Heron Hall Academy Review 2026: Large Enfield secondary with a clear character curriculum and an expanding post-16 offer

A relatively young secondary on the former Middlesex University site in Ponders End, this is a large, mixed school for ages 11 to 19 that has built its identity around character education and inclusion. It opened in September 2013 as a free school and now operates as an eight-form entry academy with a published admission number of 240 in Year 7.

The sixth form is new, first opening in September 2023, which matters for parents because post-16 routines, course breadth, and destination patterns are still settling into a longer-term rhythm.

Leadership has also been in transition. A trust letter dated 17 December 2025 confirms that David Maytham was appointed Interim Headteacher following Arthur Barzey’s departure.

The school presents itself as values-led, using the STRIVE framework as the organising language for behaviour, culture, and what “good citizenship” looks like day to day. STRIVE is defined explicitly as Supportive, Tolerant, Resilient, Integrity, Visionary, and Excellence, with pupil-friendly statements attached to each value.

External evidence broadly aligns with that positioning. The most recent Ofsted inspection describes a community where pupils feel safe, staff are well trained to support worries, and inclusion is a lived feature of the school’s culture, including for pupils with special educational needs and or disabilities.

A distinctive element of the wider culture is the emphasis on contribution. The inspection report references pupils serving breakfasts to nearby elderly residents and working towards the Diana Award, which suggests that community participation is not treated as a bolt-on.

With a new interim head in post from December 2025, families touring in 2026 should expect messaging that balances continuity with a “steadying the ship” tone. The trust’s communication frames the interim appointment as a stability measure while a permanent recruitment process begins.

Heron Hall’s GCSE performance profile sits broadly in line with the middle group of schools in England, rather than at either extreme. For parents, this usually translates into a school where outcomes are solid for many students, with the next step being about how consistently strong teaching is across departments and how well the school supports pupils who need catch-up or stretch.

Ranked 2,619th in England and 19th in Enfield for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), this places the school in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

The headline attainment measure is an Attainment 8 score of 44.1, alongside a Progress 8 score of +0.17, indicating students make above-average progress from their starting points overall.

The EBacc picture is more nuanced. The proportion achieving grades 5 or above in the EBacc is 6.6, with an EBacc average point score of 3.79. In practical terms, families for whom a broad academic core is a priority should explore how EBacc entry and outcomes are distributed by cohort and whether the school’s option patterns align with their child’s strengths.

A-level results are not available for this school, and there is no A-level ranking shown, so a post-16 decision should lean more heavily on course fit, entry requirements, and the support model for study habits and independent learning.

Parents comparing nearby options can use FindMySchool’s Local Hub and Comparison Tool to view GCSE context side by side, including progress measures and local rank, before narrowing visits to the best fit.

The curriculum model is described in official inspection evidence as carefully considered and sequenced, with recall activities used to build knowledge over time. The report gives a concrete example in English, where pupils use prior understanding of language structures, techniques, and context to analyse increasingly complex texts.

Teaching quality appears strongest where that planned curriculum is implemented consistently. Inspectors note that teachers generally present knowledge clearly and check understanding routinely, which supports quicker identification and correction of misconceptions.

Where the school is still sharpening its approach is consistency across subjects. The inspection report flags that in a small number of areas teaching does not consistently focus on the most important ideas, which can limit how well some pupils build the foundations needed for more challenging content later.

For students who need additional support, the same inspection evidence points to systems designed to identify pupils with additional needs, including pupils at early stages of learning English, and to share strategies with staff so pupils can access the same curriculum as peers.

Where Students Go Next

Post-16 at Heron Hall is still in its early years. The sixth form opened in September 2023 and, at the time of the October 2024 inspection, the sixth-form roll was recorded as 115 students. This scale can be attractive for students who want a smaller post-16 community with more direct staff oversight, but it can also mean that some subjects run with smaller class sizes only where demand supports it.

The inspection evidence places notable emphasis on careers education. Pupils and sixth-form students are described as having multiple opportunities to prepare for education, employment, or training, including work experience placements and an annual careers fair. For families, the practical implication is that the school is trying to build “next steps” as a structured programme rather than leaving it to informal support late in Year 11 or Year 13.

There is also evidence of wider enrichment linked to aspiration, including talks with a criminal barrister and visits such as Kew Gardens and the Houses of Parliament. These are useful signals for parents who want reassurance that “London as a classroom” is part of the lived experience rather than an occasional trip.

