Heath Lane Academy Review 2026: A Values Led 11 to 16 Secondary in Earl Shilton

A school week that starts with an 8.40am line up sets a purposeful tone, and the language of kindness and respect is woven into daily routines. Heath Lane Academy is an 11 to 16 state secondary serving families in and around Earl Shilton and Barwell. The latest official inspection confirms a stable Good standard, with a clear improvement narrative, particularly around curriculum design and school culture.

Academically, the headline performance picture is mixed. FindMySchool’s latest GCSE ranking places the school below England average overall, and Progress 8 sits in negative territory, which matters for families prioritising rapid academic gains from Key Stage 2 starting points. At the same time, the school’s published approach focuses strongly on consistency in teaching, literacy, and structured routines, and the inspection evidence backs the claim that pupils feel safe, listened to, and part of a community with clear expectations.

The defining feature here is the deliberate simplicity of the culture. Students are expected to work hard, be kind, and show respect, and that message is repeated across school communications and reinforced through routines and rewards. In practice, this tends to suit children who benefit from clear boundaries and predictable expectations, particularly in the busy early months of Year 7.

The February 2025 inspection describes a school that feels better settled than it did in earlier years, and the improvement arc is described as recent and substantive rather than incremental. Pupils are described as happy and safe, with confidence that staff will act if concerns are raised. That sort of trust in adults often correlates with calmer corridors and fewer low level behaviour issues, which matters for learning time and for pupils who can find social uncertainty distracting.

There is also a wider organisational context. The school joined United Learning Trust in December 2023, and the inspection notes that trust oversight and subject expertise have supported the pace of improvement. For parents, the practical implication is that curriculum planning, staff development, and school systems are likely to be influenced by trust wide frameworks, rather than being built solely at local level.

FindMySchool’s latest GCSE ranking places Heath Lane Academy 3,545th in England and 46th in the Leicester local area for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This sits in the below England average band overall, which means a majority of schools in England achieve stronger headline outcomes on the same measures.

On the core GCSE measures available here, Attainment 8 is 35.3 and Progress 8 is -0.55. A negative Progress 8 score indicates that, on average, pupils make less progress than pupils with similar starting points nationally. EBacc average point score is 2.97, and 3.7% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above across the EBacc subjects.

What this means in day to day terms is that families should focus on how the school supports consistency, literacy, and attendance, because those levers tend to be the biggest drivers of improved outcomes at whole school level. The 2025 inspection explicitly highlights work on curriculum sequencing, a teaching playbook to help lessons build on prior knowledge, and a stronger emphasis on reading and vocabulary across subjects. Those are the right inputs, but they take time to translate into outcomes.

Parents comparing schools locally can use the FindMySchool Local Hub pages and the Comparison Tool to place these measures alongside nearby options, using the same metrics and time window.

Teaching is framed around a consistent model. The inspection evidence points to a shared teaching playbook, modelling strategies, and questioning used to check understanding and deepen learning. In practical terms, this tends to benefit pupils who need clarity about what good work looks like, particularly in writing heavy subjects where success criteria can otherwise feel subjective.

Curriculum planning is also a major theme. The school has made changes to ensure pupils study a broad range of subjects, and the inspection notes an increase in language uptake, linked to a wider ambition to raise participation in the English Baccalaureate suite. For families, the implication is that option choices and Key Stage 3 foundations are likely to prioritise breadth and knowledge building, rather than early narrowing.

Literacy is treated as everyone’s job. Tutor time reading, structured interventions for pupils who need extra help, and explicit vocabulary teaching across subjects are all referenced. If your child is a reluctant reader, the important question to ask at open events is how reading interventions are targeted and how progress is tracked, because the school clearly sees literacy as central to improving outcomes.

This is an 11 to 16 school, so the central destination decision comes at the end of Year 11. The careers pages emphasise guidance for a range of post 16 routes, including sixth form colleges, further education colleges, apprenticeships, traineeships, and employment combined with part time training. The key message is that students are expected to continue in education or training to age 18, with the school signposting the Raising Participation Age requirement and the range of options locally.

Because there are no published cohort destination percentages available here, families should treat Year 10 and Year 11 guidance as a major part of the offer. Look for evidence of structured encounters with providers, application support, and how the school helps students who are undecided or at risk of becoming not in education, employment, or training. The inspection references targeted careers guidance as part of the personal development picture.

Admissions for Year 7 are coordinated through the local authority. For September 2026 entry, applications opened on 01 September 2025 and the national closing date was 31 October 2025, with allocations issued on 02 March 2026. Late applications in the window immediately after the closing date were handled after offer day.

