Neale-Wade Academy Review 2026: A large March secondary on a clear improvement path

A big secondary with sixth form, serving March and surrounding villages, Neale-Wade sits at the centre of local education choices in Fenland. It is part of The Active Learning Trust, and recent external monitoring points to tangible progress, especially around staffing stability, curriculum clarity, and calmer social times.

The headline context for families is straightforward. The school was graded Requires Improvement at its last full inspection (31 October and 1 November 2023), and a monitoring inspection in January 2025 confirmed improvement work is moving in the right direction, while also identifying where the academy still needs to tighten practice, particularly for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Scale shapes daily life here. With a large roll and a wide age range, the academy has to be explicit about routines, expectations, and how students move through the day. That comes through in the way it communicates behaviour standards, the use of a stepped system of consequences, and the emphasis on consistency across staff teams.

The lived experience is best described as “in transition”. In late 2023, pupils were described as starting to benefit from recent improvements, with older pupils reporting behaviour was better than before, while disruption in too many lessons remained a problem. In early 2025, the monitoring visit pointed to a more settled staffing picture, more consistent classroom routines, and calmer breaktimes; it also stressed that there is still variability and that some students repeat poor choices after sanctions, so underlying causes of misbehaviour still need attention.

For parents weighing fit, this matters. Students who respond well to clear structures, direct instruction, and a visibly improving culture may find the direction reassuring. Students who are easily thrown by inconsistency may need careful checking that support is strong in the subjects and year groups that matter most for them.

Neale-Wade’s results sit below the England picture, and the academy is candid, through external evaluation, that rebuilding consistency in teaching and learning is central to improvement. The most useful single indicator for parents is the combined effect of attainment, progress, and national position.

At GCSE, Neale-Wade’s Attainment 8 score is 34 and Progress 8 is -0.73. In plain terms, that combination indicates lower overall attainment and below-average progress from students’ starting points. EBacc entry and success are also low; for example, 5.6% achieved grade 5 or above across the EBacc, and the EBacc average point score is 2.97.

The FindMySchool GCSE outcomes ranking places the academy 3559th in England and 1st locally in March. This reflects a local context where families may be choosing between a small number of nearby secondaries, rather than a dense urban market with many alternatives. (FindMySchool rankings are proprietary and based on official performance data.)

Post-16 outcomes, as captured are also a key watchpoint. The A-level metrics indicate 4.17% of grades at A* to B, with 0% at A* and 0% at A, alongside an A-level ranking position of 2567th in England and 1st locally in March. (FindMySchool rankings are proprietary and based on official performance data.) These figures suggest the sixth form profile in the measured period is an area for close parental scrutiny, especially subject by subject, and in how the curriculum and staffing have stabilised since 2023.

A sensible way to use this section is comparative and practical. Use FindMySchool’s Local Hub to compare Neale-Wade against other nearby options on the same measures, then cross-check what matters for your child, for example, the strength of specific subjects, the quality of daily routines, and the reliability of teaching in the year group they will enter.

The academy’s improvement plan is rooted in curriculum and classroom practice, rather than cosmetic change. By late 2023, the curriculum had been redesigned with ambitious programmes of study intended to set out what pupils should learn and when. The core issue identified was uneven delivery; in some subjects teaching was carefully structured with clear examples and instructions, while in others explanations lacked clarity and checks on understanding were not consistently sharp.

The January 2025 monitoring visit provides a more encouraging picture of day-to-day teaching habits. It describes a coherent set of teaching approaches being used more consistently, including frequent recap of recent learning, regular checks for misconceptions, and a stronger expectation that pupils should not move on until prerequisite knowledge is secure. Concrete examples were cited in English and mathematics, where teachers checked foundational knowledge before building to more complex work.

Key Stage 4 planning is framed around maintaining breadth while keeping pathways realistic. In its options documentation, the academy emphasises a broad curriculum across English, mathematics, science, humanities, creative subjects, design technology, physical education, and languages, with a structured process to help students understand choices and next steps. For families, the implication is that the curriculum intent is clear; the crucial question is how consistently that intent is enacted in the classrooms your child will experience.

Because Neale-Wade includes sixth form, the post-16 and post-18 picture is a meaningful part of the story. On the broad destinations data for the 2023/24 leavers cohort, 44% progressed to university, 13% to apprenticeships, and 29% to employment. This profile suggests a sixth form where routes are mixed, and where high-quality careers guidance and strong links to technical and apprenticeship pathways are likely to matter as much as the university track.

For the very highest academic destinations, Oxbridge activity exists but at small scale. In the measured period, there were two Oxbridge applications and one acceptance. In a large school, that is not an “Oxbridge machine”; it is better understood as evidence that, when the right individual is supported well, ambitious applications can be viable.

Sixth form pathways are set out clearly. The sixth form admissions policy describes three main programmes of study, an A-level programme, a mixed programme combining A-level and vocational qualifications, and a vocational pathway built from technical or applied general qualifications. It also sets explicit entry thresholds. For example, the three A-level route expects a minimum of six grades 9 to 5 including grade 5 in English and mathematics, while mixed pathways can be accessed with at least five grades 9 to 4 including GCSE English, with some vocational qualifications counted toward the threshold.

