Featherstone High School Review 2026: Oversubscribed Southall secondary with a high-performing core and a large sixth form

In a densely populated corner of Southall, Featherstone High School combines very strong mainstream secondary performance with a sizeable post-16 offer. The most recent inspection picture is unusually clear: the March 2025 Ofsted inspection graded Quality of Education, Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development, and Leadership and Management as Outstanding, with Sixth Form provision graded Good.

This is a state-funded school with no tuition fees. Its appeal is reflected in demand: Ealing’s published data shows 663 preferences against a Year 7 admission number of 280 for the 2026 entry cycle, and the last place offered in 2025 was at 0.731 miles. Distances vary annually based on applicant distribution; proximity provides priority but does not guarantee a place.

Leadership is stable and visible. The headteacher is Mr Nathan Walters, and school communications indicate he took up post from 01 January 2023.

A school of this size only works if routines are consistent. The public-facing material focuses heavily on clear expectations, culture, and a structured day. The house system is framed around six named values: Care, Respect, Challenge, Resilience, Partnership, and Inclusion. That structure matters for families because it tends to create predictable lines of responsibility, particularly for pastoral issues and behaviour.

Featherstone’s identity is also shaped by being part of a wider trust. Official documentation confirms it is within the Grand Union Multi Academy Trust, and the trust structure features directly in the school’s strategic messaging. Practically, this can mean shared staff development and common approaches to safeguarding and policy, which tends to reduce variability across year groups in large schools.

There is also a strong “education plus” thread: enrichment is presented as routine rather than an occasional add-on, with activities, trips, volunteering, and student leadership described as part of normal school life. For families, this matters because it can broaden the experience for students who are academically capable but benefit from structured opportunities to build confidence, communication, and responsibility.

At GCSE, Featherstone’s published results and rankings place it above England average overall. The school’s Attainment 8 score is 50.9 and Progress 8 is 0.6, a combination that typically indicates both solid attainment and strong progress from students’ starting points.

The FindMySchool ranking places Featherstone High School 965th in England for GCSE outcomes, and 13th within Ealing. This sits above England average, placing it comfortably within the top 25% of secondary schools in England (up to the 25th percentile). (These are proprietary FindMySchool rankings based on official data.)

EBacc outcomes are also measurable: 33.3% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above across the EBacc pillars, and the school’s EBacc average point score is 4.9. These indicators are useful for parents because they reflect both curriculum access and the level of outcomes in a core academic suite, even where students’ pathways remain diverse.

At A-level, outcomes are more mid-table nationally on the FindMySchool measure, which is consistent with many large sixth forms that combine academic and applied pathways. Featherstone’s A-level ranking is 1,235th in England and 12th within Ealing for A-level outcomes. This reflects solid performance, in line with the middle 35% of sixth forms in England (25th to 60th percentile). (These are proprietary FindMySchool rankings based on official data.)

The grade profile provides detail: 4.28% of entries at A*, 16.21% at A, 29.36% at B, and 49.85% at A* to B. Taken together, that points to a sixth form where high-end outcomes exist, but where results are more mixed than the 11 to 16 picture.

The school makes a direct claim that its curriculum is broad, balanced, inclusive, and ambitious, and it has published curriculum intent that explicitly cautions against racing through content. For families, that is a meaningful signal: it implies an emphasis on sequencing and secure knowledge, rather than acceleration for its own sake.

Featherstone also describes an explicit literacy and numeracy focus, including the framing of reading culture through its libraries and a “reading room”, and a mastery approach in mathematics. The practical implication is that students who benefit from consistent routines and explicit teaching methods are likely to find the approach legible, particularly in the early secondary years.

Resourcing is a notable feature. The school prospectus lists fourteen science laboratories, multiple specialist rooms across arts and performance, two libraries, dedicated computer suites, and sixth form-only study space. That breadth matters because it enables timetabled practical work and specialist delivery at scale, which is often the constraint in large comprehensive settings.

Destinations data is one of the areas where Featherstone publishes some concrete detail, particularly for sixth form. The sixth form prospectus reports that 30% of students were accepted to Russell Group universities for the Class of 2025.

Oxbridge outcomes are best treated as a pipeline indicator rather than a headline target, because cohorts and subject mixes change year to year. In the measurement period provided, six applications were made to Oxford and Cambridge combined, one offer was secured, and one place was accepted.

More broadly, the published sixth form material positions progression support as structured: UCAS preparation, mentoring for high-tariff routes, and targeted support for medicine, dentistry, and law are described as part of the offer. For students who are academically ambitious but would benefit from scaffolding around admissions tests, interviews, and independent study habits, that infrastructure can be as important as raw headline grades.

Year 7 entry (LA co-ordinated)

Admissions for Year 7 are co-ordinated by the London Borough of Ealing through the standard process. The key dates for the September 2026 intake are published by Ealing and are unusually clear:

• Applications open: 01 September 2025

• Closing date for on-time applications: 31 October 2025

• National offer day: 02 March 2026

• Deadline to respond to offers: 16 March 2026

Demand is high. Ealing’s data for Featherstone shows 663 preferences, and the last place offered in 2025 was at 0.731 miles. Distances vary annually based on applicant distribution; proximity provides priority but does not guarantee a place.

