Ernest Bevin Academy Review 2026: A boys’ secondary with a co-educational sixth form and a strong practical streak

Ernest Bevin Academy sits in a long-running local story. A school has operated on Beechcroft Road since September 1926, with the current institution formed through mergers and later renaming, most recently becoming Ernest Bevin Academy when it joined United Learning in 2023.

Today, the shape is clear, boys from Year 7 to Year 11, then a mixed sixth form. Day-to-day routines are explicit, students are expected in by 08:35, lessons run through to 15:10, and after-school activities typically extend the day beyond that.

Academically, the headline at GCSE is progress. A Progress 8 score of 0.59 suggests students, on average, achieve significantly above expectations from their starting points. At A-level, the published grade profile is more modest, and the outcomes sit below the England average across the top-grade measures. For families, that combination usually reads as, strong improvement and momentum at Key Stage 4, with sixth form performance still an area to interrogate carefully.

A school with almost a century on one road tends to carry its history lightly or heavily; here, it is used as context rather than costume. The official history page traces the institution back to Bec Grammar School opening in 1926, the later opening of Hillcroft School in 1960, a merger into Bec-Hillcroft in 1970, and a rename to Ernest Bevin School in 1971. A major rebuilding programme in the 1990s culminated in the Ernest Bevin College name in 1997, before the current academy identity in 2023.

Leadership is also in a transition moment. Mr Damola Ademolake is the Principal and announced that he would be joining in September 2025, framing a clear set of priorities around teaching, expectations, and community links. For parents, a new principal era can be a positive inflection point, but it can also mean policies tighten, routines become more standardised, and the school’s feel changes quickly. The best way to judge alignment is to ask what has changed since September 2025, then look for consistency in how staff explain the rationale.

Values language is simple and repeated consistently, Ambition, Perseverance, and Unity. That is useful because it gives parents a shared vocabulary to discuss behaviour, effort, and belonging with their child. In practice, the wider published materials lean into high expectations and clear routines, including a detailed timing structure to the day and a strong emphasis on punctuality.

The most recent graded Ofsted inspection, carried out in June 2022, judged the school Good overall, with Good in quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth form provision. Beyond the headline, the underlying picture is of a calm, purposeful learning environment with consistent routines, a strong focus on reading, and a culture that expects students to work hard and attend regularly.

Ernest Bevin Academy’s GCSE outcomes land in a broadly middle band when benchmarked across England, but the internal story is more interesting than the headline rank.

GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool rankings based on official data)

Ranked 1,301st in England and 15th in Wandsworth for GCSE outcomes. This reflects solid performance, in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

The Progress 8 score is the stand-out metric at GCSE. At 0.59, it indicates students make well above average progress from their Key Stage 2 starting points. That matters because it is less about who the school admits and more about what happens once students arrive. In a boys’ comprehensive intake, a consistently strong progress score typically aligns with clear lesson structures, reliable behaviour expectations, and targeted academic support.

Attainment 8 sits at 49.5, which is a reasonable level for a non-selective London boys’ school. The EBacc measures are more mixed, with 22% achieving grade 5 or above across the EBacc subjects. For some families, that is a sign to ask how language uptake is promoted and how humanities options are positioned, particularly for students who may benefit from the breadth that EBacc subjects can bring.

A-level outcomes (FindMySchool rankings based on official data)

Ranked 2,068th in England and 12th in Wandsworth for A-level outcomes. This places results below the England average overall.

The A-level grade distribution reinforces that picture. 1.46% of entries achieved A*, 10.95% achieved A, and 32.12% achieved A* to B. Against England averages for the same top-grade measures, this is lower. The important nuance is that sixth form cohorts vary more year to year than GCSE, and a sixth form offering multiple pathways often has a wider attainment spread by design.

If you are comparing local options, the FindMySchool Local Hub page and Comparison Tool are the quickest way to view Ernest Bevin’s GCSE and A-level measures side by side with neighbouring Wandsworth and south London schools.

The school’s published approach leans towards structured learning habits and repeatable routines. That is often a good fit for many boys, particularly those who benefit from predictable lesson starts, consistent expectations on equipment and homework, and short feedback loops.

