Hampton Gardens Secondary School Review 2026: A growing Peterborough secondary with a strong reading focus and an established sixth form route

A newer secondary with a clear local mission, Hampton Gardens opened to Year 7 pupils in September 2017 and has expanded into an 11 to 19 school within Hampton Academies Trust. The intake is mixed, non-faith, and large at capacity (1,500 places), which suits families who want breadth of peer group and a school that can offer multiple pathways at post-16.

Leadership is also clearly defined. Kevin Ainslie is listed as Head of School, with an appointment date of 01 September 2022.

For parents weighing quality and stability, the headline external judgement remains “Good”, with the latest Ofsted inspection (2 and 3 November 2021) judging the school Good across all areas, including sixth form provision.

The school’s identity is shaped by two things, being new enough to feel deliberately designed, and being large enough to run as a full community school rather than a small specialist setting. Its own language frames the purpose as an “inclusive secondary school” serving Hampton and nearby communities, with an emphasis on relationships, self-esteem, and knowledge.

The atmosphere described in formal external evidence is purposeful rather than performative. Pupils are reported as liking attending, with clear behavioural expectations and classrooms set up for learning. Anti-bullying and equality messaging appear as an explicit part of the school culture, including a pupil equality and diversity committee referenced in the same evidence base, alongside a firm stance that discriminatory behaviour is not tolerated.

A practical marker of day-to-day culture is the Learning Resource Centre. It is presented as a central study and reading space, described as bright and welcoming, with panoramic views and extended opening into after-school time (open from break until 4:15pm). The library systems and routines also matter for families who value structure. Year 7 pupils receive an induction early in the autumn term, and the school references Reading Cloud as its library software for access to due dates and recommendations.

This section uses FindMySchool rankings and performance metrics drawn from official datasets. (These rankings help parents compare like-for-like locally.)

GCSEs

Ranked 2,542nd in England and 11th in Peterborough for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This reflects solid performance, in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

The headline measures suggest a slightly above-average progress picture from students’ starting points. A Progress 8 score of 0.13 indicates students, on average, make more progress than peers with similar starting points. Attainment 8 sits at 44.1, which is broadly in the expected range for a comprehensive intake.

One important nuance is subject mix. The proportion achieving grades 5 or above in the EBacc is 8.7%, which is low compared with schools that enter large cohorts for the full EBacc suite. That does not automatically mean weak humanities or languages teaching, but it often signals either lower EBacc entry, a strategic focus on different pathways, or a cohort profile where the full EBacc is not the dominant route.

A-levels and post-16 outcomes

Ranked 1,685th in England and 10th in Peterborough for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), which places the sixth form in the lower-performing 40% of A-level providers in England.

In the latest results dataset, 4.3% of A-level grades were A*, 14.4% were A, and 38.3% were A* to B combined. This sits below the England average for A* to B (47.2%).

The key implication for families is that Hampton Gardens is positioned as a credible local sixth form option with established routes into higher education, apprenticeships, and employment, but it does not currently present as an elite A-level outcomes provider on headline measures. For students who thrive with strong pastoral structure, clear routines, and course guidance, that can still be an excellent fit.

The most distinctive academic signal from formal evidence is the school’s attention to reading and curriculum sequencing. Reading is described as a high priority, with carefully chosen texts and targeted support for pupils who struggle, so they can access the full curriculum. That matters particularly in a large comprehensive where starting points vary, because improved literacy tends to lift outcomes across humanities, sciences, and vocational courses.

Curriculum design is also described in a way parents can recognise in practice, subject leaders identify key knowledge and build towards more complex ideas over time. Where teaching can be strengthened is consistency in checking prior learning and linking new content to what pupils already know, which is flagged as an improvement point.

Career education is another area where families should read carefully. The same evidence base notes that pupils wanted more information about careers and further education routes, and that careers provision had been disrupted by the pandemic and needed strengthening across year groups. When you visit, it is sensible to ask how the current careers programme is delivered year by year, and how it connects to option choices and post-16 pathways.

Hampton Gardens is explicit that its sixth form pathway is part of a trust-wide offer, rather than a standalone sixth form operating in isolation. In admissions documentation, the school describes joint post-16 provision with Hampton College, including shared subject delivery across the trust.

For destination flavour, the school publishes a list of universities and courses, which includes academically selective routes alongside more applied degrees. Examples include London School of Economics (Economics), Durham University (Computer Science), University of Nottingham (Law, and Politics and International Relations), and University of Exeter (Applied Psychology). The same destination listing also includes a spread of applied and creative routes such as Royal Academy of Art (Technical Theatre and Stage Management Foundation Course), plus named degree apprenticeships and employment routes.

For a statistical view of progression from the latest published cohort, the 2023/24 leavers data shows 22% progressed to university, 6% to apprenticeships, and 39% to employment (cohort size 18).

The practical implication is that this is a sixth form where students appear to take multiple serious routes, not just the university track. Parents of students considering apprenticeships or employment should ask early about application support, employer links, and how timetable structures accommodate work-based routes.

