Looe Community Academy Review 2026: A coastal secondary school raising expectations

Life at this 11 to 16 secondary is shaped by two realities. First, it is the local comprehensive for East Looe and surrounding villages, with a Published Admission Number of 122 for Year 7 and a roll that sits below its stated capacity. Second, it is a school in active transition. Routines, behaviour expectations, and curriculum structures have been tightened, and the pace of change is a defining feature of the current experience.

Leadership has also shifted recently. Paul Boyes is the current headteacher, and local public papers refer to him as the new head in mid 2025.

For families, the key question is not whether the school has a clear direction, it does. The decision is whether your child will respond well to a school culture that is actively being rebuilt, with strong emphasis on punctuality, standards, and catching up lost learning.

The prevailing tone is purposeful, with a heavy emphasis on conduct and routines. Uniform, punctuality, and classroom behaviour are treated as non negotiables, and the school is explicit that self discipline is part of learning. That approach can be reassuring for families who want clarity and consistency, especially for students who benefit from firm boundaries. It can also feel like a significant adjustment for students who have struggled with school engagement in the past.

Values language is used in a structured way rather than as decoration. The school’s published ethos talks about recognising good conduct, effort, and achievement, supported by a values set that includes resilience and respect. In the headteacher’s own messaging, those values are framed as practical habits, with kindness positioned as an expectation that supports the others rather than an alternative to high standards.

Student life includes opportunities for responsibility and belonging, which matters in a smaller coastal community where peer groups can overlap outside school. Inter house sport is one visible anchor, and displays of student work are used to reinforce pride and identity. The overall effect is a school trying to strengthen both culture and academic habits at the same time, with some students adapting quickly and others taking longer to settle into the new normal.

This review uses FindMySchool rankings for GCSE outcomes, based on official datasets, and these sit alongside the school’s underlying performance measures.

Ranked 3,453rd in England and 1st in Looe for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking). This places performance below England average overall, relative to other state secondaries.

On core measures, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 37.2, and Progress 8 is -0.75. For parents, a negative Progress 8 indicates that, on average, students are making less progress from their starting points than similar pupils nationally.

EBacc indicators point to a narrow pipeline at the higher benchmark. The average EBacc point score is 3.17, and 2.1% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above in the EBacc measure.

These numbers matter most in how they translate into everyday support. A school with negative progress typically needs exceptionally consistent teaching, strong attendance, and accurate assessment to help students close gaps. Where those systems are still bedding in, families should expect the school to focus sharply on routine, revision structures, and intervention for students who have missed learning.

Parents comparing local options should use the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool to view these measures side by side with nearby schools, since context in coastal areas can vary widely between communities.

Curriculum development is a central theme, and the school is explicit about strengthening subject delivery through specialist teaching. The intent is clear, build curriculum sequences that help students retain knowledge over time, and ensure teaching is consistent across subjects.

Where this is working well, it should show up in three practical ways. First, students encounter topics in a logical order so that later units build on secure foundations, rather than revisiting basics too late in Key Stage 4. Second, subject specific vocabulary is introduced and used routinely in lessons, so students can write and speak with greater precision. Third, assessment is used to spot gaps early, not just to grade work after the fact.

The improvement priority, as stated in formal findings, is that assessment practice is not yet consistently effective. The implication for families is straightforward. If your child has historically found learning difficult, the quality of checking for understanding and targeted catch up work will matter more than curriculum plans on paper. It is sensible to ask, at the point of transition, how the school identifies gaps in English and mathematics in Year 7, and what “catch up” looks like week to week rather than as a one off programme.

With no sixth form, the main transition point is post 16. The school places emphasis on careers guidance and provider access so that students understand technical routes as well as sixth form and college pathways.

Practical preparation is part of the picture. Work experience is embedded through structured planning and logbook style reflection, which is a useful fit for students who need confidence in workplace expectations before they leave Year 11. Some students also engage with taster and experience days with further education providers, which helps make college choices less abstract and more informed.

The best approach for families is to treat Year 9 options and Year 10 to 11 careers guidance as part of the school’s core offer, not an add on. Ask how guidance is personalised, how vocational options are handled alongside GCSE pathways, and what support is available for students who are at risk of leaving Year 11 without a clear plan.

