Hartsdown Academy Review 2026: An IB-led secondary with a practical, careers-first sixth form

Hartsdown Academy is a mixed, state secondary with sixth form in Margate, serving students aged 11 to 18. It is part of Coastal Academies Trust and has capacity for 1,175 students. The school’s identity is strongly shaped by its STRIVE values and by a curriculum model that includes the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IB MYP) in Key Stage 3, plus the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme (IBCP) in sixth form.

Leadership has recently changed, with Mr Ian Wallace appointed as headteacher from September 2025.

The school sets out a clear, values-led message. STRIVE is presented as the organising framework for expectations, culture, and day-to-day decision-making, and the language is used consistently across the school’s public information.

A noticeable theme is “opportunity at scale”, with structured enrichment pathways rather than leaving participation to chance. The Academic Excellence offer, for example, includes an Oxford University partnership with St Hugh’s College and planned experiences for all Year 7 students, alongside more intensive coaching for selected students.

The tone from the headteacher is explicitly inclusive and aspirational, emphasising high standards alongside pastoral support and a breadth of routes through arts, technology, sciences, and sport.

At GCSE level, the school’s outcomes place it below England average overall within FindMySchool’s rankings. It is ranked 3,635th in England for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data) and 1st in the Margate area. Attainment 8 is 33.1 and Progress 8 is -0.39, which indicates students, on average, make less progress than similar students nationally from their starting points.

The EBacc picture is also a key consideration. The percentage achieving grade 5 or above in the EBacc is 4.9, and the school’s EBacc average point score is 2.8.

Sixth form outcomes, as captured in the FindMySchool A-level measures, also sit below England average overall. Ranked 2,449th in England and 1st in Margate for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the headline grade distribution shown is 14.29% at A, 0% at A*, 0% at B, and 14.29% at A*-B.

For families benchmarking locally, the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool can help you line up GCSE and post-16 measures against nearby alternatives using the same underlying datasets.

Curriculum design is a defining feature here. At Key Stage 3, the school sets out an approach linked to the IB Middle Years Programme, with an emphasis on conceptual understanding and interdisciplinary thinking.

In sixth form, the school’s offer is explicitly built around the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme (IBCP), combining vocational study with IB Diploma subjects and a core programme. This is a practical fit for students who want a guided route to apprenticeships, employment, or university, without limiting themselves to a purely vocational track. The implication is clear, students need to be organised and consistent, because the programme demands progress across multiple components rather than a single exam pathway.

Academic stretch appears structured rather than informal. The Oxford partnership and the “Scholarship Saturdays” and “Excellence Days” model signal a deliberate attempt to build aspiration and exam readiness, particularly across Key Stages 4 and 5.

The school describes strong links with universities as part of its sixth form model, alongside careers guidance. While it does not publish a full destinations breakdown with counts by university, it does frame progression as covering university, apprenticeships, and employment routes, which aligns with the IBCP structure.

For the 2023/2024 leavers cohort (42 students), 29% progressed to university, 12% to apprenticeships, and 21% to employment.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through Kent’s secondary admissions process, with applications for September 2026 entry opening on 01 September 2025 and closing on 31 October 2025. Offers are issued on 02 March 2026, with an accept or decline deadline of 16 March 2026.

The school’s published admissions arrangements for 2026/27 set a Published Admission Number (PAN) of 150 for Year 7, and outline oversubscription priorities including children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, looked-after and previously looked-after children, sibling links, and defined health or access reasons, with distance used where necessary to separate applicants.

Sixth form admission is a separate decision point. For the 2025 to 2026 application cycle shown in Kent’s post-16 prospectus, applications open on 03 November 2025 and close on 27 February 2026, and the stated entry requirement is 5 GCSEs at grades 4 to 9 including English and Maths, alongside an expectation of good attendance and behaviour.

Open events are presented in two ways. The school’s own site indicates open mornings are bookable via Eventbrite, while KentChoices lists a sixth form open evening on 18 November 2025 (6pm to 8pm).

Parents considering Year 7 entry should use FindMySchoolMap Search to check travel time and practical distance to the school, then pair that with the oversubscription criteria, since proximity usually becomes decisive when a school is full.

Pastoral messaging is prominent, and the sixth form information highlights mentoring and access to wellbeing support, including counselling drop-in sessions referenced via Place2Be in the local prospectus entry.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award offer provides another route for personal development, including volunteering, physical activity, and skill-building, which can suit students who gain confidence through structured responsibility outside lessons.

The latest Ofsted inspection (07 December 2021) rated the school Good overall, including Good sixth form provision.

Enrichment at Hartsdown is framed as planned opportunity rather than an optional add-on. The Oxford University Partnership is a concrete example, with a Year 7 visit to Oxford University built in, plus more intensive coaching for selected students, positioned as preparation for GCSE performance and competitive applications later on. The implication for families is that students who engage early can access a progressively more demanding programme, but those who opt out may not gain the same uplift from the school’s ambition-focused design.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is offered from Year 9, with Bronze and Silver described as part of the school’s enrichment pathways, and a clear emphasis on volunteering and skills development alongside the expedition element.

Facilities have also been a notable area of change in recent years. Public reporting on the school’s redevelopment describes a three-storey teaching block with spacious classrooms, computer suites, food technology kitchens, a cafeteria, and a new library, alongside later phases intended to add sports and performing arts spaces, including an activity studio and changing rooms.

The published school-day timings show the site opening at 08:20, with form time beginning at 08:40 and lessons running from 09:00 to 15:00, followed by after-school activities scheduled from 15:05 to 16:05.

For travel planning, most families will approach this as a Margate and Thanet commute question. It is worth checking peak-time bus options and journey time reliability as well as pure distance, especially for students staying for after-school activities.

• GCSE progress trends. Progress 8 is -0.39 in the reported dataset, which signals that many students will need consistent support and strong attendance habits to stay on track. This is especially important for families who want a highly academic GCSE pathway.

• EBacc uptake and outcomes. With 4.9% achieving grade 5 or above in the EBacc and an EBacc APS of 2.8, families prioritising languages and the full EBacc suite should ask detailed questions about subject entry policies and how students are guided into options.

• Sixth form results profile. The A-level distribution shown is modest against England patterns, so post-16 applicants should explore whether the IBCP structure matches their strengths, and ask how success is defined for vocational and mixed programmes.

• Open events require active planning. Open mornings are routed via Eventbrite and sixth form open evenings can be listed through KentChoices, so families should plan ahead rather than assuming a single annual open day.

Hartsdown Academy is a large, mixed secondary with a distinctive curriculum identity, anchored by IB programmes and a deliberately structured approach to aspiration through partnerships and enrichment. It may suit families who want a practical, guided route through Key Stage 4 and a careers-oriented sixth form model, and who value a school that organises opportunity rather than leaving it to chance. The key trade-off is that published performance measures sit below England average overall, so the best fit is likely to be students who respond well to clear routines, mentoring, and structured support, and families willing to engage actively with progress and option choices.