Pinner High School Review 2026: High expectations, strong GCSE outcomes, and a growing sixth form

Purposeful is the word that comes through most clearly in Pinner High School’s public materials and official evaluations. Opened as a secondary free school in September 2016, it has expanded quickly into a full 11 to 18 offer, with a sixth form that is now a central part of the school’s identity.

Leadership continuity matters in fast-growing schools. Mr Raj Patel is the current headteacher and took up post in September 2022, a period that includes the continued development of Years 12 and 13 and a tightening of whole-school routines as numbers increased.

Academically, the headline is GCSE performance. On FindMySchool’s GCSE ranking (based on official datasets), the school sits comfortably within the top quarter of secondary schools in England. Locally, it places strongly within Harrow. A-level outcomes are more mid-range on the same ranking approach, which is often what you see in newer sixth forms that are still bedding in.

Admissions are the other headline. In the March 2025 allocation round for September 2025 entry, Harrow recorded 1,202 applications for 180 places, and the furthest distance offered was 0.639 miles. Distances vary annually based on applicant distribution; proximity provides priority but does not guarantee a place.

The school’s tone is clear. Expectations are explicit, and students are encouraged to take responsibility for their conduct and learning. In the most recent official visit, the school is described as having an aspirational spirit, with students trusted to behave maturely and routines that support calm, purposeful days.

A distinctive feature of Pinner High is that it is both new and rooted in an older educational site story. Before Pinner High opened, the site hosted Pinner County Grammar School and later other educational institutions, and the school’s own history page preserves unusually detailed local context, including references to a 1930s art deco influenced design language in parts of the older building footprint and later additions in the late 1960s. This matters less as nostalgia and more as an explanation for why the campus feels like a layered, evolved school site rather than a single-era build.

The school is part of Harrow Academies Trust, established locally to create Pinner High School and other provision. For parents, trust membership is most relevant when it affects governance, shared expectations, and staff development. The March 2025 inspection documentation explicitly places the school within that trust context.

Pastoral culture is easier to evidence when a school publishes specific mechanisms rather than broad values statements. Two examples stand out. First, a structured approach to inclusion includes the ARMS Provision, a specialist autism resource route allocated via Harrow’s SEN processes. Second, the wider personal development offer is not positioned as optional extra, it is integrated through formal programmes, including the Head’s Challenge, which is presented as a timetable-embedded enrichment model rather than a loose list of clubs.

For families comparing outcomes, it helps to separate three things: attainment, progress, and relative position.

GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool rankings and metrics)

Pinner High School is ranked 733rd in England for GCSE outcomes and 7th in Harrow (FindMySchool ranking based on official datasets). This places the school above England average overall and comfortably within the top quarter of schools in England on this measure (top 25%).

The school’s Attainment 8 score is 57.6, which indicates strong average achievement across a basket of GCSE subjects. In subjects linked to the English Baccalaureate, the EBacc average point score is 5.42 and 31.5% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in the EBacc measure shown.

Progress matters because it speaks to what the school adds. The Progress 8 score is 0.72, which indicates students, on average, make well above average progress from the end of primary school to GCSE compared with pupils with similar starting points.

Parents comparing several Harrow secondaries can use the FindMySchool Local Hub page to view GCSE positioning side by side using the Comparison Tool, which is often quicker than jumping between multiple performance pages.

A-level outcomes (FindMySchool rankings and metrics)

A-level results sit in a more typical range nationally on the same methodology. Pinner High School is ranked 1,153rd in England for A-level outcomes and 12th in Harrow (FindMySchool ranking based on official datasets). This reflects solid performance in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

Grade distribution shows 5.19% A*, 19.16% A, 25.32% B, and 49.68% A* to B. Against the England averages provided alongside the dataset, A* to A sits slightly above the comparator, and A* to B is also marginally higher than the England figure listed.

A practical interpretation

A common pattern in newer sixth forms is that GCSE outcomes stabilise earlier than sixth form outcomes, particularly while cohorts, subject uptake, and staffing settle into predictable rhythms. The March 2025 inspection narrative also notes the school’s growth and the need to develop staff expertise to deliver consistently high-quality provision in Years 12 and 13, which aligns with a “building maturity” story at post-16.

