Humphrey Perkins School Review 2026: A historic foundation, a modern secondary, and a clear focus on raising outcomes

A secondary founded in 1717 sets an expectation of continuity, but Humphrey Perkins School reads more like a school in active development than one resting on tradition. The curriculum has been reworked, reading has been prioritised, and conduct expectations have been raised, all with the stated aim of improving published outcomes.

Leadership is trust-based and layered. The school sits within Lionheart Educational Trust, with senior roles including an executive principal, an associate principal, and a wider trust leadership team.

For parents, the headline is a balanced one. External evaluation in 2025 found the school delivering Good standards across the key judgement areas, with safeguarding effective. At the same time, the inspection record is clear that 2024 published outcomes did not yet match the strength of pupils’ pastoral experience, and that some aspects of personal development and behaviour consistency needed further embedding.

Humphrey Perkins’ identity is shaped by two forces that often sit in tension, heritage and improvement. The school describes its origins as a Free Grammar School founded in 1717, and that long timeline matters locally because it signals stability. Yet most of what is emphasised in current school communications is not tradition for its own sake, it is the day-to-day routines and expectations that make learning time effective.

Daily life is structured around clear routines. Conduct expectations have been raised, low-level disruption is treated as something to address rather than tolerate, and classroom culture is intended to be calm and orderly so that teaching time is protected. This matters most for families deciding whether their child will cope in a setting that expects consistent readiness to learn rather than a looser “secondary school” feel.

The leadership model is also part of the school’s character. The senior leadership team published by the school includes Dr John Pye as Executive Principal and Mrs Della Bartram as Associate Principal, alongside a Vice Principal and assistant principals. For parents, this is worth noting because it usually means subject and pastoral systems are designed to be consistent with trust-wide standards, with local leaders focused on implementation and day-to-day culture.

On the FindMySchool ranking for GCSE outcomes (based on official data), Humphrey Perkins School is ranked 2,478th in England and 9th in the Loughborough area. This places performance broadly in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

The underlying measures reinforce a similar picture. The school’s Attainment 8 score is 40.5. Progress 8 is -0.56, indicating students made below-average progress compared with similar starting points nationally. EBacc entry and achievement appear cautious, with 17.1% of pupils achieving grade 5 or above in EBacc subjects and an average EBacc APS of 3.74 (England average 4.08).

What matters for parents is how the school is responding. The latest inspection describes curriculum and teaching changes designed to improve outcomes, including tighter approaches to checking understanding and filling knowledge gaps, but also notes that these improvements were not yet reflected in the published data at the time.

Parents comparing local options can use FindMySchool’s Local Hub pages and the Comparison Tool to view these measures side-by-side across nearby secondaries, rather than relying on word-of-mouth.

Teaching and learning at Humphrey Perkins is framed around “getting the basics right, then raising ambition”. The curriculum is described as challenging and deliberately designed, with topics building in a planned sequence so that knowledge accumulates rather than being revisited randomly. Teachers are expected to present new ideas clearly, recap prior learning, and check understanding through pupils’ work so that gaps do not persist.

Reading is treated as a whole-school priority, not only an English department concern. Weaker readers receive targeted support, while form-time reading includes challenging texts drawn from a trust-wide reading list referred to as the Lionheart Canon. The implication is practical, students who build fluency and vocabulary earlier are better placed to access the full curriculum at Key Stage 4, particularly in humanities and sciences where reading load becomes heavy.

A realistic note for families is that consistency is still an area to watch. The inspection record indicates that while checking learning and adapting tasks is often done well, it is not yet universal, and that uneven expectations can lead to some pupils carrying gaps forward. This is the kind of detail to probe at open events, particularly if your child needs very consistent classroom routines to thrive.

With an 11 to 16 age range, the key destination question is post-16 routes. The school runs a careers programme that includes independent guidance, work experience, and opportunities to visit universities, including sustainability workshops with the University of Leicester referenced in the most recent inspection record. The practical benefit is that students who are not certain about sixth form, college, or apprenticeship pathways can explore options with structured support rather than leaving it to last-minute choices.

