Statement, which is relevant for apprenticeships and technical routes as well as academic progression.

What parents should ask on a visit is simple and specific: which local providers are most common destinations, how subject choices align to those destinations, and what targeted support exists for students aiming for competitive post-16 courses.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through the local authority. The school’s admissions page states that Year 6 families should apply by 31 October, via the local authority in which they live.

For September 2026 entry in Leicestershire, the application window opened on 01 September 2025 and the closing date was 31 October 2025. National Offer Day is 02 March 2026 (this is the next working day after the national 01 March convention).

Open events are typically held in September and October, with the school indicating an autumn-term open evening pattern and advising families to check the school’s communications for the specific date each year.

Pastoral support is framed as both preventative and responsive. Formal safeguarding information is hosted within the wider student support area of the site, and Ofsted evidence points to students feeling safe and confident that issues such as bullying would be dealt with appropriately.

The peer coaching model adds a second tier of support, and the house model adds a third, creating multiple routes for a student to be noticed and helped before problems escalate. The practical question for parents is not whether “pastoral care is good”, but which role holds accountability, who communicates with home, and how quickly issues are escalated when patterns emerge.

Enrichment is a clear organising feature. The school describes a dedicated “Redmoor Enrichment Week (REC)” held in June, where students select from a wide range of experiences. The examples given are unusually varied for a state secondary, from cookery in France and climbing the Three Peaks, through to horse riding, bug hotel construction, and glass blowing.

The educational implication is that students who learn best through practical challenge, teamwork, and unfamiliar settings get planned opportunities to build those strengths, not just ad hoc trips.

There is also explicit coverage of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, with the school explaining the commitment structure and the personal development focus.

On the sports side, the published extra-curricular timetable includes specific sessions by key stage, including KS3 netball and football after school, table tennis at lunchtime, and KS3 basketball at lunchtime.

Sports itself is not the distinctive point, many schools offer the same activities, but the benefit is predictability. Families can see what runs on which day, which makes sustained participation easier.

The school day guidance indicates students should be on site by 8.35am for an 8.40am start, and that the day ends at 3.00pm.

Wraparound care is typically less relevant at secondary level than primary, but families who need supervision beyond 3.00pm should focus on the reliability of after-school activities and the feasibility of transport arrangements from Hinckley, particularly in winter months.

• No sixth form on site. Students will need to move provider after Year 11, so families should evaluate careers guidance quality and transition support early, not in Year 11.

• EBacc outcomes are not a headline strength. While overall progress is positive, EBacc indicators are more mixed, which may matter for families prioritising a strongly academic EBacc pathway.

• Enrichment and rewards can feel motivating, or distracting. The house points and rewards model suits students who respond well to visible targets; students who dislike competition may prefer a quieter culture.

• Open events follow a typical pattern rather than fixed dates. The school indicates open events are generally in September and October, but families should check each year for confirmed dates to avoid missing key windows.

Redmoor Academy offers a structured, character-led secondary education with steady outcomes and evidence of positive progress. Best suited to families who want clear routines, an active enrichment programme, and a school culture that reinforces conduct and contribution through houses and mentoring. The key decision point is post-16, families should be comfortable planning for a Year 11 move and evaluating local sixth form and college options early.