Longdendale High School Review 2026: Values-led 11–16 academy with improving culture

A school that is clearly trying to change how it feels day to day, by tightening routines, sharpening expectations, and making the values language central to behaviour and personal development. Longdendale serves students aged 11 to 16, with no sixth form, and sits on the border between Tameside and Derbyshire, which shapes both admissions interest and transport patterns. The current leadership team has focused on consistency, reading support, and strengthening inclusion, alongside a structured enrichment offer that includes an electives programme for Years 7 to 10.

The clearest cultural thread is the school’s emphasis on Respect, Resilience, and Aspiration, a set of values used as a common language in classrooms and around the site. Students are recognised when they demonstrate these values, which helps keep expectations simple and concrete, especially for students who respond well to routine and clarity.

Leadership change is recent enough to matter. Andrea Jones retired at the end of the 2023–24 academic year after a long tenure, and the current headteacher is Michael Chiles. Evidence from the school’s own improvement narrative places the start of the new headteacher’s work with senior leaders in June 2024, with a focus on resetting culture and expectations ahead of the September 2024 academic year.

As an academy within Stamford Park Trust, the school benefits from trust-level oversight and shared direction, while still needing to deliver consistent classroom practice subject by subject. The trust relationship is a meaningful part of the school’s recent story, with Longdendale joining Stamford Park Trust in January 2021.

Longdendale’s most recent published GCSE performance metrics indicate an Attainment 8 score of 42.5, with a Progress 8 score of -0.53. EBacc entry and performance is an area to read carefully; the percentage achieving grades 5 or above in the EBacc is 10.8, and the EBacc average point score is 3.71.

For overall GCSE outcomes, the school is ranked 2,602nd in England and 2nd in Hyde in the FindMySchool ranking based on official data. This places performance in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

It is also important to interpret these figures alongside the school’s improvement trajectory. The most recent inspection commentary indicates that curriculum changes are intended to raise standards but were not yet reflected in the published 2024 key stage 4 data.

Families comparing options locally should use the FindMySchool Local Hub page and Comparison Tool to view GCSE measures side by side, since differences in Progress 8 and EBacc patterns can significantly change the student experience.

The curriculum is presented as a planned five-year journey, with a three-year key stage 3 and a two-year key stage 4 model. A core practical detail is the school’s emphasis on “essential knowledge” and checking retention multiple times each year, with parents receiving updates using defined descriptors.

Reading is positioned as a priority area. The latest external evidence points to a renewed approach for pupils who struggle with reading, including identifying gaps and building fluency, while also acknowledging that not all older pupils have benefited equally yet. For parents, that usually means two things. First, weaker readers should expect structured intervention rather than informal help. Second, students in upper years who have missed earlier support may still need persistence and additional help to close gaps.

A further strength is careers education. The school describes a planned programme that supports decision-making at 14 and 16, backed by resources and a mapped journey from Year 7 to Year 11.

Where Students Go Next

As an 11–16 school, the key “next step” is post-16 progression into further education, sixth form, apprenticeships, or training. The school frames this explicitly through its careers programme, including individual guidance in Year 11 and targeted support for students at risk of becoming not in education, employment or training.

Destination outcomes are referenced as positive in the latest external evidence, but the school does not publish clear numerical destination breakdowns within the materials accessed here. The most useful practical action for families is to ask what proportion of Year 11 students progress into sixth form college routes, apprenticeships, and vocational pathways, and how the school supports applications, interviews, and travel planning.

Year 7 admissions are coordinated through the local authority process rather than directly with the school for the main application route. For September 2026 entry, the school states that applications open on 01 September 2025 and close on 31 October 2025, with offers released on 02 March 2026.

Demand, as reflected in the input dataset, indicates an oversubscribed intake. There were 321 applications and 172 offers in the relevant cycle, which equates to 1.87 applications per place offered. First-preference demand is close to the number of offers (proportion 1.01), which usually signals a school that is a frequent first choice rather than mainly a back-up option.

