Campion School, Leamington Spa Review 2026: Oversubscribed 11 to 18 Academy with a Strong Sixth Form Offer

Campion School, Leamington Spa is a mixed, non-selective secondary with sixth form serving Sydenham and surrounding parts of Leamington Spa, with Warwickshire as the local authority. The school has expanded in recent years, and the planned Year 7 intake is 210, reflecting its role as a core local option rather than a niche provider.

Leadership is stable. Mr Jassa Panesar is the headteacher, and governance documents list his appointment as Principal from 01 September 2015.

The most recent Ofsted inspection took place on 12 and 13 July 2023 (report published 26 September 2023) and confirmed the school continues to be Good, with safeguarding judged effective.

A defining feature of school life is how structure is used to create belonging rather than uniformity. The vertical house system places students into mixed-age tutor groups, so younger pupils have regular contact with older peers, and mentoring is built into routines rather than bolted on as a separate programme. Houses are Griffin, Phoenix, Pegasus, Unicorn and Centaur, each led by a named House Learning Leader.

That house model matters in practice. It changes the texture of form time and pastoral conversations because Year 7 students are not only looking sideways at their own year group, they are also seeing older students model expectations around conduct, organisation and participation. The school describes this explicitly as part of transition support, with older pupils acting as mentors to new pupils.

The 2023 inspection report presents a school where behaviour norms are clear and disruption is uncommon. Calm social times are not accidental, they are the result of consistent responses and a shared understanding of what is acceptable. That tone is important for families weighing whether a large secondary will feel manageable day-to-day, particularly for children who value predictable routines.

Leadership visibility also comes through in how the school talks about growth and expansion. The travel plan notes increased popularity and oversubscription alongside a phased increase in capacity across year groups. This is a school that has had to plan for scale, not just maintain steady-state operations.

Campion’s outcomes sit in the broad middle of England on the available headline measures, with a sixth form profile that is competitive for a large mixed comprehensive.

GCSE performance

• The school’s Attainment 8 score is 43.2.

• Progress 8 is 0, which indicates progress in line with the England benchmark on this measure.

• 20.6% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) subjects.

In the FindMySchool ranking for GCSE outcomes (based on official data), Campion is ranked 1,967th in England and 3rd in Leamington Spa, which places it in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

A composite measure across GCSE and A-level outcomes is also available in the data, with an England rank of 998 for the combined indicator.

A-level performance

At A-level, the grade distribution shows a solid profile:

• 6.38% of entries achieved A*

• 23.4% achieved A

• 20.21% achieved B

• 50% achieved A* to B

On the A* to B measure, this is above the England average of 47.2% on the same indicator.

In the FindMySchool ranking for A-level outcomes (based on official data), Campion is ranked 1,022nd in England and 3rd in Leamington Spa, again in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

What this tends to mean for families is that the school’s academic story is not defined by extreme outcomes at either end. For high-attaining students, strong teaching and subject choice in sixth form become the differentiators. For students who need consistency and clear routines to make progress, the emphasis on behaviour norms and structured curriculum sequencing is likely to matter more than any single headline metric.

Curriculum design is one of the school’s clearer strengths in the most recent official narrative. Leaders have structured the curriculum to maintain breadth from Years 7 to 13, and the 2023 inspection report describes subject curriculums that are mapped so learning builds over time, supported by strong subject knowledge from teachers.

A distinctive feature is the way Year 9 is used as a transition year. Students choose options at the end of Year 8 but can change during Year 9, which reduces the risk of early lock-in for pupils who are still working out where they are strongest. The report also notes additional learning experiences to maintain breadth, including robot building linked to design and technology skills, alongside learning about culturally important music and artists.

Support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities is described as prompt in identification, with staff given pupil summaries explaining how teaching should be adapted. The improvement point is consistency, with some teaching adapting well and some less so. In practical terms, parents of pupils with SEND should ask how teachers are trained to apply these adaptations and how leaders check that the approach is consistent across departments.

Reading is another targeted area. Leaders identify weaker readers and place more emphasis on core skills, but the report indicates that precision in identifying specific gaps is not yet sharp enough for some pupils, which can slow progress and keep them from the full curriculum for longer than necessary.

For a school with a sixth form, the right way to judge destinations is to look at both breadth and stretch.

Post-16 progression within the school

The inspection report notes that students choose to stay on in the sixth form because they trust the quality of learning they have already experienced. This points to confidence in continuity for families planning from Year 7 through to Year 13.

Post-18 destinations

For the 2023/24 leaver cohort (cohort size 45), 42% progressed to university, 33% moved into employment, and 2% went into further education. Apprenticeships are recorded as 0% in the cohort data.

For families, the implication is that the sixth form is supporting multiple pathways, not only university routes, and that employment is a substantial destination in this group.

Highly selective applications

On the most recent Oxbridge data available, there were 2 applications in the combined Oxford and Cambridge measure, with 1 acceptance recorded (Cambridge acceptance is recorded as 1). For a large mixed comprehensive, these numbers are small but meaningful. They indicate that Oxbridge is attainable for some students, but it is not a defining pipeline in the way it would be for the most academically selective sixth forms.

Admissions are straightforward in structure but competitive in practice.

