The Castle Rock School Review 2026: Improving culture, broad 11 to 18 offer, competitive local entry

A large, mixed 11 to 18 school serving Coalville and the wider North West Leicestershire area, this is a setting that has been working hard to stabilise routines and rebuild confidence. The latest full inspection judged the school as Requires Improvement overall, with stronger judgements for behaviour, personal development, leadership, and sixth form provision.

For families, the headline is a school on a defined improvement journey, with a culture described as calmer and more orderly than in earlier inspection history. Day to day structure is clear, the sixth form runs a defined admissions timeline, and the wider enrichment offer includes student leadership through podcasting, music groups, and enterprise activity.

There is a strong sense of reset in how the school describes itself and how external evaluation portrays day to day life. Expectations are framed around consistent routines, respectful conduct, and a shared responsibility to keep the environment workable for learning. The personal development programme is positioned as a practical curriculum rather than an occasional assembly theme, covering wellbeing habits, respectful relationships, and wider social understanding.

Pastoral systems are clearly articulated. Students are anchored to a form tutor seen each morning, backed by heads of year, pastoral mentors, and a defined wellbeing team. The school also sets out a staged model for support, moving from universal help through to specialist intervention, and it signposts the use of external agencies when needs escalate. This matters for parents weighing how early concerns are handled, and whether support is proportionate rather than either too light or too heavy.

Leadership is shared across the wider trust structure, with an Executive Principal role alongside the day to day headship of the school. Current headship is held by Mrs Roma Dhameja, who joined as vice principal in 2023 and moved into the associate principal role in 2024, and is listed as head of the school within the sixth form team information and on the government schools register.

FindMySchool rankings, based on official outcomes data, place GCSE performance below England average. The school’s GCSE outcomes rank 2,996th in England, which sits in the lower band nationally, and it ranks 1st within North West Leicestershire on this measure. This mix typically reflects a small local comparison set rather than a claim of high national performance, so parents should interpret the local rank as relative position within the area, not as a proxy for national strength.

The GCSE metrics included point to a challenging attainment and progress picture. Attainment 8 is 42 and Progress 8 is -0.38, which indicates that, on average, pupils made less progress than similar pupils nationally. These figures align with the need for improvement in consistency of curriculum delivery highlighted in official evaluation.

Post 16 performance is also in the lower band in England in the FindMySchool dataset. A level outcomes rank 2,419th in England and 1st within North West Leicestershire on this measure. The grade profile reported shows 2.73% of entries at A*, 0.91% at A, 15.45% at B, and 19.09% at A* to B. Taken together with the national banding, this suggests that outcomes are not yet where ambitious sixth formers may want them to be, even if the experience and support structures are solid.

One important nuance is that school wide exam performance metrics can lag behind cultural improvements. The current narrative in official reporting is that the curriculum is broad and ambitious but not consistently well delivered, and that inconsistency is the barrier to stronger outcomes. Where teaching practice is aligned, pupils do well; where it is uneven, learning varies too much.

The curriculum intent is framed as broad and ambitious across key stages, with specific emphasis on reading and vocabulary as enablers for success across subjects. A structured registration reading and vocabulary programme is positioned as a whole school routine, and targeted catch up support is described for younger pupils who need it, especially in reading and mathematics. For many families, this is a practical signal that literacy is treated as everyone’s business, not a narrow English department issue.

Where the model works best is in clarity and repetition: consistent lesson routines, common expectations for behaviour, and a shared language around effort and improvement. The challenge, as described in official evaluation, is embedding that strong practice evenly across the school so that pupils experience the same level of clarity and progress regardless of subject or teacher.

For sixth formers, the offer combines A levels and vocational pathways, with an explicit process for application, interview, conditional offers, and enrolment. That structure can be reassuring for students who want a clear route map rather than ambiguity. The sixth form also references study facilities and independent working, supporting the transition towards more self managed learning.

The school does not publish a Russell Group percentage or an Oxbridge pipeline figure in the material reviewed, so the most reliable indicator here is the official destinations dataset for the 2023/24 cohort. For that cohort, 39% progressed to university, 13% began apprenticeships, 31% moved into employment, and 4% entered further education.

The implication is a mixed destinations profile, with a substantial proportion moving directly into the labour market alongside a sizeable university pathway. For families, this can be a positive if a child is looking for practical routes into employment or an apprenticeship, but it also underlines the importance of strong careers guidance and sustained support with applications. The school’s stated emphasis on careers and post 16 progression is therefore not a minor add on, it is central to outcomes.

