Lady Hawkins' School Review 2026: Small, community-focused 11 to 16 secondary in Kington

A smaller secondary with a long local story, Lady Hawkins’ serves Kington and surrounding villages with an 11 to 16 offer that leans into knowing pupils well. The October 2024 Ofsted inspection graded all key areas as Good and confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Scale matters here. With a published capacity of 510 and a roll reported as 267 at inspection, year groups tend to feel manageable and relationships can be sustained across five years. That closeness can suit pupils who value being recognised as individuals, and it can also create clearer lines of responsibility when something needs resolving quickly.

Academically, outcomes sit broadly in line with the middle 35% of secondary schools in England (25th to 60th percentile), based on FindMySchool rankings drawn from official data. Ranked 2,539th in England and 1st locally for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking), this is a school with strengths to build on and clear improvement priorities.

A founding narrative runs through the school’s identity. The school’s own history traces its opening to 29 September 1632, with Lady Hawkins’ endowment framed explicitly around maintaining a free school in Kington. That origin story still matters because it positions the school as a community institution rather than a purely transactional service.

Inspectors described the school as a close-knit community where pupils feel safe and happy, with staff who know pupils well and trusted adults who address concerns promptly. In practice, this tends to show up in the everyday things parents care about: whether a quieter child gets noticed, whether small issues are picked up early, and whether pupils can learn without constant low-level disruption.

Leadership is currently centred on Mr Allen Brace, named as Headteacher on the school website and in the most recent inspection report. A local parish council report from June 2023 notes that Mr Brace had been appointed as interim headteacher for September while the school considered its next steps, which gives a reasonable timestamp for when his headship began in practice.

The school is also a single academy trust, overseen by a board of trustees. For families, that governance model can matter when priorities shift, or when resourcing decisions need to be made quickly, because accountability routes differ from a maintained school.

The current performance picture is best understood as steady rather than standout. FindMySchool’s GCSE ranking places the school in the middle band for England, in line with the middle 35% of secondary schools (25th to 60th percentile), and it ranks 2,539th in England for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). Locally, it ranks 1st in the Kington area on the same measure.

At GCSE level, the average Attainment 8 score is 41.7. Progress 8 is -0.48, which indicates that, on average, pupils make less progress than similar pupils nationally from their starting points. EBacc performance is currently a clear improvement lever: 13.1% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above across the EBacc measure reported and the average EBacc APS is 3.76.

The most constructive way to interpret this mix is through trajectory and the specific actions the school has taken. The most recent inspection describes sustained improvement since the previous inspection, with leaders investing in strategies that help pupils remember more of what they learn, and a revised key stage 4 curriculum with an academic core designed to widen future options.

For parents, that matters because it frames expectations. This is not a school where headline outcomes alone do the explaining. The key question is whether the school’s current direction, curriculum choices, and teaching consistency match your child’s needs and learning habits.

The curriculum is structured around a 60-period, two-week timetable, with subject time allocations set out publicly. This kind of transparent timetabling is useful because it makes it easier to see whether a pupil’s week will feel balanced, and how much time is devoted to core learning versus wider options.

Key stage 4 options listed by the school include a mix of academic and applied routes: Triple Science, History, Geography, Computer Science, German, and a set of creative and practical subjects such as Art, Music, Drama, Food and Nutrition, Design and Technology, plus BTEC Tech Award in Enterprise and BTEC Vocational Studies. The implication is a fairly flexible model for a small 11 to 16, with routes that can suit pupils who learn best through applied tasks as well as those who prefer more traditional academic study.

A core emphasis on reading is explicit in the inspection findings, with staff supporting pupils who need extra help to read accurately and fluently, and pupils encouraged to read widely and often. In day-to-day terms, a strong reading strategy can pay off across subjects because it supports comprehension in humanities and science, and it reduces the cognitive load in examinations where reading time and accuracy matter.

Consistency for pupils with additional needs is one area to watch. The inspection report notes that most staff adapt activities effectively for pupils with SEND, but that adaptation is not consistently strong in all lessons, and this can hold some pupils back. Families of pupils with SEND should probe how teaching adaptations are quality-assured across the school, not just within the SEND team.

As an 11 to 16 school, the immediate next step is post-16 progression into sixth form colleges or training routes rather than an in-house sixth form. The school frames its key stage 4 provision as opening doors into further study or employment with training, supported by an independent careers adviser.

Careers education is also referenced in the inspection, which highlights a personal development programme that includes guidance about the world of work and experiences intended to prepare pupils for future pathways. For many families, the practical concern is not whether a school “does careers”, but whether pupils actually receive tailored guidance early enough to choose sensible GCSE options and plan post-16 routes that fit their attainment and interests. Asking how Year 9 and Year 10 pupils are supported to explore colleges, apprenticeships, and technical routes is worthwhile here.

