All Saints Church of England Academy, Plymouth Review 2026: A values-led secondary with a clear drive on culture, reading, and future pathways

A school can be changing quickly without feeling unstable, and that is the most useful way to understand All Saints Church of England Academy in Pennycross. The recent story is one of tightening routines, building a purposeful culture, and making the curriculum more coherent so that students remember more over time. That emphasis shows up strongly in reading and literacy priorities, alongside a careers programme that aims to make interviews, workplace expectations, and post 16 planning feel normal rather than mysterious.

Leadership is central to the current direction. Scott Simpson-Horne joined as headteacher in January 2022, and the school’s own framing of its identity is consistent across its website, policy documents, and external reporting, with three values repeated everywhere: love, bravery, and legacy.

On outcomes, the GCSE picture is mixed. In FindMySchool’s England-wide ranking for GCSE outcomes, this school sits below England average, ranked 3253rd in England and 18th within Plymouth (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data). That performance context matters for families weighing expectations and support needs, especially given the school’s stated focus on improving attendance, behaviour and literacy.

The school’s strongest defining feature is its insistence on a shared culture, one that is explicitly taught rather than assumed. Students are expected to link daily choices to the longer arc of “legacy”, in the sense of building habits and opportunities that outlast any single term or year. The school also positions “love” and “bravery” as practical expectations, not soft slogans, and explains them in plain language, kindness and compassion at all times, and daring to be better.

There is also a clear inclusivity statement running through how the school describes itself. As Plymouth’s only Church of England secondary academy, it aims to serve Christian families alongside those of other faiths and none. Importantly for admissions, the school does not prioritise applicants by faith in its published admissions arrangements, which makes the religious character more about ethos and collective life than about gatekeeping.

The 2023 inspection describes a strong push to establish high expectations and consistent supervision, with particular emphasis on staff intolerance of discrimination and a low tolerance for bullying. This aligns with what families often want to test on open evenings, whether corridors feel calm, whether staff intervene early, and whether students can name trusted adults who will act.

This is an 11 to 16 school, so the results story is primarily about GCSE performance and the progress students make across Key Stage 4.

GCSE outcomes and how they compare

The school’s 2024 GCSE profile includes an Attainment 8 score of 40.7, an average EBacc APS of 3.25, and a Progress 8 score of -0.03. In practical terms, a Progress 8 score close to zero indicates outcomes broadly in line with prior attainment, and a slightly negative score suggests results a little below what might be expected from starting points.

Rankings context

Rankings can be useful if they are treated as context rather than destiny. In FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking, the school is ranked 3253rd in England and 18th in Plymouth (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data). That position places results below England average overall.

The implication for families is not that students cannot thrive here, many do, but that home support, attendance, and the quality of day-to-day learning habits matter a great deal. For parents comparing local options, FindMySchool’s Local Hub pages can help you view local schools side by side using the Comparison Tool, which is often more meaningful than relying on reputation alone.

The curriculum intent is clear: knowledge should stick, and students should be able to recall and apply core ideas rather than repeatedly “doing” content without retaining it. The 2023 inspection highlights deliberate revisiting of key points, with regular opportunities for students to pull learning together and show what they know. That approach tends to benefit students who need structure, because it reduces the chance that early gaps quietly widen.

A notable strand is the emphasis on reading. The school reshaped aspects of the curriculum to prioritise reading, and puts additional support in place for students who need to catch up. The area to watch is precision, early reading support works best when gaps are identified sharply, rather than broadly, and the same inspection notes that the school’s approach to identifying phonics gaps was not yet as exact as it needed to be for some students.

Languages and the EBacc are another part of the academic direction. The inspection notes a change in modern foreign languages participation, with French built in earlier so that more students feel confident continuing into Key Stage 4. The wider implication is that curriculum breadth is being treated as an entitlement issue, not just an option for the most academic.

With a top age of 16, “next steps” here means post 16 routes, sixth forms, further education, apprenticeships, and training. The school’s careers programme is positioned as a core entitlement rather than a bolt-on, with published careers planning and labour market information resources aimed at making decisions feel informed rather than aspirational guesswork.

The strongest practical benefit of a well-run careers model is not just headline destinations, it is the reduction of friction. Students who understand the local labour market, can practise interview skills, and get meaningful encounters with employers tend to approach Year 11 with a clearer sense of what they are working towards. The 2023 inspection explicitly links students’ confidence with interviews and preparation for the world of work to the school’s culture and programme design.

Because official destination percentages are not available here, parents should focus on questions such as: how early options guidance starts; how impartial guidance is delivered; and how the school supports students who are not aiming for A-level routes. Asking for examples, not just promises, is reasonable.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through Plymouth City Council, with the school’s admission authority operating within that coordinated process. For September 2026 entry, the published window is 01 September 2025 to 31 October 2025, with offers released on 02 March 2026, and a deadline to accept by 10 March 2026.

