Brookvale Groby Learning Campus Review 2026: Large 11–19 academy with an all round Good Ofsted profile

Brookvale Groby Learning Campus is a modern 11 to 19 academy created through the 2019 merger of Brookvale High School and Groby Community College, with a clear, plain spoken emphasis on values and daily routines. The campus motto, Work Hard, Be Kind, runs through communications and behaviour expectations, and the timetable structure underlines a purposeful school day.

Will Teece is the headteacher, appointed in 2020, and the school joined The Mead Educational Trust in 2025. The latest inspection (October 2024) graded all headline areas as Good, including the sixth form.

This is a big, mixed secondary with post 16, and it behaves like one: clear expectations, frequent communication, and a strong emphasis on consistency. The principal’s welcome places equal weight on standards (uniform, punctuality, behaviour) and belonging, which is an important clue for families. Students are expected to meet baseline routines and respond to structured adult direction, and in return they get predictability.

The campus model also shapes identity. It is explicitly positioned as an all through journey from Year 7 into GCSE and then into A levels and Level 3 pathways, rather than a Year 11 finish line. That matters for students who settle well with continuity, and for families who value a sixth form where older students can act as visible role models for younger year groups.

A further strand is reading and language. External evaluation describes reading as a priority, with daily reading and structured support for weaker readers. For parents, the implication is practical: this is a school that treats literacy as a whole curriculum issue, not just an English department concern, which can be particularly helpful for students who arrive from primary with uneven reading fluency.

At GCSE, outcomes sit in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). The school is ranked 1,564th in England for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), and 24th among secondary schools in Leicester. Attainment 8 is 49.7, and Progress 8 is -0.02, which indicates progress broadly in line with national patterns from similar starting points, with a slight negative margin.

In the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) suite, the average EBacc points score is 4.36. The percentage achieving grade 5 or above across EBacc subjects is 16.5. These figures suggest that while there is a pathway for academic breadth, families who want a strongly EBacc weighted Key Stage 4 profile should ask how subject routes are constructed for different starting points and ambitions.

A level outcomes also sit in the middle 35% of schools in England. Ranked 1,337th in England and 11th locally (FindMySchool ranking), results show 44.53% of grades at A* to B. The combined A* and A rate is 20.44%, compared with an England benchmark of 23.6%.

Parents comparing options locally should consider using the FindMySchool Local Hub comparison tool to view GCSE and A level measures side by side, particularly where schools differ in curriculum model and post 16 size.

The curriculum is described in official reporting as broad and ambitious, with careful sequencing of key knowledge. That is a meaningful claim when it translates into day to day teaching: subject content builds logically, and teachers check that students remember what they have been taught before moving on.

Staff expertise is a stated strength, supported by training and coaching so that explanations stay crisp and tasks are pitched appropriately. Where this matters most is in the “middle” of the ability range: students who are not struggling, but who can drift if adults accept partial effort, benefit from consistent high expectations. External evaluation highlights that expectations can be too low on some occasions, so families should probe how the school keeps challenge consistent across classrooms and subjects.

In sixth form, the same evaluation describes a challenging curriculum that prepares students well for future study, across both academic and vocational routes. The practical implication is that post 16 is not positioned as a softer option, it is presented as a step up with explicit preparation for next stage study, work, and adult life skills.

Where Students Go Next

Destination data for the 2023/24 leaver cohort shows 64% progressing to university, 5% starting apprenticeships, 1% moving into further education, and 22% entering employment. This is a mixed pipeline rather than a single track, which is often a positive sign for a comprehensive intake: students do not have to fit one mould to be “successful”.

The sixth form also has an established Oxbridge strand, but it is small scale. Over the measurement period, 8 students applied to Oxford or Cambridge and 1 secured a place, at Cambridge. The sensible reading is that Oxbridge is available for the right candidates, but the core strength is broader: personalised guidance, careers education, and credible routes into university, apprenticeships, and employment.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through the local authority, not directly by the school. For entry in August 2026, the closing date for applications is 31 October 2025, and offers are issued on the national offer day in early March (for 2026, this falls on 2 March 2026).

Open evening and tours follow a clear pattern. For the 2026 intake, the Year 6 open evening ran on 25 September 2025 (5pm to 8pm), with additional daytime tours earlier in September. Parents should treat this as the usual annual rhythm and check the school website for the next set of dates.

Post 16 admission is a separate route. For the 2026 intake, the school published an application deadline of Friday 19 December 2025 and directs applicants through the PS16 platform.

If your priority is catchment, distance, or feeder primary alignment, it is worth using the FindMySchool Map Search to sense check your practical proximity before you rely on a place.

Pastoral messaging is consistent: students are expected to follow routines and meet standards, and support is available when they struggle. Official reporting describes pupils feeling safe and identifies strong support when students are struggling with mental health.

Safeguarding is confirmed as effective in the most recent inspection evidence. Beyond compliance, the more useful question for parents is operational: who is the first point of contact in Year 7, how quickly do concerns get picked up, and how does the school coordinate support for students with additional needs so that help is timely rather than reactive.

Extracurricular provision is structured around both participation and skill development. A notable feature is the PiXL Edge framework and its LORIC skills focus (Leadership, Organisation, Resilience, Initiative, Communication), which turns “joining in” into something students can evidence later in applications and interviews.

The published enrichment programme gives a clearer sense of what students actually do week to week. Examples include Warhammer Club, Boardgame Club, Scratch Coding Club, and specific subject support such as GCSE Boost Club and GCSE PE PCNAT Sport Badminton Intervention. For students who benefit from routine, named clubs matter because they reduce friction: it is easier to attend consistently when the offer is concrete and timetabled.

Creative opportunities are also explicit. The school references an annual whole school production, regular concerts, and music activity including ensembles and singing. Post 16 enrichment is organised as a weekly programme, positioned around preparation for next steps, relationships education, and wellbeing.

The published day structure for 2024/25 starts with registration at 8:40am and the final period ends at 3:10pm, with a dedicated tutor time reading programme built into the morning.

Travel is a key practical consideration. The school states that it contracts bus services on multiple routes, subsidised by the campus, alongside the usual local authority transport eligibility arrangements for some students. Families should ask early about route suitability and how places on services are allocated, particularly for new Year 7 and new post 16 students.

• Consistency of challenge. External evaluation flags that expectations are sometimes too low in some classrooms, and checks on learning are not always precise. For students who need sustained stretch to stay engaged, ask how leaders track lesson level challenge and intervene when standards slip.

• Application deadlines are hard deadlines. Year 7 applications close on 31 October 2025 for August 2026 entry. Post 16 has its own published deadline (19 December 2025 for the 2026 intake). Families who miss dates reduce choice quickly.

• EBacc expectations vary by pathway. The EBacc profile indicates that strong EBacc outcomes are concentrated in a smaller group. If your child is targeting a very academic Key Stage 4 programme, ask how options and setting support that route.

• A large school suits some students better than others. With an 11–19 roll and a sixth form, there is breadth of peer group and opportunity, but students who prefer very small settings may need careful transition planning.

Brookvale Groby Learning Campus is a sizeable, values led 11 to 19 academy with an all round Good inspection profile, a clear focus on literacy, and an explicit commitment to structured routines. Academic performance sits broadly in line with the middle of England schools, with a sixth form that supports a range of next steps, including university and apprenticeships, and occasional Oxbridge success.

Best suited to students who benefit from clear expectations, predictable systems, and a large school offering where participation is actively organised. The main decision point is fit: families should weigh how their child responds to structure, and how consistently the school sustains high classroom expectations.