Because the school does not publish a single “set route” for leavers, families should plan early for Key Stage 4 with the likely post-16 pathway in mind. For A-level routes, most families will be considering sixth forms locally (including within the wider trust), while vocational and apprenticeship routes often mean further education colleges and training providers across the wider Leicestershire area. The most useful next step is to ask, during Year 9 options and Year 10 guidance points, how subject choices and EBacc entry align with your child’s intended pathway.

Admissions are coordinated through Leicestershire County Council, with the school stating that the local authority manages applications and appeals on its behalf. For families applying for Year 7, the published deadline is 31 October, with offers released on 2 March.

Open events follow a predictable pattern. The school ran an Open Evening on 11 September 2025 for children due to start secondary school in 2026, and also listed multiple morning tour dates across September and October. The sensible assumption is that this timing repeats annually, early September open evening followed by bookable tours through the first half of the autumn term, with families checking the school’s current listings for the exact dates each year.

If you are weighing distance and catchment considerations, use FindMySchoolMap Search to check practical travel time and local geography, then confirm the admissions criteria through the local authority process. The school notes it receives applications from outside catchment as well as within, so understanding how places are allocated matters.

Pastoral support is a visible strength in the school’s external evaluation record. Relationships between pupils and staff are described as warm, and routines are designed to help the school feel orderly rather than unpredictable. Safeguarding arrangements are recorded as effective, which should reassure parents who prioritise clear systems and safe culture.

The area to watch is consistency in culture delivery. Some staff and pupils reported variable expectations among staff, and the school has been working to embed a respectful culture, including strengthening personal development so that key expectations, including mutual respect and understanding of civic values, are secure across year groups. For parents, that translates into a practical question, how quickly does the school spot and address low-level behaviour that disrupts learning, and how consistent is follow-through across subjects.

Extracurricular life is strongest when it connects to experiences students remember, travel, performance, leadership, and trust-wide competition. International trips have included visits to Poland, Austria and Iceland, and enrichment includes mentoring younger pupils and undertaking Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The implication is that students who engage can build confidence and broaden horizons in ways that also strengthen applications for post-16 routes.

Performing arts is a specific pillar rather than a generic add-on. The inspection record references an annual school musical, including British Sign Language interpreted performances, and orchestral performances at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. For families with children who gain confidence through performance, this kind of structured programme can be a decisive fit factor.

Across the wider trust, students can also access cross-school events such as Lionheart Speaks, Lionheart Games, and Battle of the Bands, which the inspection record explicitly links to pupils developing confidence. If your child likes competing or performing beyond their own year group, trust-wide events can add a meaningful extra layer.

The school day is earlier than many secondaries. Gates open at 08:05 and close at 08:27, with lessons from 08:30 and the school day ending at 14:45. School buses are listed as leaving at 14:55.

For travel, Barrow-upon-Soar rail station is the local rail hub, and local bus services connect Barrow-upon-Soar with nearby towns including Loughborough. Families should sanity-check the route at the time their child would travel, as timings can differ between schooldays and holidays.

Term dates and planned training days are published by the school and are worth checking early if you are organising wraparound care, childcare for younger siblings, or term-time travel.

• Progress is below average on published measures. A Progress 8 score of -0.56 signals that outcomes have not yet matched ambition for too many students. Families should ask how improvements are being monitored subject by subject, and what support is offered when a child falls behind.

• Consistency of expectations is still being embedded. Behaviour is intended to be calm and orderly, but reports indicate uneven delivery by some staff. This can matter for children who need predictable boundaries.

• Personal development depth varies. The programme is designed carefully, but it has not been consistently embedded, and some pupils’ understanding of key civic expectations has been an area for improvement. If this matters to your family, ask what has changed since 2025.

• Earlier finish time. A 14:45 end to the day can be helpful for some routines, but it may complicate childcare, transport, and after-school supervision for others.

Humphrey Perkins School is a Good-rated 11 to 16 secondary with a clear improvement narrative, structured routines, and distinctive enrichment in performance, travel, and trust-wide opportunities. It will suit students who benefit from clarity and consistent expectations, and families who value a school that is candid about raising outcomes rather than pretending the job is finished. The key decision factor is whether you are comfortable with outcomes that, on the published measures, have been below average for similar starting points, while curriculum and teaching changes work through into results.