Focus 1st Academy Review 2026: Independent Alternative Provision with a Strong Behaviour Culture

This is a small, independent alternative provision designed for students who have found mainstream schooling difficult to sustain. The model is built around fast relationship-building, high expectations for behaviour, and carefully planned re-engagement with learning, including pathways that combine GCSE subjects with practical, vocational options.

The latest Ofsted inspection (25 to 27 March 2025) judged the school Good overall, with Outstanding grades for behaviour and attitudes and personal development.

Provision is delivered across more than one site, which matters for families because it can shape travel, routines, and the feel of day-to-day school life. In March 2025 the school was operating from its Bowes Road base in New Southgate and from the Laura Trott Leisure Centre in Cheshunt, with registration also covering an additional New Southgate site.

The defining feature here is how quickly students are brought into a stable routine. Staff put time into understanding prior experiences and interests, then use that knowledge to create a sense of belonging and safety. That is a practical, operational choice rather than a slogan, and it is central to why this setting can work for students who have experienced disrupted schooling.

Behaviour expectations are explicit and consistently reinforced, and students respond to that clarity. Peer relationships are also an important part of the picture, with students encouraged to support classmates who are new to the setting. When this works well, it changes the social dynamic from “survive the day” to “I can manage the day”, which is often the first step towards sustained academic progress.

Leadership is unusually direct, in that the headteacher is also the proprietor, and the organisation describes its founding mission in strongly personal terms. For parents, this can be a strength because it often means decisions are made quickly and the educational vision is coherent. It can also be a risk factor to explore, because governance structures look different when ownership and leadership are tightly aligned.

On FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking (based on official data), the school is ranked 4,351st in England and 28th in Enfield. This places it below England average, within the lower-performing 40% of schools in England on this measure. (FindMySchool ranking.)

0% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above in the English Baccalaureate measure, and the school’s average EBacc point score is recorded as 0.23, compared with an England reference point of 4.08. These figures point to significant challenge in securing the full EBacc suite, which is consistent with a setting focused on re-engagement and a high-needs cohort rather than maximising traditional headline measures.

A practical note for families interpreting any published outcomes: alternative provision cohorts are typically small and highly variable year to year, which can make single-year measures look more extreme than in larger mainstream schools.

Teaching is organised around identifying gaps quickly and rebuilding confidence through structured success. Students often arrive with interrupted learning, so assessment on entry matters, and staff use early checks to establish starting points and plan next steps. External professionals are also used to strengthen the accuracy of needs identification, which supports more appropriate teaching decisions and fewer mismatches between student need and classroom approach.

The curriculum intent is ambitious, aiming for national qualifications such as GCSEs and functional skills, while also keeping pathways practical. Early reading support is explicitly referenced as an area that has been strengthened through staff training and targeted teaching, including timely checks and intervention for students who have fallen behind in phonics.

There are, however, clear improvement points. In some subjects, curriculum sequencing and clarity of what should be learned, and when, is not yet consistent; and at times teaching does not respond sharply enough to misconceptions. For parents, the implication is that academic recovery may be stronger in some areas than others, and it is reasonable to ask how subject leaders check consistency across the timetable, particularly for students sitting GCSEs.

As an 11 to 16 setting, the “next step” question is mainly about reintegration into mainstream (where appropriate), progression to further education, and readiness for training or employment pathways.

Careers education is described as deliberate and individualised, with guidance focused on realistic routes into further education and work. Work experience is part of the model, matched carefully to talents and interests, which can be particularly valuable for students who need a clear line of sight between learning and future options.

For families, the key question to explore is how transitions are planned and tracked. Because students may join during the year, transition planning needs to be responsive, and it should cover attendance stabilisation, qualification entry decisions, and the practical handover to post-16 providers.

Admissions here do not follow the standard “open evening, apply by January” pattern. Referrals are routed through schools and or local authorities, and the school publishes referral processes and forms for both mainstream schools and local authorities.

