John O’Gaunt School Review 2026: Community secondary with strong pastoral foundations and a clear improvement agenda

A small, community-rooted secondary in Hungerford with an established reputation for knowing its students well. The school’s values, ambition, care and courage, are used consistently in day to day expectations, and students have structured ways to contribute, including a Student Leadership Group. The current principal, Mr Richard Hawthorne, was appointed in 2020 and began work at the school in late June 2020, following an interview process earlier that spring.

Academically, the picture is mixed. The school’s GCSE performance sits below England average on FindMySchool’s outcomes ranking, and the most recent inspection confirms that outcomes have been too low, even as curriculum and teaching improvements are underway. For families, this combination often reads as, a caring school with improving systems, where it is worth asking direct questions about progress, consistency across subjects, and how literacy support is targeted.

Pastoral care is a defining feature. Tutor time is structured at the start of the day, and the inspection evidence describes staff taking time to understand students’ needs, with form tutors playing a central role. Students’ sense of belonging is a recurring theme, including a student description of the school as feeling like family. That matters for the 11 to 16 phase, where confidence, routines, and relationships often determine whether students engage fully with learning.

The tone is also values-led. Ambition, care and courage appear consistently across the school’s communication, and students are expected to use those values to reflect on their own conduct. That approach tends to work well in smaller schools, where staff can be visible and follow-up can be timely, but it relies on day to day consistency, especially in classrooms.

Leadership context is important here. The principal and other senior leaders have taken up post since the previous inspection cycle, and the school is part of Excalibur Academies Trust, which influences the wider improvement approach. For parents, this is a prompt to ask how the trust supports curriculum development, staff training, and quality assurance across departments, and how progress is measured term by term rather than only at GCSE.

FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking places the school in the below England average band (bottom 40% of schools in England). Specifically, it is ranked 3534th in England and 1st locally in Hungerford for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). Progress measures also indicate challenge, with a Progress 8 score of -0.53 suggesting students, on average, make less progress than similar students nationally from their starting points.

Attainment indicators are consistent with that overall picture. The school’s Attainment 8 score is 34.9, and the average EBacc APS is 2.96, indicating that EBacc outcomes are an area to scrutinise. The percentage achieving grades 5 or above across the EBacc is recorded as 4.9 which reinforces that EBacc success is not currently a headline strength. (These figures are presented as recorded in the provided dataset, and should be interpreted alongside subject choices and cohort profile.)

The most useful implication for families is practical rather than abstract. Ask how the school identifies students who are falling behind early, what subject specific interventions look like, and how assessment information changes teaching week by week. If your child is already secure and independent, the school’s wider offer can land well. If your child needs sustained academic push, you will want detail on stretch, feedback routines, and expectations for extended writing across subjects.

Parents comparing local options can use the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool to view these outcome measures alongside nearby secondaries, with the same methodology applied across schools.

The school has renewed its curriculum, with knowledge set out and sequenced more precisely. That is a meaningful structural step, especially in a school working to raise outcomes, because it reduces variation between classes and helps new staff deliver with clarity. The direction of travel matters, but so does implementation.

The key teaching challenge is consistency. Expectations are not uniformly high across lessons, and students do not always get learning tasks that deepen understanding. Writing across the curriculum is another recurring theme. Where students do not practise writing to explain, argue, or evaluate in different subjects, GCSE performance often stalls, especially for middle attainers who need repeated practice in structuring ideas.

Assessment also needs to operate reliably across departments. Teachers often identify and address gaps quickly, but this is not consistent, and some students are not helped well enough to improve after formal assessments. For parents, the best questions are specific: how often are assessments used to reteach, how do departments check for misconceptions, and what does a student do if they do not understand in the moment.

Where Students Go Next

As an 11 to 16 school, the main transition point is post 16. Careers education is described as impactful, helping students understand their next steps. In practice, families should expect supported pathways into local sixth forms, sixth form colleges, and vocational routes, with guidance that becomes more structured as GCSE choices and post 16 applications approach.