Financial support for post-16 study is also signposted through a 16 to 19 bursary policy, including a discretionary bursary route that references eligibility linked to free school meals and a family income threshold of less than £34,494 (with evidence required).

Year 7 entry is coordinated by Cambridgeshire County Council. For September 2026 entry, the council’s process centres on the standard secondary transfer window, with the main application deadline set earlier in the school year, followed by allocations communicated in spring. The council guidance for September 2026 indicates that applicants who applied before 31 October 2025 can view their allocation on 02 March 2026, with allocations sent by post on 24 April 2026. Late applications made from 1 November 2025 must be submitted via the late form and received by 31 March 2026, and applications in August 2026 are considered in date order.

Because published distance data for the last offered place is not available for this academy, families should treat catchment and proximity as a matter of admissions criteria rather than assumption. The most reliable approach is to read the current admissions policy and use FindMySchool’s Map Search to calculate home-to-school distance in the way admissions teams typically assess it.

For sixth form entry from other schools, the admissions policy explains that an open evening is held in October and that applications are made through MyChoice16, with offers subject to the same academic entry requirements as internal applicants. Interviews are described as taking place after applications have been received, early in the spring term.

A school of this size lives or dies by routines. Neale-Wade’s behaviour framework is designed to make expectations explicit, backed by an on-call system intended to support staff when issues arise and to keep learning spaces orderly. For younger students and new joiners, transition materials explain practicalities such as how detentions work in the stepped system, and how positive conduct can be recognised through points and rewards recorded on the school’s tracking platform.

The safeguarding position is clear in the most recent graded inspection documentation: the 2023 Ofsted inspection confirmed safeguarding arrangements were effective. That matters because it sets a baseline of assurance while leaders tackle consistency in teaching and behaviour.

SEND support is another central theme. The 2023 inspection describes SEND needs as accurately identified and support as in place to access the curriculum, but it also highlights that inconsistency in curriculum delivery affected SEND learners as well as others. The January 2025 monitoring visit is more specific on next steps, calling out the need to adapt learning effectively so that pupils with SEND understand new content and build secure knowledge. For families of students with additional needs, this is a key area to explore directly, including how subject teachers apply adaptations, how progress is tracked, and what escalation looks like when support is not working.

The academy’s enrichment offer is broad, but the more useful question is whether it feels purposeful and accessible, especially for students who need structured positives alongside academic recovery. The school’s enrichment materials show named clubs that go beyond the standard list. Examples include Ecology Club, Astronomy and Physics Club, Careers in Science, Politics, an Environment-focused group, Sing UP!, and a China Project exploring culture and language.

These are not merely “nice extras”. For a student whose confidence has been dented by earlier disruption, a well-run weekly club can provide routine, identity, and a reason to stay engaged. A science club that builds toward presenting investigations at a school science fair, for example, is an implicit literacy and oracy intervention as well as a STEM activity.

Sports and facilities appear to be a meaningful pillar, including a sports hall, gymnasium, main hall, tennis, badminton and netball courts, playing fields, and a synthetic pitch. Those assets tend to support both participation sport and structured after-school activity, which can be especially important in a large school where belonging matters.

For Key Stage 3 students, practical supports also exist for independent learning. Transition guidance describes a homework club after school in a small classroom with computers and adult supervision, and a library that remains open until 4.30pm.

In sixth form, enrichment is treated as part of the programme rather than an optional add-on. The sixth form handbook sets expectations that students sign up for at least one development strand, with examples including Student Leadership, GCSE resits for English and mathematics, the Extended Project Qualification, and Level 3 Core Mathematics.

The published timings in the academy’s attendance guidance set the framework for families. Gates open at 8.30am, registration is at 8.50am, first lesson begins at 9.20am, and the school day ends at 3.20pm.

For travel, March is served by rail, and school transport is discussed in Cambridgeshire guidance, with eligibility depending on criteria. Families relying on buses should verify the current academic-year timetables and pick-up points, as routes can change over time.

• Requires Improvement context. The most recent graded inspection judged the academy Requires Improvement across all areas, including sixth form, so parents should expect an improving trajectory rather than a fully embedded model.

• Consistency remains the core risk. Progress has been identified in curriculum, teaching habits, and calmer social times, but leaders were also told further improvement is needed, especially around adaptations for SEND and reducing repeat behaviour issues.

• Outcomes are below the England picture. GCSE attainment and progress measures indicate performance below average, and post-16 measures are an additional area for careful questioning, particularly subject by subject and in the context of staffing stability since 2023.

• Sixth form is mixed-route, not purely academic. With leavers progressing to university, apprenticeships, and employment, the best fit is often students who will engage with structured guidance and who can work independently within clear expectations.

Neale-Wade Academy is a large, local cornerstone school that is demonstrably moving forward, with external monitoring recognising concrete steps on staffing, curriculum, and day-to-day order. The key trade-off is that the academy is still working to make quality and expectations consistently reliable across classrooms and for SEND learners.

Best suited to families in and around March who want a mainstream secondary with sixth form, clear routines, and a school that is actively rebuilding, and who are willing to engage closely with subject-level support, pastoral systems, and post-16 planning.