Year 7 entry (September 2026)

Admissions for Year 7 are coordinated by Peterborough City Council, and Hampton Gardens publishes an admission number of 210 for Year 7 entry in 2026. The oversubscription criteria, in priority order, start with pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, then looked-after and previously looked-after children, then catchment and sibling priorities, followed by staff children (in defined circumstances), and then other siblings and other children. When places are tied, distance is measured as a straight line using the local authority measurement system described in the admissions document.

For September 2026 entry, Peterborough’s first-round application window ran from 12 September 2025 to 31 October 2025, with offers released on 02 March 2026 (National Offer Day). A second round runs from 01 November 2025 to 31 March 2026 for late applications, with later processing and notification dates published by the council.

Demand signals also suggest a competitive local picture. The most recent published application-to-offer dataset for the school indicates 585 applications and 198 offers, which is about 2.95 applications per place.

Parents comparing options should use the FindMySchool Map Search to check practical travel time and likely priority, then use the Local Hub comparison tool to compare outcomes and sixth form routes across nearby schools.

Sixth form entry (Year 12)

Sixth form admissions are partly defined in policy and partly operationalised through the trust’s annual process. The admissions arrangements state that the admission number of external students to Year 12 across the joint provision is 10, and set out pathway-based entry requirements, ranging from Level 2 vocational (four GCSE passes at grade 3 or above) through to A-level pathways (six GCSE passes at grades 4 to 9 including English and maths). The same document states that offers are issued by 31 March and are provisional until GCSE results are known.

For the current cycle, the school also publishes an operational deadline for sixth form applications, 11pm on Friday 09 January 2026.

Open events follow the same split, with Peterborough publishing a sixth form open day date of 04 November 2025 for Hampton Gardens in its September 2026 admissions information.

Pastoral systems appear designed for scale. Formal evidence describes behavioural expectations as clear, with most pupils responding well, and additional support for pupils who struggle to manage behaviour. It also confirms safeguarding arrangements are effective, including staff training to spot risk, clear reporting routes, and appropriate use of external agencies.

On the school’s own pastoral pages, the support offer is framed as both preventative and practical, combining recognition systems with structured support. The school references praise and recognition through its management system, plus a Breakfast Club and Homework Club as part of wider wellbeing support. For families, these practical touchpoints can matter as much as policies, especially for students who benefit from calm routines before lessons and structured study time after school.

The extracurricular programme appears to be run as a mix of sport, enrichment, and academic support, rather than only competitive teams. The school links enrichment to its “Experience Curriculum”, including an Enrichment Week for Years 7 to 9 and work experience for Year 10. This approach has a clear implication, it broadens horizons for students who may not seek out activities independently, and it gives families a concrete structure for wider experiences across the lower school years.

For named clubs, the Learning Resource Centre runs several specific options that are open access and designed for different student needs. Board Games Club runs on Mondays after school; Creative Writing club runs on Tuesdays after school in conjunction with the English department; and Home Learning club is held on Thursdays after school with support staff available for homework and study. The Book Swap Shop at Friday lunchtime adds a simple reading culture mechanism that works well in large schools, it creates a low-barrier route into reading choices and peer recommendation.

Events also include performance opportunities. The Learning Resource Centre pages reference a Performing Arts Winter Showcase on 02 December 2025, indicating that public-facing performances sit within the annual rhythm.

The published school day is structured around a clear access window and a five-period timetable. Students can access the grounds from 8:00am, with morning registration and assembly starting at 8:30am, and Period 5 running until 3:10pm. The Learning Resource Centre extends the day for study, running after school until 4:15pm.

Term dates are published in advance for planning. For 2025/26, autumn term begins on 04 September 2025 and the school year ends on 17 July 2026 (with early finish times on the final day published in the same source).

Transport is typically straightforward for Hampton and surrounding areas, but families relying on buses should check the current school transport guidance and route timetables for their exact location, as arrangements can change.

• Admission competition and priority rules. The school is oversubscribed in published demand data, and the admissions policy places strong weight on catchment and sibling priority. Families should read the oversubscription criteria closely and plan on realistic alternatives.

• A-level outcomes are not currently a headline strength. The A-level ranking sits in the lower-performing 40% of providers in England, so students aiming for highly competitive universities may need to be confident they can thrive within the school’s subject offer and support structures.

• Careers and post-16 guidance is worth probing. Formal evidence highlights that students wanted more careers and FE pathway information at the time of inspection, and that strengthening careers education was an improvement focus. When visiting, ask what has changed and what Year 9 to Year 11 looks like in practice.

• Club menus change, and some are targeted. Named options like Creative Writing and the Home Learning club are a genuine strength, but the broader club timetable can vary by term. Families should check current club lists and how sign-up works (some clubs are drop-in, others require booking).

Hampton Gardens Secondary School suits families who want a large, inclusive local secondary with clear routines, a strong reading focus, and a sixth form route that supports multiple pathways, including university, apprenticeships, and employment. It is particularly well matched to students who benefit from structure and access to after-school study spaces such as the Learning Resource Centre. Admission remains the main hurdle, and families considering sixth form should review the course pathway requirements and the current A-level outcomes profile when shortlisting.