For families trying to judge realistic chances, distance is the practical constraint. Use the FindMySchool Map Search to check your exact distance against the most recently offered distance, and to sense-check your shortlist against nearby alternatives.

Open events for the 2026 intake were scheduled during September 2025 in Ealing’s published timetable, including an evening slot for Featherstone. The pattern suggests autumn open events are typical each year; confirm the current year’s dates directly with the school before planning time off work.

Sixth form entry (internal and external)

Featherstone has a large sixth form and invites external applications as well as internal progression. The sixth form prospectus sets clear entry expectations (including minimum GCSE profiles and subject-specific thresholds), and also notes that external students may sit entrance exams for some subjects.

Exact annual deadlines for sixth form applications are not consistently published in a single place across the public pages. Families considering a September start should begin enquiries well before GCSE results season, and plan to attend the sixth form open event cycle where possible.

A large school needs visible systems for safeguarding, behaviour, and daily support. Featherstone has published guidance on punctuality and attendance expectations, and also runs a breakfast club offer for Years 7 to 11, which can be particularly valuable for students who benefit from a settled start and routine.

The March 2025 report also highlighted a need for a more consistently strong approach to teaching and independent study expectations in the sixth form.

For parents, the practical takeaway is not that sixth form is weak, but that students who need very explicit structures around independent study should ask direct questions about how study periods are supervised, how homework is checked, and how academic coaching is delivered across subjects.

Support for students with additional needs is referenced in official material as being planned and shared with staff, with attention to knowing pupils well and keeping expectations high.

Featherstone’s extracurricular offer stands out most clearly in three areas: sport and facilities, structured clubs that go beyond “generic lists”, and large-scale cultural trips.

Sport and facilities

The school’s Sports Centre is a genuine asset: a sports hall sized for five badminton courts, a fitness suite with modern equipment, two dance studios, and floodlit outdoor provision including an astro turf pitch and a multi-use games area. It is also used by external organisations including Brentford Football Club and British Airways Hockey Club, which is a good indicator that the facilities meet high operational standards.

The main prospectus adds additional detail that parents rarely see stated so plainly: a professional 30-foot climbing wall, multiple drama studios, and specialist music facilities including a technical suite for composition and recording. These specifics matter because they show what students can actually do, not just what a school claims to value.

Named clubs and structured enrichment

Clubs and enrichment are published in a way that makes the offer tangible. Timetables list, among other activities, Numeracy Club (invite), Problem Solving Club, Brainwaves Club, Chess Club, and a Book Group for younger years.

On the sport side, published schedules include items such as trampolining, badminton, and a Sixth Form Sports Leaders strand, alongside team sports.

This kind of structure is beneficial for families because it reduces the “you have to know it exists” barrier that can limit take-up of enrichment in very large schools.

The school also references national and enterprise programmes, including the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and Young Enterprise. These are meaningful because they create a route to leadership and practical skills that can strengthen post-16 and university applications, particularly for students who do not have access to these opportunities outside school.

Cultural capital through trips and experiences

The curriculum planning includes published trip examples that are unusually specific: Sky Studios, Pineapple Studios, British Library, Globe Theatre Tour, National Theatre Tour, Royal Albert Hall, and major productions such as Hamilton.

The implication here is straightforward: students can access high-quality cultural experiences through school, which can be particularly valuable in a community where families may have limited time to organise these independently.

The published school day (as set out in staff-facing material) describes an 8.30am start. Finish times are stated as 3.05pm on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, and 2.25pm on Wednesday and Friday.

For earlier arrivals, Breakfast Club is available for Years 7 to 11 from 7.45am to 8.15am.

After-school clubs are referenced as part of the standard offer, but the exact schedule varies by term and activity.

Transport information is clearly described by the school. Southall station is presented as the nearest rail hub, with a walk of around 15 minutes, plus bus routes from the station area to stops near the school.

• Competition for places. Demand is high: Ealing’s published figures show 663 preferences for Year 7 against 280 places for the 2026 cycle, and the last place offered in 2025 was at 0.731 miles. Distances vary annually based on applicant distribution; proximity provides priority but does not guarantee a place.

• Sixth form consistency varies by subject. The sixth form has strong progression support and an ambitious university narrative, but expectations around independent study are an area to probe, especially for students who need close structure.

• Large-school experience. With a roll well above 1,600, students need to be comfortable with a busy environment and multiple teachers. For many, the upside is breadth of subjects and facilities; for others, a smaller setting may feel more personal.

• Costs still exist even without fees. As with most state secondaries, families should budget for uniform and optional extras such as trips or enrichment activities, which can vary year to year.

Featherstone High School is an ambitious, high-performing state secondary with an inspection profile that confirms strong delivery across the core school, and a sixth form that is both sizeable and destination-focused. The academic picture at GCSE is comfortably above England average by ranking, while post-16 outcomes are more mixed but supported by clear progression infrastructure and published Russell Group acceptance data.

Who it suits: families in and around Southall who want a no-fees comprehensive with strong behaviour, clear systems, and breadth of facilities, and students who will engage with structured enrichment and a busy, large-school environment. The main constraint is admissions, not the educational offer.