For families comparing options, FindMySchool’s Local Hub pages can be a useful way to compare GCSE outcomes and progress measures side-by-side with other nearby schools, using the Comparison Tool to avoid relying on impressions.

Admissions for Year 7 are coordinated through Herefordshire Council. The council’s admissions portal for the September 2026 intake was open from 1 September 2025 to 31 October 2025 for on-time applications. Offers for Herefordshire secondary transfers were issued on 2 March 2026.

Oversubscription rules follow the Herefordshire priorities for community and voluntary controlled schools, published for the 2026/27 admissions year. After pupils with an EHCP naming the school, priority is given in order to looked-after and previously looked-after children, then children living in the defined catchment area, then siblings, then exceptional medical or social grounds, and finally distance. Distance is measured by the shortest available walking route, and where distance is identical, a lottery tie-breaker is used.

Open events for Herefordshire secondary transfer typically run in September and October each year, and the council’s listings for the 2026 admissions cycle included a school open evening in late September. For future intakes, families should treat September to October as the usual window, and confirm dates on the school website or through the council’s updated list.

Because last offered distance data is not available for this school, families should avoid assuming a specific radius. If you are assessing realistic chances, use FindMySchoolMap Search to check your home-to-school distance and then cross-reference this with the council’s published criteria and any waiting list information for the relevant year.

Pastoral strength is a clear theme in the most recent inspection evidence, with emphasis on trusted adults, a calm learning environment, and prompt follow-up of lateness and absence. This tends to matter most for pupils who need structure to thrive, particularly in smaller schools where routines are visible and staff can respond quickly.

SEND support is also visible on the school website, with a named SENDCo and an outlined transition approach that includes meetings with parents of pupils with known SEND ahead of entry. The practical implication is that families should engage early, share professional reports promptly, and ask how support is delivered inside mainstream lessons, not only through withdrawal interventions.

The inspection also notes that the school uses both registered and unregistered alternative provision. For parents, this is usually relevant only for a small number of pupils, but it is reasonable to ask how placements are quality-assured and how reintegration is managed.

For a smaller 11 to 16, the strongest enrichment often comes from high-quality experiences rather than sheer volume. The inspection points to opportunities such as foreign travel, theatre visits, singing in Hereford Cathedral, and orienteering, with the wider programme used deliberately to build confidence and self-esteem, including for disadvantaged pupils.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award offer is unusually substantial for a school of this size. The school states that it is a Directly Licensed Centre, able to organise, assess and present awards, and that pupils can take part at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels. Even if only a proportion of pupils participate, the implication is a structured route for pupils who benefit from goal-setting, team responsibility, and extended activity beyond the classroom.

Facilities also support a broader programme. The school’s history page describes the Joint School and Community complex opened in 1995, including a leisure centre integrated into the school buildings with a sports hall, fitness room, dance studio and an enhanced performance hall for the arts. For families, the value here is not the facility list itself, but what it enables: indoor sport that is less weather-dependent, dance and movement provision that can suit pupils who do not connect with team games, and performance opportunities that build confidence over time.

The school publishes a detailed day structure. Breakfast Club begins at 08:30, registration is at 08:55, and the school day ends at 15:30. After-school care arrangements are not set out clearly in the same published schedule; families who need regular late pick-up should check directly what supervised provision is available on specific days.

Transport matters in a rural catchment. The school notes that traditional catchment areas have changed and references support around school transport, including bus pass arrangements in some cases. Families should also review Herefordshire’s transport policy alongside admissions, especially if you are outside the immediate area.

• Progress measures. Progress 8 is currently -0.48 which suggests some pupils make less progress than similar pupils nationally. This is worth exploring in context, particularly for pupils who need consistent teaching routines.

• SEND consistency. Most pupils with SEND access the full curriculum, but teaching adaptations are not consistently strong in every lesson, which can limit progress for some pupils. Families should ask how lesson-level adaptation is monitored and improved across subjects.

• EBacc uptake and ambition. The school has increased take-up of the English Baccalaureate pathway through key stage 4 curriculum changes, but it also recognises that more pupils could follow that route. Families should ask how option guidance works and what a realistic EBacc pathway looks like for different starting points.

• Admissions depend on criteria, not preference. Herefordshire’s priorities place catchment and distance after looked-after children and siblings, with distance measured by walking route and a lottery tie-breaker where needed. If you are unsure how the criteria apply to your address, seek clarity early.

Lady Hawkins’ suits families who want a smaller 11 to 16 secondary where relationships are a defining feature and pupils can be known well by staff. The strongest fit is for children who value a calm learning environment, benefit from clear routines, and may thrive with enrichment that includes structured programmes such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The key decision factors are the match between your child’s learning needs and the school’s current progress profile, plus a clear-eyed view of admissions priorities for your year of entry.