The school publishes a determined admissions policy for future rounds which sets out a catchment led approach, sibling priority, and distance as a tie break, measured as a straight line to the main designated front gate. Where distance is exactly equal, random allocation is used. The policy also confirms a published admission number of 150 for Year 7.

Recent demand data indicates oversubscription, with 173 applications and 111 offers in the most recently published entry route dataset, which equates to around 1.56 applications per place. The practical implication is that families should not assume a place is guaranteed unless they clearly meet the highest priority criteria for the relevant admissions round.

Parents thinking about distance based criteria should use the FindMySchool Map Search to check their exact home to school measurement, then compare it with recent allocation patterns, noting that admissions outcomes can shift year to year.

Pastoral staffing is unusually transparent on the school website. The published pastoral team includes a dedicated safeguarding officer, an attendance officer, a school counsellor, a school chaplain, and a Thrive and Wellbeing Manager, alongside heads of year for Years 7 to 11. This structure typically supports faster response when a pupil’s need is not purely academic, for example attendance patterns, anxiety, friendship disruption, or safeguarding concerns.

On safeguarding, the school identifies its designated safeguarding lead as Mrs Philippa Curtis (Assistant Principal). The most recent inspection also confirms that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Attendance is treated as a priority, with published expectations and clear procedures for lateness and persistent absence. That aligns with the inspection finding that the school is taking steps to improve attendance, while noting that persistent absence for some disadvantaged pupils remains too high. For parents, the key takeaway is that routines and follow up are likely to be firm, and that can suit families who welcome structure.

The extracurricular offer is detailed and specific, which is often a good sign that activities are genuinely running rather than being aspirational. At lunchtime, examples include Anime Club, Botany club, Band Jam, and a SPARX Homework Club. After school, the programme includes Creative Writing in the library, a school newspaper group, Books and Biscuits, and a school wide Bake Off programme listed as The Heath Lane Bake Off. Sport options include football, netball, badminton, basketball, and table tennis.

For students who need belonging, smaller clubs can matter as much as sport. The programme includes a Cosy Club for invited students, a Colouring Club, and a Peace and Kindness Group, which suggests the school has thought about quieter social spaces as well as high energy activities.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is offered at Bronze level. The school sets out how students complete the sections and the intended outcomes, such as resilience, teamwork, and confidence, which can be particularly helpful for pupils who benefit from structured enrichment rather than unstructured social time.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. Families should still budget for uniform, equipment, optional trips, and any paid enrichment such as some music opportunities, which vary year to year.

The academy day begins at 8.40am and ends at 3.10pm, with a published 32 hour 30 minute school week for Years 7 to 11.

Wraparound care is not typically a feature of secondary schools in the same way it is for primaries, and the school does not publish a breakfast club or after school childcare offer. For families who need supervision beyond the school day, after school clubs can help, but you should check directly what runs on which days and how late supervised provision extends.

Transport information is not published in a single consolidated page. Most families will rely on local walking routes, cycling, or bus travel from Earl Shilton and nearby villages; confirm the practicalities for your specific address during the admissions process.

• Academic outcomes are a key watch point. The latest Progress 8 score is -0.55 and the FindMySchool GCSE ranking places the school below England average. Families prioritising rapid academic acceleration should look closely at current department level plans, intervention, and how consistently teaching is implemented.

• Attendance is a stated priority, and the bar is high. The school’s published expectations include a 97% target, and the inspection notes that persistent absence for some disadvantaged pupils remains too high. This is likely to bring firm follow up and may require strong home school alignment.

• Open event information can be published late. The school’s open evening page indicates that dates are published when confirmed, rather than being fixed far in advance. If you are working to a deadline, plan to monitor updates and consider contacting the school early in the autumn term.

• Post 16 planning matters because the school is 11 to 16. Students will need a clear route into sixth form, college, or training at the end of Year 11, and families should treat careers guidance and application support as a core part of the offer.

Heath Lane Academy offers a clear values framework, structured routines, and a pastoral model that is unusually well signposted for families. The latest inspection supports a picture of a safer, more settled school with improving curriculum and teaching consistency, and it highlights a strong emphasis on literacy and broad access to subjects.

It best suits families who want an 11 to 16 school with clear expectations, a visible wellbeing structure, and a detailed extracurricular programme that gives students multiple ways to belong. The main trade off is that academic outcomes, as currently measured, sit below England average, so families should weigh the strength of the improvement trajectory against their child’s starting point and support needs.