Holderness Academy and Sixth Form College Review 2026: A large local comprehensive with a clearer upward trajectory

Holderness serves a wide stretch of East Riding and Hull families, with the practical advantages that matter in a big rural secondary: a defined daily rhythm, organised transport, and a curriculum built around steady knowledge accumulation rather than short-term cramming. The tone is one of structured expectations, with school values used as an everyday reference point rather than a poster exercise.

The latest Ofsted inspection (25 and 26 March 2025) judged all areas as Good, and confirmed safeguarding is effective.

Leadership is stable, with Mr N Holder in post since January 2023.

A school of this size can feel impersonal if systems are loose. Holderness reads differently in the sources. There is a strong emphasis on consistency, adults addressing issues early, and students learning in classrooms that are largely free from persistent low-level disruption. That matters because it directly affects the quality of lesson time, particularly for students who need calm structure to stay engaged.

The internal language is distinctive. ARRK, short for aspirational, resilient, respectful and kind, is embedded as a shared framework for conduct and personal development. It shows up not only in behaviour expectations but also in planned personal development content and assemblies, which helps students understand what “good choices” look like in specific situations rather than as vague encouragement.

Recent investment is also part of the school’s identity at the moment. A new Creative Arts, Technology and Engineering suite and a dedicated Careers Hub are presented as practical levers for engagement, particularly for students who thrive when learning is linked to real outputs, design briefs, and next-step planning. The prospectus also describes a strengthened space for learning support, including an Enhanced Resource Provision area designed to help students with autism manage unstructured parts of the day. The implication for parents is straightforward: there are identifiable, concrete developments that should change day-to-day experience, not just headline statements about “improvement”.

At GCSE level, performance sits broadly in line with the middle of England schools on this dataset, with some indicators that remain below where the school wants them to be. Ranked 2480th in England and 10th in Hull for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), Holderness lands in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

The Attainment 8 score is 42.8, and Progress 8 is -0.27, which indicates students, on average, make below-average progress from their starting points. EBacc achievement is also a weak point with 11.7% achieving grade 5 or above across the EBacc and an EBacc average point score of 3.83, compared with an England benchmark of 4.08. The practical implication is that families with academically confident children should look closely at subject choices and support structures, particularly in key stage 4, because the published outcomes have not yet caught up with the stronger curriculum and classroom picture described in the most recent inspection.

The A-level dataset is more challenging. Ranked 2239th in England and 8th in Hull for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), it sits below England average overall (bottom 40%). A*-B is 24.44% against an England benchmark of 47.2%.

There is an important context point for 2026: the school’s sixth form provision has been closed, so A-level outcomes should be understood as historical results rather than a guide to current on-site post-16 experience.

For parents using FindMySchool to compare options, this is a situation where the Local Hub and Comparison Tool are particularly useful, because the school’s current inspection picture is stronger than its historic outcome profile. Use comparisons to separate “trajectory” from “headline scores”.

The strongest theme is curriculum overhaul and clarity. Subject leaders are described as having rebuilt key stage 3 foundations in multiple areas, with a clearer map of the knowledge students must secure before moving into GCSE demands. In practice, that approach tends to benefit students who need careful sequencing and frequent retrieval, not only the highest attainers.

Teaching is also described as being grounded in confident subject knowledge, with staff explaining learning clearly and using deliberate modelling. One helpful example is in art and design, where demonstration and repeated reference to key techniques are used to build accuracy over time. The point is not that art is uniquely strong, but that teaching is described in terms of method, not just intent.

Reading support is a second defining strand. The school prioritises identifying weaker readers and matching them with specific intervention using diagnostic tools, then delivering that support through trained staff. Alongside intervention, the strategy extends into reading for pleasure through text choice in English and wider curriculum discussion topics. The implication is that students who arrive in Year 7 behind in reading fluency should find more structured catch-up than many schools can consistently provide at this scale.

SEND is an area with both development and remaining inconsistency. Provision is described as improved, including stronger planning and a clearer base for students who need support at social times. However, staff practice is not yet consistent in adapting learning precisely enough, and support can be too generic for some needs. That matters because it can translate into a gap between access and outcomes for students with SEND, even when relationships are strong.

For Year 11 leavers in 2023/24, 43% progressed to university, 20% to apprenticeships, 23% to employment, and 1% to further education, based on the published destinations dataset for that cohort.

The shape of these pathways fits the school’s current emphasis on careers education and employer engagement. A dedicated Careers Hub is positioned as a practical centre for guidance, encounters, and signposting, and the prospectus explicitly references training routes as well as academic ones, including links to local providers such as HETA. The implication for families is that “success” is framed across multiple routes, and the school is actively trying to normalise apprenticeships and technical training alongside sixth-form style academic routes.

