Stalham High School Review 2026: A close-knit 11 to 16 school with a strong inclusion offer

Stalham High School is a mixed 11 to 16 secondary in rural Norfolk, part of Synergy Multi-Academy Trust. External evaluation in June 2024 judged the school Good across all areas and confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

A defining feature is its deliberate focus on inclusion and belonging. Formal evaluation highlights a strong sense of community, with pupils taking visible responsibility through roles such as anti-bullying and autism ambassadors, alongside structured routines that help lessons run calmly.

Leadership is also current. Mr Lee McMahon is the Head of School, with a recorded appointment date of 01 September 2024. For families, that usually signals a period of consolidation and fine-tuning, rather than wholesale reinvention.

The school’s stated vision is clear, to Inspire, Educate and Empower students, backed by values that foreground personal and community responsibility, ambition, respect, and working together. That values set is not abstract. It is reflected in how the school frames student leadership and peer responsibility, including form ambassadors, house leadership roles in Year 10, and an autism ambassador programme.

The clearest evidence on day-to-day culture comes from the latest inspection narrative, which describes pupils as articulate and confident, interacting positively with staff and showing pride in the school and in supporting one another. The same account points to practical routines that are being embedded consistently, which matters in a school context where predictability tends to improve behaviour, learning time, and pupil confidence.

Pastoral identity is also shaped by the house structure, with four houses named Cavell, Fry, Nelson and Pinsent, and a calendar of inter-house activities that includes events such as the Decoding Challenge, Precision Challenge, Pi(e) Day, and The Great Stalham Scone-Off. That kind of structure gives students multiple ways to be visible, beyond sport or top sets, which can be an advantage for confidence and engagement.

For GCSE outcomes, Stalham High School sits broadly in line with the middle of England schools. Ranked 2,192nd in England and 17th in Norwich for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), it reflects solid performance in the 25th to 60th percentile range.

The attainment picture shows an Attainment 8 score of 43.7 and a Progress 8 score of -0.21, indicating that, on average, pupils made slightly below-average progress from their starting points over the measured period.

EBacc measures show an average EBacc point score of 4.01, alongside 15.2% achieving grade 5 or above in the EBacc. (All figures are drawn from the supplied dataset and should be read as the most recent published values within that dataset.)

What those numbers typically mean for families is this: Stalham is not an exam hothouse, but it is also not a low-expectation environment. The school’s own improvement narrative, supported by external evaluation, emphasises tightening curriculum sequencing and strengthening subject expertise, with a clear focus on closing gaps in knowledge over time.

If you are comparing outcomes locally, FindMySchool’s Local Hub pages and Comparison Tool are useful for seeing how this GCSE profile sits alongside nearby schools serving similar intakes, particularly once travel time becomes part of the decision.

At Key Stage 3, the published curriculum overview indicates a broad core including English, mathematics, science, computing, history, geography, drama, physical education, religious and social studies, food and nutrition, music, art, plus at least one modern foreign language (French or Spanish). This is an important point for parents who worry about early narrowing, because a broad Key Stage 3 keeps options open at Key Stage 4.

In literacy, there is an unusually specific and practical detail. The library programme for Years 7 to 9 is built around Accelerated Reader, including regular quizzing and a termly STAR reading test to keep track of reading age and book difficulty range. External evaluation also references targeted support for pupils who struggle to read, plus a well-used library and a reading dog used to build confidence, which is a common and evidence-informed approach for reluctant readers.

For some families, the most distinctive teaching feature will be the autism specialist resource base, The PAD. The school describes The PAD explicitly as an ASC specialist resource base and outlines a structured model: support for personal development, academic success, and inclusion, with mainstream integration as far as possible, alongside a calm base space, routines and visual supports. It also specifies staffing, named teachers in charge, access to a sensory space and garden, and assessment using the Autism Education Trust progression framework. For the right child, this can materially change the experience of secondary school, because it offers both protection and a bridge back into mainstream lessons.

Where Students Go Next

Because Stalham High School finishes at 16, the key transition point is post-16, not university. The school runs careers and work experience activity, and external evaluation describes the careers programme as effective, with students valuing work experience and receiving meaningful preparation for next steps. The school also publishes post-16 advice pages for students and parents, which is a helpful signal that transition planning is taken seriously.

For many families, the practical question is how well a school supports Key Stage 4 decision-making and progression into college, apprenticeships, or training. Stalham’s approach here is reinforced by its wider personal development model, including assemblies and tutor programmes that explicitly cover relationships, mental health, and preparation for adult life, with British Values taught and revisited through planned activity.