For sixth form students aiming for competitive university courses, the most useful question is how the sixth form supports high attaining applicants through subject choice, super curricular development, and UCAS preparation. The school’s own news and sixth form materials point to structured support over the two years, and recent reporting highlights Extended Project Qualification participation and outcomes, which can strengthen applications when used well.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through the local authority. The school directs families to apply through the council’s secondary transfer process and states that the closing date for Year 7 applications is 31 October, with offer day on 2 March. For September 2026 entry specifically, the wider council process indicates applications open from 1 September 2025 with the on time deadline on 31 October 2025.

Demand is not unusual for a large secondary in this part of Leicestershire, and families should assume that distance, sibling links, and any priority categories in the local authority’s rules will matter in allocation. The most practical step is to read the current admissions policy and use FindMySchool’s Map Search to understand realistic travel distances and local alternatives before relying on a single preferred option.

Sixth form admissions are managed through a direct application route with a published deadline and a staged process. Applications are stated as open, with a deadline of Friday 30 January 2026, interviews running from November to March, and enrolment beginning from Thursday 20 August 2026. This is a clear, time bound pathway that suits students who want certainty about when decisions are made and what is expected next.

Pastoral care is positioned as an organised system rather than a loose promise. Daily tutor contact creates a consistent point of oversight, while heads of year and pastoral mentors provide escalation. The school also names a counsellor role and presents wellbeing support as early intervention wherever possible, rather than waiting for issues to become acute.

The staged continuum model for behaviour, emotional, and educational wellbeing is a helpful framework for parents because it signals how support decisions are made. Families often worry about either overreacting to normal adolescent stress or missing early warning signs. A tiered approach can reduce both risks if it is applied consistently.

External partnerships are explicitly referenced, including mental health support services and specialist outreach. The credibility test for parents is how quickly support becomes available, how well communication works, and whether expectations are shared between home and school. Those are strong questions to ask at an open event or transition meeting.

The extracurricular picture is broadest where the school gives concrete examples rather than generic lists. Music is one of the clearer strands, with a defined set of lunchtime and after school groups including Guitar and Ukulele, Keyboard and Music Technology, and a Singing group, alongside band rehearsal availability for older year groups. This kind of provision is valuable because it supports both beginners and more confident performers, and it builds routine for students who benefit from structured commitments.

Student voice and leadership appear in modern formats. A student led podcast team has published a series of episodes covering topics linked to personal development, including mental health and anxiety and issues around harassment. This works best when it is supervised well, grounded in safeguarding expectations, and connected to curriculum rather than being performative.

Wider enrichment includes enterprise and participation activities. Trust reporting highlights a Young Enterprise strand, alongside clubs such as Crochet Club in the library and a Dungeons and Dragons group that proved popular. For many students, especially those who do not naturally gravitate to competitive sport, these clubs can be the difference between attending and belonging.

Recent school communications also point to whole school events and productions. A school production of Shrek involved students from Years 8 to 12 across on stage and technical roles, with 450 tickets sold, suggesting capacity for large scale participation, not just a small drama cohort. That kind of event is often a marker of improving organisation and confidence, because it requires coordination, behaviour standards, and sustained rehearsal time.

The published school day begins with tutor time at 8.40am, then six periods across the day, and staggered finish times by year group, with Year 7 and 8 finishing at 2.55pm, Year 9 and 10 at 3.00pm, and Year 11 and sixth form at 3.05pm. Total weekly time is stated as 31.25 hours.

Travel planning matters. The school states that, due to site work, parking is not available during drop off and pick up times, and that a drive through drop off zone is used instead. Cycling and scooting are encouraged with multiple bike stands, and school bus arrangements use a named provider with the service name recently changed.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. Families should still budget for uniform, trips, and optional activities such as instrumental tuition, where applicable.

• Requires Improvement overall: The latest full inspection judged the school as Requires Improvement overall, with quality of education also Requires Improvement. Families should focus questions on consistency of teaching and how leaders are embedding strong practice across all subjects.

• Outcomes are below England average: The FindMySchool GCSE and A level rankings place outcomes in the lower band in England, and Progress 8 is negative. For some students, the support and structure will matter more than raw outcomes; for others, an environment with stronger academic results may be a priority.

• Traffic and access constraints: Temporary site work affects parking at peak times and the school explicitly warns that parking is not available at drop off and pick up. This can be a genuine daily stressor for families who drive.

• Sixth form timeline is strict: Sixth form applications have a stated deadline and late applications are not guaranteed interviews. Students who prefer to keep options open late into the spring should plan carefully and apply on time.

The Castle Rock School is best understood as a large community secondary and sixth form that has strengthened behaviour, pastoral systems, and day to day order, but is still working to make learning quality consistent enough to lift outcomes. It suits families who want a structured school day, clear pastoral routes, and a broad mix of academic and vocational pathways at post 16, and who are comfortable engaging with the school about improvement priorities. The key decision is whether the current academic performance profile matches a child’s needs and ambitions, and whether the trajectory feels credible for the next few years.