For post-16 specifically, it is important to plan ahead: Holderness no longer runs an on-site sixth form, and the trust’s post-16 offer is now delivered through The Consortium Sixth Form College on other campuses. That will suit students who are ready to travel and who like the idea of a larger post-16 peer group, but it does remove the convenience of staying on a familiar site for Years 12 and 13.

Oxbridge participation is small but present with 3 applications and 1 acceptance recorded in the measurement period. In a comprehensive context, the key point is not volume; it is that ambitious applications are being supported for the students who want them.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. Admissions for Year 7 are coordinated through East Riding of Yorkshire Council. For September 2026 entry, applications open on 1 September 2025 and the deadline is 31 October 2025, with offers issued on 2 March 2026 under the national timetable.

The school’s own admissions page makes clear that applications follow local authority guidance, and the practical takeaway is that most families will apply via the council portal rather than directly to the school. If you are moving into the area, pay close attention to the address evidence requirements and the date you become resident, because those details often determine whether a distance-based allocation is treated as valid.

Appeals timings are also published at trust level for the 2026 intake. For secondary entry in September 2026, the appeal form submission deadline is stated as 17 April 2026, with appeal hearings planned across May and June. This is not a strategy for admission, but it is useful operational knowledge for families who need to understand the full timeline.

Because no “last distance offered” figure is available here, families should avoid assumptions about how far out a place might be offered. If distance is likely to be the deciding factor, FindMySchool’s Map Search is the most practical way to stress-test your shortlist using precise home-to-gate distances, then sense-check against local authority allocation patterns year by year.

Pastoral systems are framed around predictable routines, clear adult intervention, and students knowing where to take concerns. Bullying and discrimination are described as rare in the most recent inspection evidence, and students report feeling safe and able to raise issues with adults. That matters because safety culture is not just about formal policy; it is about whether students actually use the reporting routes available to them.

Personal development content has a practical focus: online and offline safety, healthy relationships, and age-appropriate sixth-form content in the period when sixth form existed, including driver safety. The “next step” for the school is depth and consistency in teaching about other faiths and cultures, particularly in key stage 4, so that students can underpin respectful attitudes with stronger knowledge.

Support for students with additional needs is a visible strand, including a Learning Support Centre approach and Enhanced Resource Provision space designed to support students with autism, especially at break and lunch. The prospectus also references opportunities for structured parent contact through SENDCO surgeries, which can make a real difference for families who want consistent communication rather than one-off meetings.

The extracurricular offer is described in specific, named terms rather than generic “clubs”. For sport, the website highlights rugby, football, tennis and cricket, which is unsurprising for a large secondary, but the more distinctive elements sit in STEM and enrichment competitions. Students can take part in Humber Soap Box Derby, 4x4 in Schools, Greenpower, and TeenTech, all of which are structured programmes that reward teamwork, engineering thinking, and sustained project effort over time. The implication is that STEM-minded students can build a portfolio of experiences that connects well to technical courses, apprenticeships, and engineering routes later on.

Music also appears to be organised around regular public performance. The school references termly showcases, a summer concert, East Riding Summer Showcase, Battle of the Bands, and a traditional carol service, supported by visiting music staff through the East Riding Schools’ Music Service. This kind of schedule is helpful because it creates external deadlines, which often improves practice habits and confidence for students who might not otherwise commit.

The 2026/27 prospectus adds further colour through concrete examples of trips and community-facing projects, including London gallery visits, an Iceland trip, a ski trip, and participation in local remembrance events. It also references a student-created “Amazing Amy” sculpture for the Mischief of Rats trail, which suggests that creative work is being pushed beyond classroom outputs into the wider community.

The school day is clearly structured. Students should be on site by 08.30, with tutor time at 08.35 and five teaching periods running through to 15.00; school buses depart at 15.10.

As a rural-edge school serving multiple communities, transport logistics matter. Families should check bus routes, travel times, and after-school club timing, particularly if a student wants to commit to regular extracurricular sessions that run beyond the bus departure.

• Published outcomes lag behind the classroom picture. Curriculum and behaviour are described as improved, but GCSE outcomes and progress measures remain modest. Families should ask how the school is translating stronger teaching into stronger external results.

• SEND consistency is still developing. Support planning and spaces have improved, but some teaching adaptations are not yet precise enough for every need. This is worth exploring carefully if your child needs specific, consistent classroom adjustments.

• Post-16 is no longer on site. With sixth form closed, students will need to transition to other providers after Year 11, including the trust’s sixth form college on different campuses. That can be positive for independence, but it changes the practical experience for families who expected an 11 to 18 through-route.

Holderness is best understood as a school on a clearer improvement path than its older headline outcomes suggest. Systems, curriculum thinking, reading support, and day-to-day climate are described in specific, operational terms, which is usually a good sign for consistency.

It suits families who want a structured comprehensive with visible investment in facilities, careers education, and project-led enrichment, and who are comfortable planning an explicit post-16 move after Year 11. The key diligence point is academic outcomes: parents should look for evidence that the improved learning experience is now converting into better published results over time.