The Clere School Review 2026: A Community Secondary with a Clear Improvement Agenda

On Earlstone Common in Burghclere, the timetable starts with tutor time at 08.40 and the afternoon finishes at 15.10. That simple rhythm matters: it is a school built around routine, with enough structure to steady a busy day, and enough time after lessons for fixtures, rehearsals, support and catch-up.

The Clere School is a state secondary school for boys and girls aged 11 to 16 in Newbury, Berkshire. It is a non-selective community school with a published capacity of 725, and it sits in the Hampshire local authority area for admissions. There is no sixth form, so the end of Year 11 is a genuine transition point and the school’s careers programme, guidance and destinations work carry real weight for families.

The most recent Ofsted inspection rated Quality of Education and Personal Development Requires Improvement, and Behaviour and Attitudes and Leadership and Management Inadequate.

The school sets out its vision in plain language: every member of the community should be supported and challenged to succeed and flourish, underpinned by the values of Community, Integrity and Respect. Those are useful words to hold on to when you are trying to picture day-to-day life here, because this is a school that has needed to rebuild consistency. Expectations around behaviour and learning have been tightened, and families will feel that shift most clearly in how calmly lessons run and how quickly low-level disruption is dealt with.

Leadership is clearly signposted. Mrs Jayne McLaren is headteacher, supported by a head of school, deputy headteacher and assistant headteachers. That matters because, in a school where improvement work is ongoing, clarity about who holds the line is half the battle. For students, it can mean simpler routines, fewer mixed messages, and a more predictable response when things go wrong.

There is also a strong sense of “small school” practicality in the way the site is used. The sports facilities are substantial, the library is positioned as a working space rather than a decorative one, and student voice is formalised through the Student Council. It is not a glossy, curated experience; it is a local community school doing the steady work of getting the basics right and widening the routes students can take next.

GCSE outcomes in context

On the FindMySchool GCSE measures, the Attainment 8 score is 39.1 and the Progress 8 score is -0.62. In simple terms, that combination points to outcomes that, for many students, have not yet matched potential from their starting points.

The EBacc measures also matter if your child is aiming for a broad academic core. The EBacc average point score is 3.45, compared with an England average of 4.08, and 6.9% achieved grade 5 or above across the EBacc.

Rankings and what they mean

Ranked 3126th in England and 7th in Newbury for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), results sit below England average overall. If you are comparing local options, the quickest way to make sense of what that means for your child is to use the FindMySchool local comparison tools to line up Progress 8 and Attainment 8 side by side with nearby schools, then look beyond the headline to whether your child needs stretch, stability, or a very specific subject mix.

Curriculum breadth is not the problem on paper. Key Stage 3 covers English, maths, science, art, computing, dance, drama, design technology (including food), geography, history, modern foreign languages, music, religious studies and wellbeing (including PSHE, citizenship and relationships and sex education). That range gives students different ways to succeed, which is particularly important in a school serving a mixed comprehensive intake.

The bigger question is consistency. The school has introduced shared structures for teaching, designed to make lessons clearer and more predictable. For families, that usually shows up as tighter lesson starts, clearer explanations, and more routine checking of what students have understood before the class moves on. The aim is straightforward: fewer gaps carried forward, fewer students lost early in a topic, and fewer behaviour flashpoints caused by confusion.

Reading support is part of that picture. Help is targeted at students who arrive needing extra support to read fluently, and the library is used as a working base for study and research rather than simply a place to borrow books. For a child who needs steady structure and strong adult guidance, this approach can be reassuring, provided they are willing to meet the school halfway on effort and routines.

There is no sixth form, so the school’s job is to get students ready for a clean break at 16: clearer options, a realistic sense of entry requirements, and the confidence to apply for the right route rather than the most fashionable one.

The school publishes a Year 11 destinations snapshot for 2023 which gives a useful steer. It reports 44.7% moving to a sixth form college, 46.1% to a further education college, 7.9% into full-time employment including apprenticeships, and 1.3% into other education including traineeships. That spread is a reminder that Clere is not a single-track academic pipeline; it is a school where a good careers programme needs to serve students heading in several directions.

The practical implication for parents is to start the conversation early, ideally before Year 9 options. Use the school’s careers programme, talks and guidance interviews to pressure-test ideas, then look for evidence your child is building the habits needed for their chosen route: attendance, punctuality, and the ability to work independently when the timetable gets demanding.

Routes and criteria

Admissions are coordinated by Hampshire County Council, and the school is non-selective. The Clere’s published admissions information is unusually clear about the basics: most Year 7 entrants come from a defined set of feeder primary schools, but the school also admits students from a wider area.

Recent admissions demand figures show 153 applications for 70 offers, which works out at about 2.19 applications per place. That is competitive enough that families should treat the process seriously, even if the school is not selective. It also means the order of priorities matters: looked-after children, exceptional medical or social need, children of staff in specified circumstances, catchment, siblings, and linked primary schools are all factors that can shape who gets a place.