Distance data is not provided here, so it is not possible to describe how far the last place reached. In practice, that makes it even more important for families to check the published oversubscription criteria and confirm how priority works for their situation, especially where cross-border interest may exist.

Open events can help families test “fit” quickly. The school ran an open evening in late September 2025, followed by tours in October 2025, which suggests a typical pattern of open events in September with follow-up tours in early to mid October. For the next cycle, families should expect a similar seasonal window and check the school’s open events page for refreshed dates.

Parents weighing proximity should use the FindMySchoolMap Search to understand realistic options, then validate against the local authority’s coordinated admissions rules.

Behaviour and personal development are presented as relative strengths in the most recent external evidence, alongside a sharper set of routines and rewards. One practical example is the use of an electronic recognition system that links rewards to the school values, helping staff apply praise consistently and making it easy for students to understand what is being recognised.

Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Inclusion is also a visible priority in the school’s recent narrative, including recognition connected to inclusion quality processes and a focus on strengthening SEND strategy and staff implementation. The important nuance is that strategy and intent are not the same as consistent impact. Current evidence indicates the revised SEND offer is still in early stages and needs to translate into reliably strong classroom support across subjects. For families of students with SEND, that makes it worth asking detailed questions about subject-specific adjustments, reading support, and how teaching staff use individual information in daily practice.

A distinctive feature is the school’s electives programme, positioned as a compulsory enrichment entitlement for all students from Year 7 to Year 10. Students complete three electives per year across academic, physical health and wellbeing, and community and leadership pillars. The practical implication is that enrichment is not reserved for a small group who opt in, it is baked into the experience, which can be especially helpful for students who need structured encouragement to try new things.

The school also highlights specific examples of clubs and activities that go beyond generic after-school lists. These include criminology, darts, and cake design, alongside musical performances, and there is evidence of student interest in electives such as animal care and cake decorating within the wider enrichment offer. For a student who is not immediately sports-focused, this kind of variety can be the difference between “school ends at the bell” and finding a reason to stay engaged.

Academic enrichment shows up in subject-level references too, for example a UK Mathematics Trust challenge appears in school communications, and English department messaging includes linking reading and writing to calendar events and wider themes. These elements matter because they signal that enrichment is intended to support curriculum depth as well as general participation.

Students are welcome on site from 8:00am, with the school day starting at 8:30am. The published information also states a weekly length of 32 hours 30 minutes for students across year groups. End-of-day finish time is not published on the school day page accessed here, so families should confirm it directly, particularly if coordinating buses or after-school arrangements.

Transport information is signposted via a school bus timetable and travel card guidance. The school references bus timetable access and travel card schemes, and local bus routing to the school is part of the wider network serving Hyde and surrounding areas. Families relying on public transport should check the most current timetable before committing to a route.

Wraparound care is not applicable in the primary-school sense, and the school does not publish a structured before-and-after-school care offer on the pages accessed here. For students who need supervised early arrival or late collection beyond normal routines, parents should clarify what the school can accommodate and what is expected for independent travel.

• Outcomes still catching up with change. The school’s improvement work is clear, but published 2024 key stage 4 data is not yet aligned with the newer curriculum approach. Families should ask what has changed in teaching consistency since 2024, subject by subject.

• SEND implementation is a live improvement area. Strategy is developing, but the evidence indicates uneven classroom delivery and an early-stage revised SEND offer. Students who rely on consistent scaffolding may feel this most.

• No sixth form. Every student moves on after Year 11, so post-16 planning needs attention from Year 10 onward, especially where transport and course availability are key constraints.

• Admissions demand is real. The school is oversubscribed cycle, so families should plan a realistic set of preferences and understand how allocations work locally.

Longdendale High School is best understood as a school on a defined improvement pathway, with a clearer behavioural culture and a more structured personal development offer than the headline outcomes alone might suggest. It suits students who respond well to routines, explicit expectations, and a values-led approach, and families who want an 11–16 academy with a strong emphasis on enrichment and inclusion work. The key decision factor is whether classroom consistency and SEND implementation are now reliably strong enough for your child’s needs, because those are the areas where the evidence still points to unevenness.