Admissions are coordinated through Cornwall’s coordinated system, and applications for secondary transfer are handled through the local authority rather than direct registration with the school.

For September 2026 entry into Year 7, Cornwall’s published timeline states:

• Applications open from 01 September 2025

• The on time application deadline is 31 October 2025

• National Offer Day is 02 March 2026

Demand data indicates pressure for places. For the most recent published admissions cycle there were 156 applications for 80 offers, which equates to roughly 1.95 applications per place, and the school is marked as oversubscribed.

When oversubscribed, the Trust’s published arrangements set out priorities that start with Education, Health and Care Plans naming the school and looked after or previously looked after children, followed by designated area priority, then siblings and other criteria, with distance used as the tie breaker where needed.

A practical tip: use FindMySchool Map Search to check your likely priority and distance assumptions before relying on a place, particularly if you are close to the edge of the designated area or applying from outside it.

Safeguarding arrangements are confirmed as effective, and the school also highlights wellbeing support for students who need additional help managing change or re engaging with learning.

One pastoral strength is the school’s ability to identify and support a significant number of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, with family work described as sensitive and purposeful. That matters in a coastal community where external services can be stretched, and where consistent school based support can make a decisive difference for attendance and engagement.

The area that families should probe carefully is the balance between behaviour sanctions and access to learning. Where students miss lessons because of sanctions, the risk is that the students who most need stability and routine, including some students with SEND, can lose curriculum time and fall further behind. Parents should ask how restorative approaches, reintegration, and academic catch up are handled when students have been removed from lessons.

Enrichment has a practical, student facing feel, and several activities are designed to build confidence, social connection, and routine beyond lessons.

Performing arts and movement are prominent in published examples. Lunchtime clubs include Just Dance at Lunch, and the long running Cheerleading Programme gives students opportunities to train and perform at local venues and community events. The implication for students is real, performance based motivation, not just practice sessions. For children who learn best through doing and performing, this can be a meaningful route into belonging.

Clubs and academic habits are also visible through programme bulletins, with examples including a Year 7 and 8 science club, a Year 7 coding club, a Year 7 history club, and a board games club. These are small details, but they matter. They signal that the school is trying to provide structured, low barrier opportunities for students to stay on site, build interests, and connect with staff in a calmer context than busy lessons.

There is also evidence of themed enrichment and wider experiences. Challenge week activity includes residential style options and structured projects, which can be particularly valuable for students whose confidence grows through teamwork and shared goals.

The published school day begins at 08:40 and ends at 15:10, with the building open to students from 08:00 and closed to students at 18:00.

Because the school serves a mix of town and rural communities, transport patterns matter. The school has issued operational updates relating to bus arrangements during local road closures, which suggests that school travel by bus is a practical consideration for a meaningful minority of families.

• A school in active transition. The October 2024 inspection was ungraded and indicated that some aspects may not be as strong as at the previous inspection, with a graded inspection expected next. This can create uncertainty for families who prefer a settled approach, while others will welcome the clarity of the improvement focus.

• Progress measures are a concern. A Progress 8 score of -0.75 indicates students, on average, are falling behind similar pupils nationally. Families should ask how gaps are identified early in Key Stage 3 and how intervention is delivered in practice.

• Attendance and missed learning time. Persistent absence and lesson time missed through sanctions were identified as barriers, particularly for some pupils with SEND. If your child has struggled with attendance, probe what support and reintegration looks like, week by week.

• Admissions can be competitive. The recent application to offer ratio of 1.95 to 1 signals pressure on places, and designated area priority can be decisive. Use the published admission arrangements to understand how tie breaks work.

This is a state secondary with no tuition fees, serving a coastal community where local choice can be limited and consistency matters. Its direction is clear, tighter routines, rising expectations, and a concerted attempt to strengthen curriculum delivery. For students who respond well to structure, and for families who want a school that is direct about standards and support, it can be a sensible fit.

Best suited to students who will engage with the reset in routines and make use of targeted support to close gaps in learning. The main consideration is whether your child will thrive amid significant change, and whether the school’s assessment and attendance drive will translate into sustained academic improvement.