The Priory Belvoir Academy Review 2026: A structured 11–16 academy with a strong reading focus and clear expectations

In a largely rural catchment that pulls from villages on the Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire edges, The Priory Belvoir Academy is designed to be a straightforward, well-organised route through Key Stage 3 and GCSEs, with practical systems that help students stay on track. Leadership stability is a feature here, with Levon Newton leading the academy since August 2017 (initially as headteacher designate).

The most recent inspection confirmed that the academy remains a good school, with safeguarding judged effective. The report also describes a curriculum that is carefully planned, and a culture where staff know students well and set ambitious expectations.

Parents weighing this option should keep two realities in view. First, there is no sixth form, so the key milestone is GCSE outcomes and post 16 transition. Second, admissions demand is real, and families need to treat application deadlines as non-negotiable.

The academy’s public messaging is consistent, it aims to combine traditional expectations around behaviour and effort with a modern emphasis on teaching and learning development. That plays out in the way recognition is structured. The Peacock Pride system is positioned as a whole-school framework for rewarding sustained effort, enrichment and contribution, including activity beyond lessons. Students can work towards Bronze, Silver and Gold badges across five strands, framed around areas such as physical health and wellbeing.

A house structure adds another layer of identity and routine. Recent communications confirm five house names, Sherwood, Creswell, Gibraltar, Dovedale and Charnwood, with house events used to build belonging and participation. For many students, this kind of structure matters. It can make routines feel predictable, widen friendship groups beyond tutor groups, and give quieter students a route into participation that is not only sport or performance.

External evaluation paints a broadly calm picture. The latest inspection report describes staff and students getting along well, with students confident about approaching an adult for support, and behaviour described as positive in lessons and around the site. That does not mean the academy is “soft”, rather, expectations are clear and the aim is an orderly learning environment where students can concentrate.

The Priory Belvoir Academy is an 11–16 school, so the key performance lens is GCSE outcomes, alongside progress and curriculum breadth indicators. On FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking, based on official performance data, the academy is ranked 2,436th in England and 35th locally in Nottingham. That places performance broadly in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

In attainment terms, the academy’s Attainment 8 score is 44.4. Progress is a relative strength, with a Progress 8 score of +0.21, indicating that, on average, students make above average progress from their starting points across eight subjects.

The English Baccalaureate picture is more mixed. The academy’s average EBacc point score is 3.85, with the England average recorded as 4.08. The percentage achieving grade 5 or above across the EBacc is 9.8%. These measures often reflect subject entry patterns as well as outcomes, so parents who care about language uptake and a strongly academic EBacc pathway should ask direct questions about options, staffing and guidance at Key Stage 4.

When interpreting these figures, it is worth focusing on what can be controlled. Progress measures tend to reflect day-to-day teaching consistency and whether assessment is used effectively to close gaps. The inspection report is aligned with that reading, praising curriculum planning and reading strategy, while also identifying that, in some lessons, activities and use of checking for understanding are not always strong enough to secure learning.

For parents comparing local schools, FindMySchool’s Local Hub pages and Comparison Tool can help you benchmark this profile against nearby alternatives, using the same metrics and definitions across schools.

Curriculum intent is framed around a planned sequence of knowledge and skills, with a consistent approach across subjects. External evaluation supports that the curriculum is mapped carefully and that teachers often explain clearly and model thinking to students. The improvement challenge is not described as a whole-school weakness, but it is specific and important, a small number of subjects need better lesson activity design so that students learn the intended curriculum securely, and teachers need to act more consistently on checks for understanding to correct misconceptions.

Reading is presented as a priority rather than a bolt-on. The inspection report describes reading as central to the curriculum, including use of a wide range of texts, and targeted support for students whose reading is weaker on entry. On the academy’s own information, the library is open at break and lunchtime, and Year 7 and Year 8 have a weekly library lesson that includes borrowing, returning, structured reading and book talk.

For families, the practical implication is that literacy support is built into routines rather than being reserved only for students in difficulty. That can be helpful in a mixed intake, especially for students who are capable but lack confidence, or whose reading stamina needs development before GCSE study ramps up in Year 10 and Year 11.

Where Students Go Next

With no sixth form, transition at 16 matters. The academy’s careers and personal development work is described in the inspection report as a developed strategy, with students receiving high-quality information about a full range of next steps, including opportunities to meet employers and take part in work experience.

The school also signposts local post 16 routes. Its published information points families towards a range of sixth forms and colleges that are commonly used in the wider area, including school sixth forms and further education colleges. While the specific open event dates on that page relate to a past cycle, the wider point is useful, the academy expects students to make an informed choice among several realistic options rather than defaulting to a single route.