The school does not publish Russell Group or Oxbridge totals in the materials reviewed here, and the destination dataset fields available for this school are not populated. The best approach is to ask, during a sixth-form visit, how progression is tracked by pathway (A-level and vocational), and what support looks like for UCAS, apprenticeships, and employment routes.

Heron Hall’s Year 7 admissions are coordinated through Enfield as the admissions authority. The school’s published admission number for Year 7 is 240.

For September 2026 entry, the school sets out the key dates clearly: applications open 1 September 2025, the on-time closing date is 31 October 2025, and outcomes are sent by the local authority on 1 March 2026.

The school also publicises open events for prospective families. For the 2026 entry cycle, it published a Year 7 open evening on Monday 29 September 2025, plus morning tours during the first week of October, and a sixth-form open evening on Thursday 23 October 2025. If families are reading this later in the cycle, treat these as a pattern indicator, late September to early October, rather than assuming dates repeat exactly.

Sixth-form entry requirements are published in the school’s admissions arrangements, with a stated minimum for an A-level academic pathway of 6 GCSE grades 9 to 4, including at least 3 grades 9 to 6, and subject-specific requirements applying by course.

For families managing shortlists across Enfield, FindMySchool’s Saved Schools feature is useful here because it keeps application timelines, open event planning, and travel feasibility in one place, which matters when deadlines fall in the same month across multiple schools.

Pastoral messaging is strongly aligned with the STRIVE framework, which gives staff and students a common language for behaviour expectations and interpersonal conduct.

Safeguarding is described as effective in the most recent inspection evidence, and pupils are described as feeling safe and able to speak to staff about worries. For parents, the practical question to explore on a visit is how concerns are triaged, who the key safeguarding contacts are for different year groups, and how the school communicates with families when issues arise.

Behaviour appears generally positive in lessons, with low-level disruption usually managed quickly, supported by tracking systems that help identify patterns. The area flagged for improvement is consistency during movement around the building, where behaviour does not always match leaders’ expectations.

Co-curricular activity is presented as a meaningful part of school life, with a mix of academic, creative, and sport options. The 2024 to 2025 clubs timetable includes Robotics Club at lunchtime, Coding Club after school, Cooking Club after school, Film Club at lunchtime, Sewing Club at lunchtime, and an Author Club after school, plus organised sport sessions including netball and football.

What makes this more than a generic list is the way some activities connect to wider priorities. Robotics and coding map neatly onto employability and future study pathways, while author and film clubs support literacy and cultural breadth. For pupils who struggle to find their niche, structured clubs can be a low-stakes route to belonging, particularly in a large secondary where friendship groups and identity can otherwise feel harder to establish.

The inspection report also highlights enrichment with an academic or civic angle, including talks with a criminal barrister and organised visits beyond the immediate local area. For families, the implication is that aspiration-building is being treated as part of the school’s planned offer, not only as optional extras.

This is a state school with no tuition fees.

The published school day structure starts with form time at 8.40am and runs through to 3.30pm, with a shorter finish on Thursdays at 2.25pm due to staff training.

Transport-wise, the school is in Ponders End, with local rail and bus links supporting travel from across Enfield and neighbouring areas. Ponders End Station is a nearby National Rail option, and TfL bus services operate at Ponders End Station and Ponders End Park stops.

• Leadership transition. The interim headteacher appointment in December 2025 signals change at the top. For some families this is reassuring, for others it is a reason to ask detailed questions about continuity of behaviour systems, staffing stability, and the timeline for a permanent appointment.

• Consistency across subjects. Inspection evidence highlights that some subjects are earlier in curriculum design and teaching does not always prioritise the most important ideas, which can affect how securely pupils build knowledge for later challenge.

• Behaviour between lessons. Behaviour is described as generally positive in lessons, but the school is asked to improve consistency when pupils move around the building. Families sensitive to corridor culture should probe how this is being addressed.

• Thursday finish time. The earlier Thursday finish at 2.25pm can be helpful for staff development; it also requires practical planning for families who need supervision later in the afternoon.

Heron Hall Academy is a large Enfield secondary with a clear values framework, a strong inclusion message, and a growing sixth form that is still establishing its longer-term outcomes pattern. Teaching is strongest where the planned curriculum is implemented consistently, and students benefit from a purposeful enrichment offer that includes both clubs and wider visits. It suits families who want a structured, values-led environment with above-average student progress overall, and who are prepared to engage actively with the school’s routines and expectations. The main variables to weigh are leadership transition and consistency across departments.