Winifred Holtby Academy Review 2026: A large Hull secondary with a clear focus on routines, reading, and practical pathways

Winifred Holtby Academy serves a big local intake in Bransholme and Orchard Park, with capacity for 1,350 pupils aged 11 to 16. The name and site carry a clear local narrative, Bransholme High opened in 1969, the school was renamed in 1988, and the current building dates from a move to new premises on the same site in September 2011, followed by conversion to academy status in May 2013.

The academy is part of The Consortium Academy Trust, joining on 01 September 2019, which matters day to day because shared policies and central capacity shape areas like curriculum planning and staffing. Leadership is currently listed by the academy and the trust as Mrs K Farmer (Headteacher). Government records also list Karen Farmer as headteacher, with a governance entry dated 08 January 2024, which is a useful reference point for families tracking leadership changes.

This is a school that talks explicitly about structure and expectations, and then builds systems around them. The daily rhythm starts early, gates open at 08:05 and are locked at 08:20, with tutor time from 08:25. That simple detail signals a culture that prizes punctuality and calm starts, particularly important in a large 11 to 16 setting.

Pastoral organisation is also designed to make a big school feel more legible. Every student sits within a tutor group and a year team, and those groups sit inside a five-house structure. Houses are named after local settlements, Hedoncrofte, Riseholme, Sefholme, Sudtone and Wawne, and allocation takes account of sibling links, which tends to help families feel continuity across years.

The latest Ofsted inspection in June 2023 judged the school Good. In that same inspection, safeguarding arrangements were confirmed as effective, and pupils described feeling safe with staff support available when concerns arise.

Headline performance indicators point to a challenging outcomes picture at GCSE level. The school’s Attainment 8 score is 35.4, and its Progress 8 score is -1.4, which indicates that, on average, pupils made significantly less progress than other pupils with similar starting points. (Progress 8 is designed so that 0 represents average progress.)

In FindMySchool’s GCSE ranking (based on official data), the academy is ranked 3,500th in England and 16th in Hull. That places it below England average overall, within the lower-performing band nationally. These rankings are best read as context for trajectory, not a full summary of what your child’s experience will be like day to day.

The strongest way to use this information as a parent is comparative. If you are weighing multiple local options, the FindMySchool Local Hub comparison tools can help you view progress, attainment, and local rank side by side, and then match that picture against the pastoral and curriculum approach that fits your child.

Curriculum intent comes through most clearly in two themes, literacy and applied, practical learning. Reading is positioned as a whole-school priority in the inspection narrative, including identification of barriers (such as phonics, comprehension, or fluency) and a focus on vocabulary development through subject teaching. For families with children whose primary need is confidence in reading and access to the curriculum language, that emphasis matters because it is one of the few levers that improves outcomes across every subject.

Applied learning is particularly visible in Design and Technology. The academy describes five specialist teaching rooms, including two graphics studios equipped with Apple Macs and colour printing, and two resistant materials workshops with laser cutters, a Denford CNC Miller, and a vinyl cutter. That kind of equipment supports genuinely hands-on coursework and technical skills, and it also creates credible pathways into construction, product design, engineering-related study, and apprenticeships.

Behaviour routines are also framed in practical terms. The inspection evidence references a staged response to behaviour issues (warn, move, remove) and links that to generally calm lessons and corridors, even while noting that some pupils perceive inconsistency in consequences.

Where Students Go Next

Winifred Holtby Academy is an 11 to 16 school, so the key transition is post-16. Careers education is described as a strength in the most recent inspection evidence, with careers guidance embedded across key stages and supported by independent advice.

The most helpful practical implication for families is to treat Year 9 and Year 10 as decision years. If your child is likely to pursue a technical pathway, the school’s construction and graphics-related qualifications and facilities can support that direction, but the best outcomes usually come when options are chosen with a clear destination in mind, sixth form, college, or apprenticeship, rather than kept open by default.

Winifred Holtby Academy is a state school, so there are no tuition fees. Entry is primarily at Year 7, coordinated through Hull City Council’s secondary admissions process. The published admission number is 270 per year group.

For September 2026 entry, Hull’s coordinated scheme states that applications open on 01 September 2025 and the on-time deadline is Friday 31 October 2025, with allocations notified on Monday 02 March 2026. Late applications are processed after on-time submissions, so meeting the deadline matters even where a school is not perceived as highly selective.