For parents of Year 10 and Year 11 students, the best question to ask is about decision support. How does the academy guide students who are aiming for A-levels at a school sixth form versus those who will be better served by a college environment, technical pathways or apprenticeships. The most successful transitions tend to be the ones where subject choices, study habits and attendance expectations are matched to the destination from the start of Year 11.

Admission is coordinated through local authority processes rather than direct selection by the academy. The academy’s published guidance is clear, applications for Year 7 entry must be submitted by 31 October in the year before admission, and offers are released on 1 March in the year of admission.

Oversubscription is part of the local context. In the most recent recorded entry cycle within the available admissions data, there were 283 applications for 135 offers, which is about 2.1 applications per place, and the entry route is marked as oversubscribed. This does not necessarily mean families have no chance, but it does mean you should treat deadlines, supplementary information and proof requirements as essential rather than optional.

The school also describes how it approaches Year 6 transition and prospective family engagement. Open Week tours are described as typically happening in late September or early October, with appointments available for guided tours during the school day. For families who are unsure about fit, these daytime visits can be more revealing than a single evening event, since you can see routines, movement between lessons and the tone of classrooms.

If you are trying to assess your likelihood of a place, FindMySchoolMap Search can help you understand how your home location compares with local demand patterns, especially when distance criteria apply in oversubscribed years. Exact distance cut-offs vary annually, so avoid relying on informal local assumptions.

Pastoral strength here is described less as a set of slogans and more as a set of systems. External evaluation describes staff knowing pupils well, ensuring students feel safe and happy, and a culture where students are confident to approach an adult for support. The personal development curriculum is referenced as teaching practical safety and relationship content, including online safety and healthy relationships.

Behaviour is described as positive in lessons and around the site, supported by a strengthened behaviour policy that students perceive as fair and consistently applied. That kind of consistency is often what makes the biggest difference for students who need clear boundaries, especially in early Key Stage 3 when routines and organisation are still forming.

Safeguarding is a headline issue for any parent. The latest inspection states that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Extracurricular provision is clearly structured, with arts and sport given explicit space. The academy lists specific arts routes that include Drama Club, school plays, choir, rock bands, dance club, and instrumental lessons. These are not minor add-ons. For many students, performance and ensemble work can be the place where confidence grows fastest, especially when academic self-belief is still developing.

Sport is presented as both competitive and routine-based. The academy lists teams and activities across football, netball, basketball, rugby, badminton, rounders, athletics and tennis, with fixtures linked to local and regional programmes. Staff also describe lunchtime sports clubs as a key route into team selection for fixtures, which encourages regular participation rather than one-off trials.

Two further details help the extracurricular picture feel specific. First, communications from the academy reference a Warhammer club, suggesting there is space for hobby-based communities as well as sport and performance. Second, a Science Club is described as meeting weekly for Years 7 to 9 with hands-on experiments beyond the standard curriculum.

The Peacock Pride framework ties much of this together by giving students credit for contributions beyond lessons, with awards and badges linked to participation and endeavour. For some students, that kind of recognition system becomes the nudge that turns a one-term club into a two-year habit.

The published school day runs from 8:40am registration to 3:10pm finish, with five periods plus break and lunch. Term dates are set out in modules, and the academy publishes dates for both 2025/26 and 2026/27.

Transport is a significant practical consideration for this intake. The academy describes local authority organised travel for catchment students, with bus passes issued ahead of the September start, and notes that many students travel by academy transport or wider bus and train services.

As with most state secondaries, there are no tuition fees. Families should budget for standard extras such as uniform, some trips, and optional enrichment or instrumental tuition where chosen.

• No sixth form. Students will need to make a post 16 move at the end of Year 11. This can suit students who want a fresh start, a wider course menu, or a more adult college environment, but it does require planning from Year 10 onwards.

• Oversubscription and deadlines. Application timing matters. The academy states a 31 October deadline for Year 7 applications, and the available admissions demand data indicates more than two applications per place in the most recent recorded cycle.

• Teaching consistency is the improvement focus. External evaluation praises curriculum planning and reading culture, while also identifying that in some lessons activity design and use of assessment information are not yet consistent enough to secure learning in all subjects. Families should ask what has changed since the inspection and how leaders are checking impact.

• Travel can shape daily experience. A large proportion of students rely on organised transport or public services. Long journeys can affect participation in after-school clubs, so families should consider how extracurricular engagement will work in practice.

The Priory Belvoir Academy is a structured, mainstream 11–16 academy with stable leadership, a clear reading emphasis and a recognisably orderly culture. Performance indicators suggest a broadly mid-range England profile, with above average progress as a positive signal. The best fit is likely to be for families who want a clear behavioural framework, purposeful routines, and strong support for literacy and reading, and who are comfortable planning an intentional move to sixth form or college at 16. Securing entry, and then sustaining consistent teaching quality across all subjects, are the two points to watch most closely.