Newsome Academy Review 2026: A disciplined, inclusive 11 to 16 secondary with standout behaviour

A calm culture and clear routines are the defining features here, and they matter because they create the conditions for learning in an 11 to 16 setting with a wide range of needs. The most recent inspection graded the school Good overall, with Behaviour and attitudes judged Outstanding (inspection dates 6 and 7 February 2024).

Newsome Academy is a state secondary in south Huddersfield, part of Impact Education Multi Academy Trust. There is no sixth form, so all students transition to post 16 providers at the end of Year 11. What distinguishes the day to day experience is the emphasis on predictable systems, consistent expectations, and inclusion that is designed into mainstream practice rather than bolted on.

Admissions are competitive in the published demand data, with more than two applications per offered place in the most recent available cycle. That does not make entry impossible, but it does mean families should treat this as an oversubscribed choice and plan accordingly.

This is a school that frames its identity around values and routines, and then repeats them until they become habits. The values are presented as Respect, Integrity, Teamwork and Aspiration (often shortened to RITA). The practical implication is that behaviour is not left to chance or personality. Expectations are taught, retaught, and reinforced across corridors and classrooms, which is one reason the climate is frequently described in terms of orderliness and purpose.

Inclusion is a second pillar. The school has specialist resourced provision supporting students with hearing impairment and physical disability, alongside mainstream lessons. The most recent inspection records 13 students attending the hearing impairment provision and 14 attending the physical disability provision at the time of the visit. This matters for families because it signals experience in adapting teaching, environment, and pastoral systems for a broader range of learners than many mainstream secondaries typically support.

Leadership and governance sit within a trust structure. The school joined Impact Education Multi Academy Trust as a sponsored academy in March 2021. Trust membership can feel invisible to families when it is administrative only. Here it is more likely to be experienced through shared approaches and a consistent emphasis on standards, professional development, and improvement planning across the group of schools.

The performance picture is best understood as steady rather than headline grabbing. On the FindMySchool ranking for GCSE outcomes (based on official data), Newsome Academy is ranked 2,207th in England and 5th in Huddersfield. This reflects solid performance, in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

Within that overall context, the 2024 GCSE measures point to a mixed profile. The school’s Attainment 8 score is 41.6. The EBacc average point score is 3.87, compared with an England average of 4.08. The proportion achieving grade 5 or above in the EBacc is 20.1%. Progress 8 is -0.2, indicating that, on average, students made slightly less progress than pupils with similar starting points nationally.

For parents, the practical interpretation is straightforward. If your priority is a highly academic, exam dominant environment, the data does not present this as a top decile school. If your priority is a stable, well run mainstream secondary with a strong behaviour climate and clear routines, the results are compatible with that choice.

Parents comparing local schools can use the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool to view GCSE outcomes side by side for Huddersfield options.

Teaching is presented as structured and deliberately sequenced. The school’s published materials describe a shared set of learning routines and “Learning Structures at Newsome”, including a focus on memory, metacognition, collaboration, literacy and numeracy. The point of this kind of whole school model is not to make every lesson identical. It is to reduce randomness, so students know what learning looks like, how to prepare, and how to improve.

A second distinctive thread is spoken communication. The school is profiled by Voice 21 for its work on oracy, with emphasis on purposeful talk across subjects to build confidence and clarity in explanation. For many students, especially those who struggle to articulate thinking under pressure, a talk rich approach can improve both classroom participation and written outcomes over time.

Support for students with additional needs is integrated into day to day learning rather than being isolated into separate tracks. External reports describe adaptations to the curriculum and strong inclusion for students with special educational needs and disabilities. That tends to be most noticeable in classrooms where scaffolding is consistent, routines are predictable, and assistive strategies are used without stigma.

Because the school finishes at Year 11, the main transition point is into sixth form colleges, FE colleges, apprenticeships, and training. The published destinations dataset does not provide percentages for university, apprenticeships, employment, or further education for this school, so it is not possible to give a quantified destinations breakdown.

What can be evidenced is the school’s active emphasis on post 16 planning, including a named seminar with Kirklees College in a published weekly update. The implication for families is that guidance is not treated as an optional add on. Students are expected to plan, understand routes, and prepare for applications, whether that is A levels at a sixth form college, vocational study, or an apprenticeship pathway.

