Ken Stimpson Academy Review 2026: A large Peterborough secondary with a sixth form and a clear improvement agenda

This is a sizeable, mixed secondary and sixth form serving Werrington and wider Peterborough, with over 1,000 pupils on roll and an age range of 11 to 18. The school sits alongside community facilities, including Werrington Library and a sports centre, and visitors sign in via a shared reception, which reinforces the sense that this is a school woven into its local area.

Leadership is currently with Damien Whales (headteacher). The academy joined FOUR CS MAT following conversion in September 2023, so the current “academy era” is relatively recent and still bedding in. Parents should read the school as a work in progress: the culture described in official evidence is calm and orderly much of the time, but results and inspection judgements indicate there is still significant ground to make up.

Ken Stimpson’s identity is shaped by being both a neighbourhood secondary and a post 16 provider. That mix matters. For many families, the appeal is continuity, with the option to stay on after GCSEs rather than reapplying elsewhere. The school day structure also signals a practical, routines-led approach: roll call and tutor reading at 08:45, a five unit teaching day, then a sixth unit slot used for enrichment, revision, intervention and detentions.

The school’s wider “offer” is not just classrooms. Its location next to Werrington Library and Sports Centre, plus the shared reception arrangements, lends itself to a joined-up feel with local services. This can be a real advantage for students who benefit from clear signposting, familiar spaces and community-based opportunities, particularly when coupled with the school’s internal inclusion structures.

Pastoral culture is best understood through the details that are publicly described rather than general claims. The school runs a dedicated Inclusion Department, describing targeted support, whole-school SEND development, and staff training as part of its remit. There is also an Autism Hub with training content focused on practical themes such as sensory differences and camouflaging, which gives a clue to the language and frameworks staff use when supporting neurodiversity.

Historically, the school opened in 1982 (as Ken Stimpson Community School), which makes it a relatively modern Peterborough secondary rather than a Victorian foundation. That matters because the “feel” is typically functional and capacity-led: large year groups, timetable-driven systems, and a focus on routines that keep a big site running.

At GCSE, the school’s results sit below England norms on the key indicators provided. The Attainment 8 score is 39.5, and Progress 8 is -0.24 (a negative score indicates that, on average, pupils made below-average progress compared with similar starting points nationally).

Rankings provide the clearest comparative picture. Ranked 3,195th in England and 17th in Peterborough for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), performance sits below England average, placing it in the lower-performing portion of schools in England. The school’s England percentile position (around the 70th percentile) indicates it is not currently competitive with the stronger secondaries locally or nationally.

At A-level, the headline grades also point to a sixth form that is developing rather than already high performing. A* grades are 1.79%, A grades are 5.36%, and A* to B combined are 32.14%. Compared with the England averages provided for A-level outcomes, the gap is material: A* to A combined is 7.15% here versus an England average of 23.6%, and A* to B is 32.14% here versus an England average of 47.2%.

Again, the rankings tell the story most simply. Ranked 2,128th in England and 16th in Peterborough for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the sixth form currently sits in the lower-performing portion of providers in England.

What should parents do with that information? Two practical implications stand out:

1. If your child is academically confident and wants the most competitive results environment, you should benchmark alternatives carefully using the FindMySchool Local Hub comparison tool, because the published figures suggest this is not a “results-first” school yet.

2. If your child benefits from continuity, strong routines, and local accessibility, the results picture does not automatically rule the school out, but you should ask sharper questions about subject-level support, intervention, and how progress is tracked.

The most useful evidence on teaching and curriculum is the specific, concrete critique of curriculum organisation and sequencing. Leaders were described as developing a new approach intended to broaden curriculum opportunities, but with weaknesses in how knowledge is organised and checked, leading to gaps as pupils move through the school.

The practical consequence for families is that classroom experience can vary by subject and year group. In a school where curriculum sequencing is still being tightened, pupils who are naturally organised and resilient may cope better than those who rely heavily on tight structure and cumulative building blocks.

There are also signals of an operational response. The school day includes time explicitly allocated for intervention and revision (Unit 6), and the wider site content reflects an expectation that students use structured after-school time for catch-up and extension rather than seeing the day as “finished” at the final bell.

Post 16 curriculum breadth is clearly presented. The sixth form offers a mix of A-level and vocational routes, with subject groupings that include Computer Science A Level, Core Maths, and vocational pathways such as IT and Enterprise-related courses. For students who want applied routes alongside academic options, that blended model can be a better fit than a purely academic sixth form.

The school’s public-facing materials emphasise progression to a mix of university and apprenticeship routes, and it uses Russell Group language as an aspiration marker, but it does not consistently publish a clean annual destinations breakdown in the way some sixth forms do.

Oxbridge outcomes, on the data available, are modest but not absent. In the most recent measurement period, there were two Cambridge applications, one offer, and one acceptance. This is not an “Oxbridge pipeline” sixth form, but it does suggest that high-tariff applications can be supported for the right student when academic profile and guidance align.

Where the sixth form is particularly clear is process and compliance. The school explicitly references the earlier UCAS deadline for Oxbridge, medicine, dentistry and veterinary science (15 October), which is often the first administrative hurdle students miss without strong tutoring and mentoring structures.