Curriculum intent is described in ambitious terms and, importantly, in sequenced terms. The latest official visit refers to an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum with adaptations that enable students with special educational needs and disabilities to achieve well alongside their peers.

Where Pinner High becomes more distinctive is in how it structures enrichment as learning, not simply as activities. The Head’s Challenge is described as a year-long programme bringing together extra-curricular clubs, house events, outdoor adventure and charity work, and it is positioned as being embedded within the regular timetable, particularly at Key Stage 3. The school describes nine different Head’s Challenge clubs grouped under three themes: Inspiring Your Future, Inspiring Creativity, and Inspiring Activity.

The implication for students is straightforward. If your child responds well to structured extension, short-course style enrichment, and opportunities to try “new” academic territories in a low-stakes way, the school’s model should suit. If your child prefers fewer moving parts and a narrower weekly rhythm, you will want to understand how the timetable integration works in practice, and how participation expectations are communicated.

Pinner High School has a sixth form, so the question becomes outcomes at 18 and the strength of guidance for multiple routes.

University, apprenticeships, employment

For the 2023 to 2024 leavers cohort (cohort size 93), 81% progressed to university, 3% to apprenticeships, 9% to employment, and 1% to further education. These figures are a useful directional picture of the typical destination mix for the sixth form, without pretending that every student follows the same path.

Oxbridge narrative

Oxbridge pathways exist but they are not the main story numerically in the available data. In the most recent Oxbridge dataset, six students applied and one student ultimately accepted a Cambridge place. For parents, the implication is that the school supports high-end applications, but the sixth form profile is better understood as broad, with strong mainstream university progression and multiple routes, rather than as an Oxbridge pipeline.

Careers and wider preparation

The March 2025 inspection text highlights a careers programme that includes talks from industry professionals, plus trips and visits, with sixth form students contributing to assemblies and acting as role models.

On the school website, sixth form enrichment is also described in practical terms, including mentoring younger students and running clubs or societies, alongside volunteering and work experience opportunities.

Pinner High is a state school. Admission to Year 7 is managed through Harrow’s coordinated admissions process rather than direct paid registration.

Demand and distance

Competition for places is significant. For September 2025 entry, Harrow recorded 1,202 applications for 180 places, and the furthest distance offered on 3 March 2025 was 0.639 miles. Distances vary annually based on applicant distribution; proximity provides priority but does not guarantee a place.

The school’s own admissions page echoes this level of demand and provides the same broad picture for families considering Year 7.

This is where precision matters. If you are relying on distance, use a dedicated distance checker and compare your home-to-school measurement against the last allocation distance, then treat it as a guide rather than a promise. FindMySchool’s Map Search is designed for exactly this type of reality check.

Key dates for Year 7 (September 2026 entry)

Harrow publishes the main secondary transfer timeline clearly: applications open 1 September 2025, close 31 October 2025, and offers are released on 2 March 2026, with acceptance and appeals deadlines later in March.

Open events are helpful for understanding whether the school’s structure and routines match your child. For the September 2026 intake cycle, the school advertised an open evening on 2 October 2025, with tours through the evening and headteacher talks at set times.

If you are reading this after those dates, the pattern suggests autumn open events are typical, but the school calendar should be your source of truth for the next cycle.

Sixth form entry

For Year 12, the admissions route is more direct. The school publishes a clear application window for 2026 sixth form entry, opening on 3 November 2025 and closing on 16 January 2026, alongside a sixth form open evening in October 2025.

Harrow also operates a collegiate model across sixth forms for some courses, and the school’s published materials reference this arrangement, which can widen subject options but may involve travel between centres for particular pathways.

Evidence-based wellbeing commentary usually comes down to safeguarding culture, behaviour consistency, and specific support routes.

Safeguarding arrangements are described as effective in the most recent official visit.