Planned intake and who gets priority

The Published Admission Number (PAN) for Year 7 is 150 for 2026 to 2027. The school does not operate a catchment area for admissions purposes. If the school is oversubscribed, priority typically follows the published oversubscription criteria: children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, looked-after and previously looked-after children, exceptional medical or social need (with evidence), siblings, and then other priorities including linked primary schools and certain staff criteria, before allocating remaining places by distance. Where distance is used as a tie-break, it is measured as straight-line distance, with a randomiser used if distances are effectively the same.

Linked primary schools

A distinctive feature of the admissions policy is its named list of linked primary schools for priority purposes. That matters for families planning early, particularly if you are choosing between nearby primaries and you want to preserve a smoother secondary transition pathway.

Open events

For the September 2026 intake, the school held an open evening on 24 September 2025 and ran open mornings across late September and early October, with booking required for morning visits. For future intakes, open events typically run in that same part of the autumn term, and families should check the school’s calendar for the live schedule.

Pastoral systems matter most in schools serving a wide range of needs, and All Saints explicitly references a high proportion of disadvantaged students and students with special educational needs and disabilities, alongside an ambition to improve attendance and behaviour as foundations for learning. The practical approach described in external reporting is about routines and early intervention, plus adapting behaviour management for students with particular needs so that exclusion from learning is reduced over time.

The school’s public messaging also highlights inclusion, including an explicit statement of LGBTQ+ inclusivity and strategies to support students. For parents, the best way to test this is to ask what training staff receive, how incidents are logged and followed up, and how student voice is incorporated into policies and everyday expectations.

The latest Ofsted report rated the school Good overall, and confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

The extracurricular offer is presented as developing and expanding, and the school publishes a list that is usefully specific, which is often a better indicator than generic “lots of clubs” language.

A good example of breadth is the presence of structured STEM activity alongside sport and the arts. Greenpower Racing Club and Lego League indicate opportunities for engineering-style problem solving and teamwork, while Computer Club provides an accessible route for students who want regular, low-barrier practice. The implication is that students who do not see themselves as “sporty” can still find identity-building spaces beyond lessons.

Sport is present in a similarly concrete way. Year 7 sports sessions are listed, and clubs include Basketball Club, Rugby Club, Football Club, and a Trampolining Club. That range matters because it increases the chance that students can find a sport that fits them rather than feeling forced into a single dominant option.

The arts and wider culture are also visible. Drama Club, peripatetic music lessons, and choir are referenced across school information, giving a route for performance and confidence-building that links back to the school’s emphasis on interview confidence and communication.

One honest note, and it is relevant for parents choosing schools on enrichment, is consistency. The 2023 inspection highlights the need for leaders to ensure that all pupils benefit systematically from enrichment, rather than some students accessing it while others miss out. The implication for families is to ask how participation is tracked, and how staff encourage quieter or less confident students to join in.

Students are expected to be on site by 08:35, and the school notes tutor access from 08:00 with free breakfast provided in the canteen. The published page does not give an end-of-day finish time, so families who need wraparound clarity should ask directly about dismissal routines and any supervised provision after lessons.

Term dates are published online, which helps families planning around training days and half-term breaks.

• GCSE outcomes are below England average in the ranking context. Ranked 3253rd in England and 18th in Plymouth for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), this is not a results-led school in the league-table sense. It is a school where strong routines, high attendance, and early intervention are likely to make a significant difference for individual students.

• Attendance and behaviour remain key improvement levers. The published improvement priorities include reducing missed learning time linked to absence and behaviour-related removal from lessons. Families should ask how this is managed day to day, and how support is balanced with clear boundaries.

• No catchment area, so distance and criteria matter. With no admissions catchment area, allocations rely on published criteria and, where needed, straight-line distance tie-breaks. That can feel less predictable than a hard boundary, particularly in years of high demand.

• Enrichment is improving, but consistency is the test. A wide list of clubs is published, including Greenpower Racing Club and Lego League, but leaders are still expected to ensure systematic access for all students. If enrichment is a deciding factor, ask how the school measures participation across year groups.

All Saints Church of England Academy is best understood as a school with an explicit culture strategy, clear values language, and a practical focus on reading, routine, and employability confidence. The Good inspection outcome provides reassurance on core standards, including safeguarding, while the results profile and improvement priorities point to a school still moving forward rather than one coasting on headline attainment.

Who it suits: families who want a structured, values-led secondary experience, with strong careers education and a growing enrichment offer, and who value clear routines and pastoral follow-through. The key consideration is whether the current academic outcomes and trajectory align with your child’s needs, particularly if you are aiming for highly academic post 16 pathways.