Because there is no sixth form, families who like the school but want continuity beyond Year 11 should plan early. Open events at local sixth forms and colleges typically begin well before GCSE summer, and the strongest transitions usually come from early conversations around subject combinations, transport, and study support.

Admissions for Year 7 are coordinated through Norfolk County Council. For September 2026 entry, the published timetable lists: applications opening 11 September 2025, closing 31 October 2025, and national offer day on 02 March 2026. Late applications remain possible, but they usually carry lower priority than on-time applications, so timing matters.

The school also publishes its planned admission number for Year 7 as 100 for September 2026 entry. For families looking ahead, the school website additionally references consultation on proposed admission arrangements for September 2027 entry, which is worth monitoring if you are applying in the next cycle.

If you are shortlisting based on proximity, the most reliable approach is to map your exact home-to-school distance and then track oversubscription patterns year-on-year. FindMySchool’s Map Search is designed for precisely this kind of catchment reality-checking.

The school’s pastoral structure is visible in several published strands: student leadership roles, anti-bullying activity, and inclusion systems. The anti-bullying approach is not presented as a policy-only exercise. The school publishes named anti-bullying ambassadors, which indicates that peer visibility is part of the strategy rather than an afterthought.

Attendance is the main wellbeing pressure-point flagged in the most recent external evaluation. The same report that describes positive relationships and calm routines also notes that too many pupils do not attend frequently enough, which reduces both learning time and social participation. Families for whom attendance is already fragile should read this as a prompt to ask detailed questions about early intervention, home-school communication, and reintegration support.

For students with autism who are eligible for specialist support, The PAD is central to wellbeing as well as learning. The school describes structured support for self-regulation, anxiety, and sensory needs, with a calm base environment and a stated intent to strengthen mainstream participation over time.

Extracurricular breadth is often where smaller or mid-sized schools can surprise families. Stalham publishes a detailed club timetable with both lunchtime and after-school options, including some that are genuinely distinctive for an 11 to 16 setting.

A few examples that stand out for range and specificity:

• Dungeons and Dragons for younger students, plus a separate group for returning players, which offers structured social interaction and narrative problem-solving.

• Aviation Club, alongside creative options such as Photography Club, Creative Writing Group, and Film Club.

• Performing arts routes through Rock Band(s) and a Key Stage 3 Ukulele Group, plus drama provision split into lower school drama club and an upper school theatre club.

• Inclusion-oriented opportunities such as British Sign Language club and homework support in the library.

Sport is present, but not limited to a single pathway. Clubs include football, basketball, badminton, table tennis, rugby, and netball, with a named Netball Academy slot that runs later than standard clubs.

The wider personal development and enrichment picture includes structured projects and days such as a STEM flight challenge, trips such as Bletchley Park, and themed activities like a Colour Run for autism awareness. That mix suggests the school is trying to keep school life varied and motivating, which can make a material difference to engagement for students who are not purely exam-driven.

The school day starts at 08:30 (with a warning bell at 08:30 and form time from 08:35), and ends at 15:00, according to published transition material. Arrival expectations reference access via the main entrance gates between 08:15 and 08:30.

There is no published sixth form, and wraparound care is not typically a feature at 11 to 16 schools; the clearest published extension to the day is through lunchtime and after-school clubs.

For travel, the school explicitly advises families using public buses or local authority transport to check timings and organise bus passes in advance.

• Attendance focus. External evaluation highlights that attendance is not yet strong enough for a notable group of pupils, which can limit both progress and belonging. This matters most for families already managing anxiety, school refusal, or health-related absence.

• No sixth form. The school finishes at 16, so post-16 planning is essential and should start early in Year 10 or the beginning of Year 11, particularly where transport to college is a factor.

• Curriculum consistency by subject. External evaluation describes stronger curriculum development in some subjects than others. Families may want to ask how curriculum sequencing and assessment are being strengthened across the full set of GCSE subjects.

• The PAD is not a general offer. The PAD is a specialist resource base with admissions and eligibility constraints. It may be transformational for the right child, but it is not an automatic pathway for all students with additional needs.

Stalham High School offers a grounded 11 to 16 education with a clear emphasis on routines, respectful relationships, and inclusion. Its distinctive strength is the breadth of structured opportunities for students to belong, from house competition and leadership roles to a club programme that includes everything from aviation to British Sign Language.

It best suits families who want a community-centred school experience, value visible inclusion practice, and are prepared to plan post-16 routes actively because there is no on-site sixth form. For families who secure a good match, the combination of peer responsibility, targeted reading support, and the autism specialist resource base can be a compelling package.