The academy also runs a structured transition programme for incoming Year 7. For the September 2026 cohort, the school’s transition information references a Year 6 meet-the-tutor evening in late June and a transition week in early July, with further information scheduled to be published later in the cycle.

Pastoral design is layered: tutors sit at the centre, year teams oversee progress and wellbeing, and the house structure provides an additional identity and set of relationships.

Support for pupils with special educational needs is described as purposeful, including a specialist provision referred to as the HUB, staffed by specialists with expertise, and characterised as highly effective in the most recent inspection evidence. That matters for families whose child may need a smaller base, more targeted scaffolding, or a calmer space at points during the week.

A key wellbeing challenge is attendance. The inspection evidence describes attendance as too low, especially for pupils with additional vulnerabilities, and notes that the school has increased attendance capacity with early signs of improvement. For parents, this is worth probing during open events: ask what the current attendance picture looks like, what the response is for persistent absence, and how the school works with families when barriers are outside school.

Extracurricular detail is strongest where it intersects with inclusion and practical participation. The inspection evidence points to clubs including wheelchair basketball, knitting, and an LGBTQ+ club, which suggests a programme designed to bring in students with different interests and identities, not only those drawn to traditional team sport.

The D and T area adds further specificity: alongside curriculum pathways (including construction-related study), the department references D and T clubs for KS3 and KS4, a Monday homework club supporting KS3 students, and seasonal practical clubs such as Christmas cake and Christmas products. Those activities are more than decoration, they build habits of completion, routine practice, and pride in tangible work, which can be a particularly good fit for students who are motivated by making and doing.

Sport is also described with breadth. At KS3, pupils have two hours of PE weekly, mixing indoor options such as swimming, badminton, fitness, table tennis and basketball with outdoor games including netball, football, rugby league and hockey. Competitive opportunities are linked to the Hull Active Schools calendar, with examples ranging from rugby league competitions to inclusion-level table cricket, which is a useful sign that representation is not only for a narrow performance tier.

The structured day is clearly published. Gates open at 08:05 and lock at 08:20; tutor time begins at 08:25; the school day ends at 15:05, with lunch and clubs built into the middle of the day. The academy also states that parents and carers are not permitted on site without an appointment, other than the car park area for drop-off and collection, which is helpful to know for safeguarding expectations and logistics.

For independent study and quiet homework, the Learning Resource Centre is open before school (08:00 to 08:20), at break and lunch, and after school on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays (15:05 to 15:55). It reports a stock of over 9,500 titles, plus magazines and careers materials, and allows students to borrow two books for up to three weeks.

Breakfast club is listed as an available provision, but full operational details are not clearly set out in a single public statement; families who need wraparound certainty should confirm session times and eligibility directly with the academy.

• Outcomes and progress. The current Progress 8 figure is -1.4 and Attainment 8 is 35.4. For many families, that warrants a careful look at intervention, reading support, and how the school tailors pathways at KS4 to match different starting points.

• Attendance as a live issue. Attendance was identified as too low in the most recent inspection evidence, with particular concern for vulnerable groups. Families should ask what has changed since June 2023 and what expectations and support look like in practice.

• Large-school navigation. Capacity is 1,350 pupils, which brings breadth of peer group and options, but can feel impersonal for some children. The house system and year teams are designed to counter that, and it is worth assessing whether your child will use those structures or withdraw from them.

• Leadership transition timing. Current leadership is listed as Mrs K Farmer, with a government governance record dated 08 January 2024. If continuity and stability matter to you, ask how leadership roles are distributed across the senior team and how the trust supports improvement planning.

Winifred Holtby Academy is a large, community-serving secondary that puts visible weight on routines, reading, and practical pathways, supported by a clearly organised pastoral structure through tutors, year teams and houses. The inspection picture is broadly positive on safety, relationships, and curriculum intent, while published outcomes and attendance signal areas where sustained improvement matters.

Who it suits: families looking for a structured 11 to 16 school with broad technical and practical opportunities, strong pastoral organisation, and inclusive extracurricular options, who are willing to engage closely around attendance, intervention, and KS4 pathway choices.