Because published destination statistics are not provided for this school, the most useful approach is to ask for the school’s current pattern. Which providers do most students move to, what are the typical GCSE entry requirements for those destinations, and how does the school support applications and interviews? The answers tend to be more valuable than generic statements about progression.

Admissions for Year 7 are coordinated through the local authority, and the school is oversubscribed. For the most recent recorded year, there were 107 applications for 86 offers, which equates to roughly 1.24 applications per place. That suggests competition, but not at the extreme level seen in the most pressured urban catchments.

Key dates for September 2026 entry are clearly signposted through West Berkshire’s published admissions guidance and the school’s own open evening materials. Applications open from 01 September 2025, the deadline is Friday 31 October 2025, and offers are issued on 02 March 2026 (National Allocation Day).

The school references catchment checking for transport planning, and it is explicit that free transport depends on the “nearest available school” rules rather than simply being in catchment. If transport matters for your household, confirm your nearest school position early, then factor that into preference strategy.

Families shortlisting should use the FindMySchool Map Search to sense check distance, catchment implications, and realistic preference planning before the October deadline.

Pastoral systems appear intentional rather than incidental. Tutor time is built into the school day, and students report that staff support is accessible. Student voice is also structured, with a Student Leadership Group that students see as having impact. That can be an understated but important indicator, it often correlates with students feeling listened to and with leaders receiving faster feedback on what is and is not working.

Behaviour is reported as settled and supported by consistent routines. Where students find meeting expectations more difficult, the school uses targeted support, which is the right approach for an 11 to 16 comprehensive intake. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, which is a non-negotiable baseline for any school choice.

Attendance is a watch point. A significant minority of students have low attendance, and while the school has processes to address this, families should ask what those processes look like in practice, and how quickly concerns trigger supportive action. Regular attendance is one of the strongest predictors of GCSE success, so this is a practical issue, not a bureaucratic one.

The co-curricular offer is designed to be accessible rather than niche. The school promotes termly programmes of activities through tutors, including chess and art alongside sport, music and drama.

There is also evidence of structured enrichment moments that give students a reason to commit and practise. The school has promoted maths challenge participation and success through its news and communications, which is a useful marker of academic enrichment beyond the classroom, especially for students who enjoy competitive problem solving.

Facilities and community links add texture. A notable recent addition is a climbing wall facility described as supporting engagement, progression and skill development, and this sort of investment tends to broaden participation beyond traditional team sports.

Performing arts appear active in the calendar. The school has advertised a staged production of The Addams Family in February 2026, which suggests students have opportunities to take part on stage and behind the scenes, and that the school is willing to invest time in full productions rather than only informal clubs.

The school day runs from 8.45am registration through to a 3.10pm finish, with five one-hour lessons, break, and lunch.

The website does not clearly publish a standard breakfast club or after-school wraparound offer for the 11 to 16 phase. If wraparound care is essential due to work patterns, families should contact the school directly to confirm what is available, and whether this varies by year group.

On travel, the school signposts local authority transport guidance and encourages families to use the West Berkshire catchment checker before applying, especially where transport eligibility could influence daily feasibility.

• Academic outcomes and progress. The FindMySchool outcomes ranking places the school below England average, and the Progress 8 score is negative. Families should ask for clear evidence of improvement, including subject-level progress checks and how assessment information changes teaching.

• Teaching consistency. Expectations and depth of learning are not yet consistent across lessons. This matters most for students who need stretch and challenge to make strong GCSE progress.

• Literacy and reading identification. Literacy is prioritised, but not all students who need extra reading support are consistently identified. If your child has struggled with reading fluency, ask what screening, intervention, and follow-up look like.

• Attendance for a minority of students. Low attendance among a significant minority can affect learning culture. Ask how the school supports attendance improvement, and what happens when patterns start to slip.

This is a smaller secondary that puts relationships, belonging, and student voice at the centre, and that has a clearly stated focus on raising academic outcomes. The strongest fit is for families who want a community school with solid pastoral structures, and who are willing to engage with the school’s improvement journey by asking direct questions about consistency, literacy support, and subject-level progress. For students who need calm routines, known adults, and structured support to engage, the pastoral foundation can be a genuine advantage.