Year 7 entry

Warwickshire County Council coordinates normal Year 7 admissions, and the school’s determined arrangements for entry 2026 state that applications for Year 7 places must be made to the local authority, with an annual closing date of 31 October for a place the following September. The published admission number (PAN) is 210 for Year 7.

The school is oversubscribed on the latest demand figures available, with 443 applications and 199 offers recorded, and an applications-to-offers ratio of 2.23. For parents, that ratio is the practical signal that proximity and criteria matter, and that realistic planning should include at least one less pressured alternative.

In-year admissions

From 01 September 2025, the school became its own admissions authority for Year 7 entry after the first term and for Years 8 to 11. The school notes that applications beyond the first term of Year 7 should be made directly to the school.

Sixth form entry (Year 12)

For external applicants aiming for September 2026 entry, the school’s published deadline for applications is Friday 30 January 2026.

As ever, students should also check subject-specific entry requirements, because viability often depends on GCSE profile and the particular combination of subjects chosen.

Open events and visiting

The school’s open evening for the current cycle is described as having concluded, with open mornings hoped for in the spring term, and tours not always available on demand. Practically, this means parents should plan early and treat open events as time-limited windows rather than something that can be scheduled at short notice.

FindMySchool’s Map Search can also help families sanity-check travel time and local alternatives before committing to a shortlist.

Pastoral care is closely tied to the house system. The school describes mixed-age tutor groups as a mechanism for mentoring and transition support, with House Learning Leaders playing a direct role in nurturing pupils’ confidence and routines.

The 2023 inspection report describes an effective pastoral team that combines high expectations with genuine care. Preventative support is used to reduce the need for the most serious consequences, which suggests a behaviour approach that aims to resolve problems early rather than only sanctioning them after escalation.

A practical wellbeing consideration is how health and relationships education is delivered as students get older. The report notes that older pupils have less curriculum time dedicated to these topics, and that discussion in mixed-age house groups can inhibit depth for age-specific themes. Parents of older students may wish to ask how the school ensures age-appropriate coverage, particularly for Year 10 and Year 11.

The extra-curricular programme is unusually detailed and varied for a local mixed comprehensive, with options spanning sport, arts, academic enrichment and structured study support.

Structured study and support

Regular Homework Club and Computer and Homework Club sessions run across the week, alongside an Access Team homework club. For families, this is a concrete support lever, especially for students who benefit from a supervised study space after lessons rather than working at home immediately.

Clubs that give a flavour of the school

A few examples that stand out because they are specific rather than generic:

• Eco-Club (week 1 only) and Young Carers provision (week 1 only), which signal targeted inclusion and community support rather than a one-size-fits-all model.

• Debating Club, Classics Club (week 2), Politics (week 1) and Creative Writing Workshop, which together point to a humanities and literacy offer that goes beyond core lessons.

• Science Surgery and CREST Club (for selected Year 8 students), which provide structured academic extension and intervention rather than assuming pupils will self-organise support.

• Performing arts choices including Drama Club, Choir Club and a School Production rehearsal schedule, plus Photography Club and art sessions for examination groups.

Sport and fitness

The timetable includes football, rugby, netball, badminton, basketball, gymnastics, fitness sessions and a Post-16 Fitness Club, with a named external programme, Warwickshire Hawks Basketball, for selected students. The implication is that sport is present both as broad participation and as a higher-commitment pathway for some pupils.

House culture beyond form time

Because house identity is central, inter-house events also become part of the social fabric. School communications show house competition being used across activities rather than being limited to sport alone, reinforcing the sense that belonging is actively maintained.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. Families should still budget for typical secondary costs such as uniform, trips and optional activities.

The school day starts with form time at 8.40am and lessons run through to a 3.00pm finish on the published daily schedule, with break and lunch structured into the day.

Breakfast club is shown as running 7.30am to 8.30am, and after-school activities commonly run from 3.10pm and finish by 5.00pm, which can help working families plan pick-up arrangements even without primary-style wraparound care.

Transport planning is unusually transparent. The school’s travel plan describes local bus access, cycle lanes that converge at the main gate, and walking routes through surrounding residential areas. It also notes that Leamington Spa railway station is around a 30 to 40 minute walk from the school, with a shorter drive time, which is relevant for sixth formers travelling independently.

• Competition for places. Demand exceeds supply on the latest available figures (443 applications and 199 offers). If you are relying on this as a first preference, build a realistic backup plan in parallel.

• Reading support precision. The most recent inspection highlights that some weaker readers do not progress quickly enough because interventions are not always matched to specific gaps. Families of children with known literacy needs should ask what screening and targeted programmes look like in Year 7 and Year 8.

• Consistency of SEND adaptation. Leaders provide staff with pupil summaries on how learning should be adapted, but practice is not fully consistent across classrooms. Parents may want to explore how the school quality-assures this, especially where a child needs regular, predictable adjustments.

• Older-student personal development time. Health and relationships education time reduces as pupils get older, and mixed-age group discussions can limit depth on age-specific topics. Ask how the school ensures coverage for GCSE-age pupils.

Campion School, Leamington Spa offers a well-organised comprehensive experience with a clearly structured house system, a genuinely broad extra-curricular timetable, and a sixth form that supports multiple routes beyond Year 13. It suits families who want a local 11 to 18 pathway with predictable routines, strong pastoral structures, and plenty of optional enrichment. The primary challenge is admission, competition for places is the limiting factor, so families should plan early and shortlist pragmatically.