Timeline and practicalities

Year 7 applications follow the local authority timetable and are made through the Hampshire online application system rather than directly to the school. If you are deciding between schools with similar travel times, it can help to use FindMySchool’s map tools to sense-check your likely journey and your wider shortlist, rather than relying on guesswork.

The school also sets out a clear in-year route, including a stated response timeframe once an application is received. For families moving into the area mid-year, that clarity can remove some of the usual uncertainty, but it remains worth asking early about year-group pressure and transport, particularly if your child would be relying on school bus routes.

The safeguarding structure is clearly named on the school website, including a Designated Safeguarding Lead team. That matters for families because it shows who holds responsibility and how concerns are meant to move through the system, rather than being left to informal channels.

Behaviour, bullying and attendance are the heart of the school’s current story. A reset of expectations has brought improvements in how calm lessons feel and how consistent staff responses are, and there is a clear focus on students understanding the rules and the reasons behind them. The harder work is rebuilding trust: students need to believe that reporting concerns leads to swift, reliable follow-up. That is where a school either gains momentum or loses it, because confidence in systems is what turns policy into reality.

Support sits alongside that. The staff structure includes pastoral roles, and there is mental health and wellbeing information signposted for families. Student voice also has a formal route through the Student Council, which aims to keep communication open between students and staff and to develop citizenship. For some children, simply having a named channel to raise issues can make school feel more manageable.

Sport, fitness and physical space

A school’s culture often shows itself first in how it uses its spaces. At Clere, sport and fitness are backed by real facilities: the sports hall includes marked courts for netball and basketball, four badminton courts, and cricket nets, and the wider site includes a gymnasium, fitness suite, outdoor pitches and playing courts. For students who regulate better when they have something physical in the week, those options can be more than “extras”; they can be the difference between a good day and a difficult one.

Enrichment, leadership and careers

Enrichment is also tied closely to outcomes after Year 11. The careers programme is supported by workshops, external speakers, work experience and one-to-one guidance interviews, and it includes named experiences such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, the National UK Maths Challenge (UKMC) for Years 7 and 8, a Year 8 Raspberry Pi competition, and a Careers Café initiative during tutor time where employers talk through routes and decisions.

The library plays an active role in this wider picture. It holds over 3000 fiction and non-fiction books, runs inductions around the Eclipse library system, and supports reading through a digital reading app (SORA). That combination is useful for students who need a quieter base at break and lunch, and for those who benefit from structured support with research skills as they move into Key Stage 4.

Transport & parking

Transport is a significant part of daily life here. The school publishes guidance on Hampshire eligibility for free travel (including the more-than-three-miles walking-route threshold) and it also outlines out-of-catchment bus routes serving areas including Andover, Basingstoke (Winklebury), Silchester and Tadley. Students using bus transport are expected to carry passes, and the guidance notes arriving around 10 minutes before pick-up.

For families driving, it is worth checking the school’s transport guidance alongside your shortlist, particularly if your child would be arriving and leaving at peak times or staying for after-school activities.

The school day

Tutor time and registration run from 08.40 to 09.05. Lessons then run through the day with a morning break and a lunchtime period, and the published finish time is 15.10. The school site is open from 08.25 to 16.00 on weekdays, which is useful for families juggling clubs, meetings, and after-school support.

Inspection journey and behaviour culture: The key judgements from the most recent inspection make clear that behaviour and leadership have been the areas needing the fastest change. Families should look closely at how the behaviour reset is working now: consistency between classrooms, confidence in reporting, and how quickly issues are followed up.

Admissions pressure: 153 applications for 70 offers (about 2.19 applications per place) is a meaningful level of competition for a non-selective community school. If you are outside the usual feeder pattern, it is sensible to treat Clere as one option within a realistic three-school application strategy.

Academic routes and the EBacc: The EBacc picture is modest, with an EBacc average point score of 3.45 and 6.9% achieving grade 5 or above across the EBacc. If your child is aiming for a strongly academic pathway at 16, ask early how the school supports subject choice, revision habits and independent study.

Travel logistics: This is a school where transport planning can shape the experience. Out-of-catchment bus routes may help some families significantly, but they also add dependence on timetables and pick-up points, so it is worth planning the day as a whole rather than only the lesson hours.

The Clere School is a community secondary with a broad curriculum, clear published routes for careers guidance and post-16 planning, and a practical approach to transport for a wider area. It is best suited to families who want a local 11 to 16 school, value structure and clarity, and are prepared to work closely with staff on routines, attendance and behaviour expectations. The main trade-off is that the school is still proving consistency in outcomes and culture, so the best fit is a child who benefits from steady adult direction and a school that is actively tightening the basics.