For younger pupils, the main “next step” is GCSE option choice and, later, whether to stay on for sixth form. Parents should ask how many pupils typically continue into Year 12, how many apply externally, and what minimum entry thresholds apply for specific courses, because these practical gateways can shape whether the sixth form is a realistic pathway or an aspirational one.

Year 7 places are coordinated by Peterborough City Council rather than by the school directly. For September 2026 entry, the local authority states that applications launched on 12 September 2025, with a second round deadline of 31 March 2026.

The school also publishes its own intake timeline for the same cohort. For September 2026 entry, it listed a New Intake Evening on 15 October 2025, tours through late September to mid October, an applications due date of 31 October 2025, and National Offer Day on 2 March 2026.

Because the school does not publish a simple “last distance offered” figure here, families should avoid assuming that proximity guarantees entry. A sensible approach is to use the FindMySchool Map Search to estimate travel practicality, then confirm admissions criteria via the local authority, because oversubscription rules can change year to year.

For post 16, the school provides a structured timetable for applications and induction. For the September 2026 cohort, it listed a sixth form open evening and applications opening on 12 November 2025, an initial application deadline of 5 December 2025, and induction running 26 June to 1 July 2026, with Year 12 starting in September 2026.

The most important “baseline” for any parent is whether their child will feel safe and supported. The latest full inspection evidence states that pupils are safe at school and are supported when concerns arise.

Beyond that headline, the detail is mixed and therefore useful. Bullying was described as not common, but with some pupils reporting that issues are not always resolved quickly enough. That is exactly the kind of finding that parents should take seriously, not as a reason to dismiss the school, but as a reason to ask what has changed since 2022: reporting pathways, follow-up standards, and how staff close the loop with families.

On the positive side, there is a clear internal architecture for additional needs and wellbeing: an Inclusion Department framing targeted support and staff training, and a wellbeing area that includes drop-ins and student wellbeing ambassadors. For some pupils, simply having visible, named routes to help makes a significant difference to attendance, confidence and engagement.

The enrichment offer has two strands: everyday clubs, plus “identity” activities that give the school distinctiveness.

On weekly clubs, the school publicly lists a broad schedule that includes practical and academic options. Examples include Year 7 and 8 Science Club, Robotics Club, Debate Club, and Book Club, alongside sport such as netball and football. There is also evidence of niche interest activity, including Warhammer Club, which can be an important anchor for students who connect through shared hobbies rather than mainstream sport. The implication is straightforward: this is a school where a child can usually find at least one “tribe” beyond their tutor group, which is often a key protective factor for wellbeing in large secondaries.

The distinctive flagship activity is the Dorset Walk, linked to The Malcolm Whales Foundation. The school describes taking a team of Year 9 to post 16 students to Dorset to complete a 40 mile challenge over three days. This kind of activity does two things: it builds peer bonds across year groups, and it creates leadership opportunities for older students that can be hard to engineer in purely timetable-driven systems.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award also appears as a structured programme rather than a one-off trip, with an identified staff contact and dedicated signposting. For parents who value employability skills and confidence-building, these programmes matter at least as much as traditional “sports day” style activity.

The school day starts at 08:45, with students expected on site by 08:40; lessons run in five main units, followed by a sixth unit slot that can be used for enrichment, revision, intervention or detentions until 16:00.

Food service timings are published separately. The school describes breakfast service, break service, and a lunch service window, with lunch running 13:35 to 14:10 and break service 11:05 to 11:35.

For travel and logistics, the school advises visitors arriving by car to use the Werrington Centre car park, noting the site is next to Werrington Library and Sports Centre, and that reception is shared with the sports centre.

• Inspection position and improvement trajectory. The most recent full inspection outcome was Requires Improvement overall (with sixth form provision graded Good), so parents should ask for a concrete improvement narrative, including what has changed in curriculum planning, staff training, and behaviour systems since 2022.

• Academic profile and expectations. GCSE and A-level outcomes, plus rankings, indicate performance below England norms. For highly academic learners, it is worth comparing alternatives and probing how top sets are stretched.

• Consistency across subjects. Evidence points to inconsistency in curriculum sequencing and checking of knowledge, which can lead to uneven experience by department. Families should ask department-level questions, not just whole-school ones.

• Large-school dynamics. With over 1,000 pupils, some children thrive on the social breadth and range of clubs; others find large settings harder. The club and enrichment schedule suggests plenty of routes into belonging, but it is still a big environment.

Ken Stimpson Academy is best understood as a large, community-anchored Peterborough secondary with a sixth form and a clear agenda for improvement. Day-to-day routines, inclusion structures, and a varied enrichment offer are tangible strengths, and the shared community location adds practical convenience for many families. The results picture and inspection outcomes, however, make it essential to ask direct questions about consistency, subject-level strength, and how concerns are handled.

Who it suits: families who want a local secondary with sixth form continuity, a structured day, and visible support routes, particularly where enrichment and belonging matter as much as top-end exam outcomes. The limiting factor is academic performance at GCSE and A-level, so higher-attaining students should benchmark options carefully before committing.