Outwood Academy Kirkby Review 2026: A fast-moving improvement story with a clear focus on routines and reading

A school can be judged by how clearly it knows what it is trying to fix. Here, the priorities are direct: a strengthened curriculum, consistent classroom practice, and a more orderly learning climate, backed by wider personal development opportunities that feel deliberately planned rather than incidental. The most recent inspection (13 to 14 May 2025) reported Good judgements for Quality of Education, Personal Development, and Leadership and Management, with Behaviour and Attitudes judged Requires Improvement.

This is an 11 to 16, mixed academy in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, part of Outwood Grange Academies Trust. It joined the Outwood Family of Schools in 2022, and leadership has been refreshed, with Andy Scruby appointed as principal in March 2025.

A further distinguishing feature is the forward-looking estates plan. Planning permission for a major redevelopment has been publicly reported, positioning the academy’s next phase as much about facilities and space as it is about systems and standards.

The strongest impression from official sources is of a school working hard to create predictability. Behaviour expectations are described as high, with established routines that are understood by pupils and applied fairly by staff. The important qualifier is that this consistency is not yet universal, a minority of pupils do not meet expectations often enough to disrupt learning, and the level of suspensions is described as significant.

That combination tends to shape day-to-day experience in a specific way. For many students, clear routines reduce uncertainty, and lessons can feel more focused. For others, especially those who struggle with regulation, attendance, or engagement, the system can become a pressure point unless it is paired with skilled relational work and well-targeted support. The same inspection evidence points to both sides: pupils are described as safe and well cared for, while behaviour and attendance remain areas where leaders are expected to do more.

There is also a deliberate emphasis on character and participation, expressed through structured programmes rather than vague encouragement. The academy promotes a pupil parliament, a Student Voice offer, and leadership roles such as Anti-bullying and Mental Wellbeing Ambassadors. One practical example is the Honours programme, a badge-based recognition platform with up to 100 badges across several strands of school life, designed to reward contribution and development, not only test scores.

A final element of culture is that the academy is signalling “modern secondary” expectations to families, including being a phone free school as a repeated message in its communications and site branding. (Families should still check the current policy detail in the behaviour and mobile phone guidance documents, as operational rules can change within a year.)

Academic performance metrics here indicate that improvement is still in progress, and outcomes remain an area families should scrutinise closely.

For GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the school is ranked 3,306th in England and 44th in the Nottingham local area. This places performance below England average, in the lower-performing 40% of schools in England (based on the percentile position).

The attainment and progress indicators reinforce that picture. The school’s Attainment 8 score is 35.5, and Progress 8 is -0.22, which indicates that students, on average, made less progress than pupils nationally with similar starting points. EBacc entry and outcomes also look constrained: the average EBacc APS is 3.15, and 11.1% achieved grades 5 or above across the EBacc measure.

For parents, the practical implication is that this is not a “results first” destination yet, even with strong signals about the direction of travel. If your child is academically confident, the curriculum strengthening described in the latest inspection may be encouraging. If your child needs high consistency across every classroom, or is likely to be disrupted by behaviour issues around them, it becomes even more important to ask detailed questions about what the school does differently now, compared with the period that drove weaker outcomes.

A useful way to sanity-check fit is to use FindMySchool’s Local Hub comparison tools to line up Progress 8, Attainment 8, and local ranking with nearby alternatives, then follow up on what each school is doing operationally to improve outcomes.

The curriculum story is one of breadth, ambition, and uneven consistency.

On the positive side, the curriculum is described as broad and ambitious, and pupils with SEND follow the same curriculum as their peers, supported by strategies that are implemented effectively. Reading is identified as a priority, with swift identification and personalised support to build fluency and confidence. This matters for secondary outcomes because weak reading is often the hidden limiter across humanities, science, and even maths problem-solving.

At key stage 4, the offer includes academic and vocational routes. The inspection evidence indicates that the EBacc suite is available to all, and that uptake is increasing, linked to more pupils choosing a modern foreign language GCSE. For families who want their child’s options to remain open post-16, that matters. EBacc participation is not the only measure of a good KS4, but it often correlates with ambition and with breadth in the timetable.

The key caveat is that delivery is not yet consistently strong across all subjects. In most areas, leaders have identified what pupils should learn and sequenced knowledge so it builds logically, but in a small number of subjects the curriculum is less coherent and pupils struggle to connect new learning to prior knowledge. Teaching quality is described as strong in many classrooms, with teachers using specialist subject knowledge and checking understanding carefully, but again, the issue is variability.

What this means in practice is that parents should probe for specifics: which subjects are the strongest, how leaders are improving weaker departments, and what support is offered when a student’s experience varies across their timetable.

Where Students Go Next

As an 11 to 16 academy, the central question is how well students are prepared for post-16 choices and transitions.

The school positions careers and next-step guidance as a structured entitlement, including engagement with an external careers provider, Progress Careers, and an approach aligned to the Gatsby Benchmarks. The inspection evidence also highlights detailed guidance for next stages in education and training, linked to careers information.

For families, the best way to assess impact is to ask for destination patterns over the last year or two, even if the school does not publish a full statistical breakdown. Useful questions include: the balance between sixth form and college routes, the take-up of apprenticeships, the number of students who switch pathway after GCSE results day, and what ongoing support exists for students who do not immediately secure their preferred place.