Students may join at different points in the school year, which is common for alternative provision and often necessary for those whose mainstream placement has broken down.

For parents, this means the admissions conversation usually involves multiple parties:

• the current or previous school (if applicable)

• the local authority (particularly where an Education, Health and Care Plan is involved)

• Focus 1st Academy, to agree suitability, timetable, and start arrangements

If you are early in the process, it can help to use FindMySchool’s Saved Schools feature to keep a clear shortlist of options (including alternative provision and local mainstream alternatives), then track what each route requires in practice.

This setting places wellbeing and stability at the centre of the educational model, which aligns with its SEMH focus. The school publishes safeguarding and wellbeing structures, including designated safeguarding roles and access to counselling support.

Students also receive structured input on risk and safety topics relevant to adolescent life, including online harms and exploitation risks, and the aim is to build practical decision-making alongside academic learning.

Ofsted also confirmed safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Extracurricular here is best understood as enrichment designed to rebuild confidence, routines, and engagement, rather than a traditional menu of clubs. The school describes a blend of sport, creative activity, and practical pathways that support personal development and employability.

There is clear emphasis on vocational learning. Published course pathways include VTCT Hair and Beauty, VTCT Barbering, VTCT Food Tech, and functional skills and ICT options, alongside GCSEs such as art and physical education. For students who learn best through tangible outcomes and practical competence, these pathways can be a meaningful re-entry point into education.

Sport and physical activity are used as part of the wider programme. The school describes access to a range of sports and on-site facilities at its leisure-centre-based campus, and it also sets out structured enrichment including football coaching delivered by a Tottenham Hotspur coach, plus fitness sessions at a local gym. The practical implication is that physical activity is not an add-on, it is used as a vehicle for teamwork, routine, and self-regulation.

Creative provision also appears in multiple places, including art and music-related opportunities. Where students have previously disengaged, creative subjects can offer a fast route back to pride in work and sustained attention, which then supports learning in more demanding academic areas.

Although this is an independent school, placements are commonly commissioned via schools and or local authorities rather than funded directly by parents, and admissions are handled through referral routes.

The most recent published fee figure is an annual day fee of £9,500.

The school does not present a typical “fee schedule by year group” on its website, so families should confirm how costs apply in their specific circumstances, including what is covered (for example, meals, therapies, transport, or any vocational course materials), and whether funding is via a local authority route.

The school operates across multiple locations, including New Southgate and Cheshunt, so travel planning matters. The website also signposts proximity to local rail and Underground links for certain sites, which is useful for older students where independent travel is part of reintegration planning.

Term dates for the 2025 to 2026 academic year are published on the school’s site, which is important given the non-standard entry pattern in alternative provision.

Wraparound care is not presented in the way a mainstream primary would publish it. Families should assume arrangements are bespoke to timetable, transport, and referral agreements, and clarify the practicalities during the referral process.

• Not a standard admissions route. Entry is via referral from schools and or local authorities, which can be appropriate for the cohort, but it means parents cannot rely on mainstream admissions timelines.

• Multiple sites. Delivery across different locations can be a positive if it broadens facilities, but it also adds complexity to routines, travel, and consistency of experience.

• Academic measures may look stark. Published GCSE measures indicate significant challenge. Families should ask how the school decides which qualifications each student enters, and what “success” looks like for different starting points.

• Governance model. The proprietor and headteacher roles are held by the same person, which can make leadership coherent and responsive, but it is sensible to ask how challenge and oversight are structured.

Focus 1st Academy is best understood as a re-engagement setting: tight routines, clear behaviour expectations, and a curriculum that blends GCSEs with practical pathways. It will suit families whose child needs a smaller environment, rapid relationship-building, and a reset after disrupted schooling, particularly where a referral route is already in motion. The key decision point is fit, including whether the multi-site model, vocational pathways, and intensive pastoral approach match the student’s needs and the local authority’s plan.