One practical indicator is the way literacy is positioned. The Accelerated Reader programme is used to support reading development, with Year 7 and Year 8 assessed once a term and guided towards appropriately pitched books. This matters because, in secondary schools, reading gaps are frequently the hidden constraint behind underperformance in humanities, science, and even mathematics. A programme that gives students a level, a target, and frequent checks can be a strong scaffold, provided it is implemented with fidelity and students are held to account for reading time.

Support for high-attaining students is also explicit. The Aiming for A initiative is described as wrap-around support targeted at students aiming for grade 7 and above at GCSE and grade A and above at A-level, with trips, events, and structured feedback loops with staff. For parents of academically ambitious boys, the key question is not whether such a programme exists, but how students are selected, how progress is tracked, and what it changes in weekly practice, for example additional practice, academic clinics, or subject-specific stretch.

A second useful indicator is how the school describes lesson structure and staff expertise in formal external evaluation. The most recent inspection described strong subject knowledge and lessons designed to help students remember more over time, with routines that minimise disruption. In practical terms, that tends to show up as consistent retrieval practice, clear modelling, careful sequencing, and a strong focus on behaviour norms so teaching time is protected.

For many families, destination data is where school marketing often becomes vague. Ernest Bevin’s public destination information is more concrete than many, in the sense that it lists named courses and universities, and occasionally gives student counts.

The sixth form narrative is clearly oriented towards STEM. The destinations page highlights students progressing to subjects such as Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Cyber Security, and related pathways, with universities including Queen Mary University of London, Leeds, Southampton, Nottingham, Birmingham, Brunel, Kingston, City St George’s (University of London), Surrey, Reading, and others. It also includes specific examples where numbers are stated, for instance Aerospace Engineering at Kingston University London (7 students) and Computer Science at Kingston University London (2 students) in the published 2024 list.

On the most selective end, Oxbridge entry is present but at a small scale in the available data. In the measured period, there were 3 applications, 1 offer, and 1 acceptance to Oxford or Cambridge combined. For a comprehensive sixth form, that usually indicates focused support for a small number of highly academic students rather than a large Oxbridge pipeline.

If Oxbridge or medicine is central to your child’s plan, look closely at the sixth form’s stated support structure and timelines. The careers guidance materials describe a specific programme for students aiming for Oxbridge and medicine, with those application deadlines falling in September of Year 13, earlier than the standard UCAS cycle. The right question to ask is how many students are on that pathway each year, what preparation is provided, and how much is embedded in timetable time rather than optional sessions.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through the local authority route rather than direct application to the school. Ernest Bevin’s published planned admission number for Year 7 is 120. If the school is oversubscribed, priority follows a standard pattern: Education, Health and Care Plans naming the school, then looked-after and previously looked-after children, exceptional medical or social need, siblings, children of staff, and finally straight-line distance from home to the school using the local authority’s measurement system.

For September 2026 entry, the deadline to apply for Year 7 is 31 October 2025. Wandsworth’s admissions guidance confirms applications open from 1 September 2025 for entry in September 2026. The admissions policy also confirms that outcome notifications are sent on 1 March 2026, which is the normal national offer day timing.

For families considering the move, it is worth treating distance as an important variable even when the school does not publish a single catchment line. The practical step is to use the FindMySchoolMap Search to check your precise straight-line distance to the school and compare that to historic offer patterns for similar Wandsworth schools, while remembering that outcomes vary year to year.

Year 12 entry is mixed gender and open to external applicants as well as internal progression, provided entry requirements are met. The published general thresholds are, for A-level routes, 5 GCSEs at grade 6 plus subject-specific requirements; for BTEC routes, 5 GCSEs at grade 4; and for a mixed pathway, 5 GCSEs at grade 5. Specific sixth form application deadlines are not consistently stated on the main admissions page, so families should treat autumn term as the typical window and confirm exact dates directly via the school’s sixth form admissions portal.

Pastoral structure looks deliberately layered. The parent information booklet identifies role-holders including a safeguarding and wellbeing lead, a healthcare coordinator, and pastoral support officers aligned to key stages. A school that names these roles and describes processes usually has clearer escalation routes, which matters most when a student is struggling.