For parents who want a single setting through to 18, the absence of a sixth form is a practical constraint. For others, it is an advantage because it prompts an intentional Year 11 review of fit and options, rather than default progression.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through Kirklees Council, rather than direct applications to the school. The school’s admissions guidance signposts a specific closing date for the 2025 to 2026 entry cycle (31 October 2024), which indicates that the deadline is typically in late October for September entry. Families targeting September 2026 should therefore plan for an autumn 2025 application window and check the council’s current timetable as early as possible.

Demand is meaningful in the published admissions dataset. In the most recent available cycle, 350 applications were recorded for 149 offers, with the school marked as oversubscribed. This equates to 2.35 applications per offered place. The practical implication is that families should treat this as a popular option and include sensible fallbacks on the application form.

Open events are an important part of decision making when ethos and behaviour are central. Recent school materials advertise an open evening in late September, which is consistent with the typical Year 6 autumn decision period. Dates change annually, so families should use the school’s current admissions communications to confirm timings and booking requirements.

For families considering a move outside the usual Year 7 point, the school publishes in year admissions guidance for 2026 to 2027, indicating that applications run via the local authority portal during the academic year.

Pastoral strength here is closely linked to systems. Students benefit when staff apply expectations consistently, address issues early, and keep communication clear. The inspection report characterises the climate as safe and supportive, with high expectations and strong relationships. That is the backbone of wellbeing in a mainstream secondary. A calm corridor culture and predictable classroom routines reduce anxiety for many students.

Safeguarding is treated as a visible, normal part of school life, including regular reminders about safety and clear signposting of safeguarding leadership in school materials. For parents, the key practical question is how concerns are raised and handled. The published safeguarding documentation indicates a formal approach to recording and escalation.

Inclusion is a consistent theme. Students with hearing impairment and physical disability are part of mainstream lessons with specialist support, which requires coordinated planning across staff teams. Families who need that level of provision should ask detailed questions about access arrangements, equipment, classroom adaptations, and how support integrates with day to day teaching.

Extracurricular life is positioned as both enrichment and practical support. The published timetable for clubs shows a mix of academic help, creative options, and inclusive sport. That variety matters because a significant proportion of secondary students do not immediately identify as “club joiners”. A timetable that includes both homework support and interest led sessions increases the chance that more students find a route in.

A few examples make the offer more concrete. Programming Club appears alongside British Sign Language, which aligns with the school’s specialist provision and wider inclusion culture. Drama Club and Art Club provide structured creative outlets after the school day, and Cycling Club sits alongside team sports such as rounders and cricket.

There is also evidence of provision designed for students with physical needs and adaptive sport. A wheelchair sports club is listed as an invitation only option, which suggests targeted support rather than a purely generic sports menu. For families, the implication is that extracurricular life is not solely for the already confident. It includes pathways for students who need extra academic structure, those who communicate differently, and those who access sport in adaptive formats.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. The published school day runs from 8.45am to 3.00pm, totalling 31 hours and 15 minutes per week. After school opportunities are available, with clubs commonly scheduled from 3.00pm to 4.00pm in the published extracurricular timetable.

Term dates and calendar information are published for multiple academic years, which helps families plan around holidays and key points in the year. For travel planning, families should review current school guidance and consider the practicalities of drop off, pick up, and independent travel as students move through the year groups.

• Competition for places: The school is marked as oversubscribed in the published demand data, with 350 applications for 149 offers in the most recent available cycle. This can affect how likely entry is without a strong application strategy and realistic alternatives.

• Academic progress profile: Progress 8 is -0.2. Families with a highly academic child may want to explore how top sets are stretched and how the most able are supported to exceed expected progress, particularly in core subjects.

• No sixth form: Students leave after Year 11. For many families this is fine, but it does mean planning for post 16 starts earlier and the transition to a new institution is unavoidable.

• Specialist provision expectations: The resourced provision for hearing impairment and physical disability is a strength, but families should check precisely how support is delivered day to day, including staffing, access arrangements, and how independence is built over time.

Newsome Academy suits families who prioritise a well organised mainstream secondary with consistent routines, strong behaviour expectations, and a serious approach to inclusion. The most recent inspection outcome supports the view that students benefit from a stable climate and high expectations, which is often the first requirement for progress in an 11 to 16 setting.

Best suited to students who respond well to structure and clarity, including those who benefit from predictable routines and visible pastoral systems. The limiting factor for some families will be admission competition and, for others, the need to plan an additional move at 16.