Because the academy does not publish a verified destination dataset in the information provided here, this section is deliberately focused on the guidance infrastructure rather than unverified outcomes.

Year 7 admissions are coordinated through Nottinghamshire’s local authority process, rather than direct application to the academy. The academy’s own admissions page confirms that families apply via the Local Authority’s common application route, and that the Local Authority communicates outcomes on national offer day.

The most recent published Nottinghamshire timetable for September 2026 secondary entry sets out:

• Applications open: 4 August 2025

• Closing date: 31 October 2025

• Offer day: 2 March 2026

Oversubscription is real, rather than theoretical. The latest available demand data shows 156 applications for 90 offers for the relevant entry route, which equates to around 1.73 applications per place offered. The status is recorded as oversubscribed.

Where the academy is oversubscribed, criteria and tie-break arrangements matter. Nottinghamshire’s published admissions arrangements for the relevant Outwood academies set out a priority order that includes looked-after and previously looked-after children, children in catchment, linked schools, sibling links, and then distance (measured as the crow flies using the local authority’s distance system). The published admission number for Year 7 entry in September 2026 is 150.

Families considering an in-year move should note that Nottinghamshire operates an in-year application process for transfers during the academic year, which is separate from the Year 6 to Year 7 transfer round.

Pastoral effectiveness here is best understood as “strong foundations with two stubborn barriers”.

The foundations are clear. Pupils are described as safe, with positive relationships with staff, and safeguarding arrangements are confirmed as effective. There is also evidence of deliberate personal development coverage, including a Life curriculum that addresses staying safe and healthy, British values, and preparation for next stages.

The two barriers are behaviour and attendance. Even with routines and expectations in place, a minority of pupils disrupt learning, and suspensions remain high. Attendance is monitored carefully, and staff work with families to encourage regular attendance, but too many pupils are absent too often, particularly disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.

For parents, the practical test is whether the school’s approach matches your child’s needs. Students who respond well to structure can benefit from the clarity. Students who struggle with consistency, anxiety, or low attendance need a plan that is specific, joined up, and well communicated. A good visit question is not “How do you support wellbeing?” but “What does support look like in week one of a concern, and what changes by week six if it is not improving?”

Extracurricular life is closely tied to the school’s wider improvement narrative, because it is used as a vehicle for belonging, leadership, and engagement, not only recreation.

A concrete example is participation in The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, referenced as a meaningful strand where students learn skills and volunteer in the community. Another is sport and activity access, including sports clubs and a weekly trip to a local swimming pool. That sort of recurring fixture can help students who need routine and a reason to attend regularly.

Leadership and voice are also positioned as active programmes. The inspection evidence notes a recently introduced pupil parliament, designed to build representation and leadership experience. The academy’s enrichment and extended learning page reinforces this wider participation model, pointing to Student Voice, Sustainability, and ambassador roles such as Anti-bullying and Mental Wellbeing Ambassadors.

Finally, there are the “everyday clubs” that make a difference for individual students. A specific example published by the academy is a German speaking club (noted as an addition to the enrichment programme), with enrichment running after the end of the formal day.

The implication for families is straightforward. If your child needs school to feel bigger than lessons, this academy is actively building that wider offer, and recognition systems such as Honours are designed to make participation visible and rewarded.

The academy day is structured into five teaching periods, beginning at 08:30 and finishing at 14:55, with Personal Development and Growth time built into the morning schedule. Enrichment activities are published as running from 14:55 to 15:55 in the academy’s programme information.

Term dates and closures are published on the academy website, including half-term dates and holiday windows.

For travel, the academy is in Kirkby-in-Ashfield and many families will approach by walking, local bus routes, or rail. Kirkby-in-Ashfield station is a named local rail access point for the town. (Families should still plan the final leg carefully, since station accessibility and onward noticing points can affect journey time.)

Wraparound care is not typical for an 11 to 16 academy, and specific before-school or after-school childcare provision is not presented as a standard service in the published information reviewed here. Families who need supervised provision beyond enrichment sessions should check directly with the academy for current options.

• Behaviour consistency still developing. The school’s routines and expectations are clear, but behaviour and attitudes remain the headline area for improvement, with a significant number of suspensions referenced in the latest inspection evidence. Consider how your child responds to a highly structured behaviour system, and ask what support exists before behaviour issues escalate.

• Attendance is a priority issue. The academy monitors attendance and works with families, but persistent absence remains too common, especially for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. If attendance has been a challenge previously, ask what the first six weeks of support looks like in practical terms.

• Outcomes are improving, but still low relative to England. GCSE performance sits below England average in comparative terms, and Progress 8 is negative. Parents should review subject-by-subject improvement actions and ask how variability between departments is being reduced.

• Major rebuilding plans can be disruptive in the short term. Public reporting points to a substantial redevelopment. This is likely to bring long-term benefit, but short-term change can mean temporary arrangements and evolving site routines.

Outwood Academy Kirkby reads as a school in the middle of a serious, system-led turnaround: curriculum and reading have been strengthened, personal development is being structured, and leadership is clearly prioritising routines and culture. The remaining challenge is making behaviour and attendance improvements stick across the whole student body, and turning that consistency into stronger results over time.

Who it suits: families who want a structured approach, clear expectations, and visible opportunities for participation and leadership, and who are comfortable with a school still working through behaviour and attendance issues as part of its improvement journey.