Support for mental health is also described in practical terms. The school reports achieving the Wellbeing Award for Schools twice, and describes access to a qualified counsellor offering weekly one-to-one sessions via referral. In addition, it describes a peer support approach through Year 10 Wellbeing Ambassadors who run a lunchtime club for younger year groups, positioned as a space for peer support and mentoring.

Behaviour systems appear structured, with emphasis on routines and restorative approaches for resolving issues. The most recent inspection also supported a picture of calm lessons with behaviour rarely disrupting learning, alongside a clear message that any unkind or discriminatory language between students needed continued focus. For parents, that combination often translates to, strong baseline order, with the ongoing work being culture-building around respect and language norms.

This is a school where enrichment is not treated as an optional extra. The published list of clubs includes Sculpture Club, Debate, DT Club, Drama Club, STEM activities, Swimming, and Table Tennis, alongside core sports such as cricket and football. Trips are unusually ambitious for a mainstream state school offer, with examples including visits to CERN in Switzerland, skiing trips, and trips to China. The implication for families is twofold: there is genuine breadth for students who engage, and there may also be a steady flow of communications, consent forms, and costs to manage.

Two signature features stand out.

First, the Combined Cadet Force. Ernest Bevin states it is one of only three schools in London to have a Royal Marines CCF section, with the contingent launched in 2016 and an official opening parade on 19 April 2017. In a boys’ school context, this can be a powerful channel for leadership, teamwork, and self-discipline, but it is not for every student. Parents should ask how time commitment is balanced with academic demands, and how inclusive the programme is for students who are curious but not yet confident.

Second, facilities. The school advertises a 25m indoor swimming pool, a dojo, a gym, and two sports halls, including a large hall with cricket nets and basketball hoops. A pool of that size is relatively rare in a London state school and opens up both curricular and extracurricular options, including for students who do not connect with traditional team sports.

Music appears principally as a co-curricular offer rather than a headline curriculum strength. The school promotes individual instrumental lessons for piano, guitar, and drum kit, priced at £22.50 per 30-minute lesson, with 36 lessons across the year and payments structured as £270 per term. For families weighing value, this is often cheaper than external provision and reduces travel friction, but it is still a commitment, and parents should confirm current pricing and availability each year.

The published daily structure is precise. Students are expected to be in school by 08:35, registration and assembly run 08:40 to 09:10, and lesson five ends at 15:10, with extra-curricular activity typically running to around 16:00. Breakfast club is listed as free and runs 08:15 to 08:30. Wraparound care beyond that is not described as a formal paid after-school provision in the published materials; families who need consistent childcare coverage into early evening should confirm what is available term by term.

For transport, the school states it is around a 10-minute walk from Tooting Bec Underground Station (Northern line). That matters for sixth formers travelling from across London, and for Year 7 families who may be planning independent travel later in Key Stage 3. Parking availability is described as event-dependent, which is typical for London sites.

• Sixth form outcomes lag GCSE progress. GCSE progress is strong, but A-level top-grade rates and the overall A-level ranking sit below England averages. Families should ask how teaching capacity and subject availability differ by pathway, and how the sixth form is improving year on year.

• Boys-only culture needs to fit your child. The school makes a case for single-sex education and describes its approach to challenging stereotypes and promoting respectful relationships. This will suit many boys, but some students thrive more in fully co-educational settings.

• Admissions depend on borough timelines and distance rules. Year 7 entry follows the local authority coordinated process with a firm 31 October deadline for September entry. If you are moving house or managing split addresses, you will want to understand how straight-line distance is calculated and what proof of address is required.

• Enrichment is substantial, but it can bring extra costs. Trips, music tuition, and some activities may require payment. The offer is genuinely broad, but families should budget realistically and ask for a typical annual cost profile for their child’s likely choices.

Ernest Bevin Academy is a London boys’ comprehensive with a clear, structured culture and evidence of strong GCSE progress. Its practical strengths are unusually tangible for a state school, especially the Royal Marines CCF pathway and the 25m pool. The sixth form is a serious option for students aiming for STEM courses and vocational routes, though the published A-level outcomes suggest parents should interrogate subject-level performance and pathway fit rather than assuming a uniform standard.

Best suited to families who want a high-expectations boys’ environment through Year 11, and who value structured routines, enrichment that goes beyond the local area, and a sixth form that is open to both academic and applied pathways.