Behaviour expectations are described as high, with fair and consistent responses when students fall short. The practical implication is that the school is likely to suit children who appreciate clarity and predictability in routines.

For additional needs, the school publishes a significant amount of detail. The ARMS Provision is a specialist route for students with an Education, Health and Care Plan and a primary diagnosis of autism, allocated by Harrow’s SEN team. Places are limited (12 in the provision as described), and the model is explicitly framed as additional support without separating students from mainstream lessons.

For parents, the key question is fit: whether the blend of mainstream participation plus targeted support matches your child’s needs and sensory profile.

Pinner High’s extracurricular offer is best understood as structured enrichment rather than a casual afterthought.

Head’s Challenge clubs and short courses

The Head’s Challenge is presented as a year-long programme bringing together clubs, house events, outdoor adventure and charity work, and it is framed as timetable-integrated enrichment, especially at Key Stage 3.

The most recent official visit gives concrete examples of short-course style content within this model, including coding, poetry, architecture and debating.

The implication for families is that enrichment here can feel like an extension of the curriculum rather than a separate “club time” bolted onto the end of the day.

Named clubs and academic societies

Specific club names are sometimes hard to verify because schools rotate offerings. One of the more reliable sources is curriculum documentation that references ongoing super-curricular activity. A published Year 8 curriculum plan describes a set of history-related super-curricular clubs including Ancient History club, Formal debate club, Scholar club, Historical writing club, and Critical thinking.

These names signal an academically engaged culture where subject departments expect students to stretch beyond lesson content.

Music, performance, and wider development

Many pupils sit graded exams in music and the performing arts, which usually points to a combination of instrumental tuition, performance opportunities, and staff capacity to support assessment routes.

The school also publishes information about Duke of Edinburgh participation as part of its wider offer.

The school day has clear published timings. The site states the school is open to students from 8.00am, with registration from 8.25am and Period 1 beginning at 8.45am. Students typically finish at 2.45pm on four days, with one later finish at 3.35pm depending on year group.

Extracurricular activities, interventions, and sports run after the main finish time, and timings vary by activity.

Term dates are published on the school website, including INSET arrangements and half term weeks, which is useful for planning family logistics.

For transport, the admissions page lists several local bus routes serving the school, including H11, H12, H13, 282 and 398.

Rail and Underground access in this part of Harrow is typically via the Metropolitan line, with Pinner Underground Station in Zone 5 a key local node.

As a secondary school, “wraparound care” is not usually offered in the same way as in primary schools. The school does not present a single, dedicated before-and-after-school childcare offer on its main practical pages, so families who need supervised provision beyond the published day should ask directly what is available by year group and term, including homework clubs and interventions.

• Admission is genuinely competitive. The March 2025 allocation round for September 2025 entry recorded 1,202 applications for 180 places, with the furthest distance offered at 0.639 miles. Distances vary annually based on applicant distribution; proximity provides priority but does not guarantee a place.

• A-level outcomes are more mid-range than GCSE outcomes. The school’s A-level ranking sits in line with the middle 35% of schools in England, which may be fine for many students, but families focused on highly academic sixth form performance should compare subject breadth, teaching capacity, and outcomes carefully.

• A newer sixth form can be a positive, or a question mark, depending on the child. Growth is explicitly referenced in the March 2025 inspection material, including the need to build staff expertise for Years 12 and 13. For confident, self-directed students, a growing sixth form can offer leadership opportunities; for those needing a long-established post-16 culture, ask detailed questions.

• Specialist autism provision is limited-capacity and process-led. The ARMS Provision is EHCP-linked and allocated through Harrow’s SEN processes, with limited places. If this route is relevant, timelines and evidence requirements matter, and early engagement is advisable.

Pinner High School offers a high-expectation secondary education with strong GCSE performance and a well-structured approach to wider development through programmes like the Head’s Challenge. The sixth form is a growing part of the school and produces a strong mainstream destination profile, with most leavers progressing to university.

It best suits families who want clear routines, strong progress through GCSE, and an enrichment model that feels integrated into learning rather than optional. The limiting factor is usually admission, not the education once a place is secured.