Baines School Review 2026: Established Fylde Coast secondary with improving routines and a clear enrichment offer

For headline performance context, the school sits around the upper edge of the middle band in England on the FindMySchool GCSE outcomes ranking. Ranked 2,739th in England and 3rd in Poulton-le-Fylde for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the overall picture is one of broadly typical performance relative to England, rather than consistently above-average outcomes.

Looking at the underlying indicators, the Progress 8 score is -0.59. This suggests that, on average, students are making less progress than peers nationally from similar starting points, which is an important reality check for families whose child needs strong academic momentum through Years 9 to 11. Attainment 8 is 44, which provides a summary of overall GCSE achievement across a suite of subjects.

The EBacc picture is also telling. The average EBacc APS is 3.61, below the England average of 4.08, and 5.5% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above across the EBacc measure. For many families, EBacc is not a goal in itself, but it does tend to correlate with uptake of a more traditional academic suite and can matter for students who want maximum flexibility for post-16 and beyond.

The most helpful way to interpret these figures is alongside the school’s internal improvement story. The inspection report describes an ambitious curriculum design that is not yet delivered consistently across subjects, leading to uneven achievement. In other words, the intent is stronger than the implementation in some areas, which can produce a mixed experience between departments.

Curriculum breadth is a clear feature. The school’s published curriculum navigation shows a wide set of KS3 and KS4 options, including creative arts and vocationally oriented pathways such as construction, hospitality and catering, and health and social care, alongside core subjects and humanities. This breadth can be valuable for students who learn best through applied subjects and who benefit from seeing practical routes into careers.

The inspection evidence points to strong subject knowledge among teachers and a sharpened focus on disciplinary vocabulary in some areas, which is often a marker of better classroom explanation and higher-quality writing. The weakness is variability: teachers and departments are described as being at different stages in implementing the revised curriculum, and some activities do not secure understanding well enough. For parents, that typically translates into a need to ask good questions at open events: which subjects have the strongest track record, how is quality checked, and what happens when a student falls behind.

Reading support is a key theme, with a specific split between key stage 3 and key stage 4. Students who find reading difficult are identified quickly and supported well in key stage 3, but that approach is not consistently replicated for older pupils who still have gaps. That matters because GCSE success depends heavily on reading stamina and comprehension across every subject, not only English.

One practical asset supporting learning is the Independent Learning Centre (ILC). The school describes it as a well-stocked study and reading space, with a sizeable lending stock and access to PCs, plus an online library management system for borrowing and reserving items. For many students, having an on-site, structured place to work before and after school is a meaningful support, particularly where home study space is limited.

Where Students Go Next

With an age range of 11 to 16, transition at the end of Year 11 is a built-in feature rather than an exception. Students move on to sixth forms and colleges, and vocational and apprenticeship pathways become increasingly relevant for some. The inspection report notes planned opportunities for students to encounter the world of work, including engagement with a range of organisations and exposure to varied sectors.

Ask how careers education is delivered across Years 8 to 11, how option choices are guided in Year 9, and what support is provided for college applications, apprenticeships, and post-16 interviews. A school without a sixth form can do this extremely well, but it needs strong systems, clear guidance, and a culture where progression planning starts early rather than in the final term of Year 11.

For September 2026 entry into Year 7, the school’s determined admissions arrangements set an admission number of 168. Applications are coordinated through Lancashire County Council for the normal admissions round.

Oversubscription is structured around a clear order of priority. After children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, priority begins with looked-after and previously looked-after children, then special medical, social, or educational needs (with supporting evidence), followed by sibling and geographical priority area considerations. If places remain, distance is used as the tie-break, measured as a straight-line distance from the main school building to the home address, with a random draw used where distances are tied.

The geographical priority area is explicit and parish-based, including Poulton-le-Fylde and several surrounding parishes. This is important because it sets realistic expectations for families outside those areas. In effect, living within the priority area can materially improve chances, even before distance is applied within each priority grouping.

Key dates for Lancashire’s coordinated secondary process for September 2026 are published by the local authority. Applications open on 01 September 2025, the national closing date is 31 October 2025, and offers are issued on 02 March 2026.

The school also publishes information about open events. A listed open evening for prospective Year 7 families ran in late September 2025, which suggests a typical early autumn pattern, but families should check the school’s current communications for the most up-to-date arrangements.

Parents weighing the catchment question should use FindMySchoolMap Search to check practical journey times and household location against the geographical priority area and the school’s distance-based tie-break rules, then sanity-check this with the published admissions policy.

Pastoral strength here is closely linked to routines and clarity. The inspection evidence describes improvements in behaviour management systems, calmer classrooms, and purposeful social times. That is not just a behaviour issue, it is also a wellbeing issue, since predictable classrooms reduce anxiety for many students.

Personal, social, health and economic education is described as carefully designed and taught well, with students learning about online and offline risks, peer pressure, and safety. This content is increasingly central to secondary life and often reassures parents who worry about the social realities of modern adolescence.

There is also a straightforward development area that families should take seriously. The inspection report highlights that work on promoting and celebrating diversity is less developed than it should be, with some students using derogatory language without understanding its impact. The most useful action for parents is to ask what has changed since the inspection, how incidents are handled, and what curriculum and pastoral programmes are used to build respect and inclusion.

Students with special educational needs and disabilities are described as having their needs identified and supported effectively, with access to the full curriculum. In practice, this is a “look under the bonnet” topic: ask about the range of support, how interventions are timetabled, and how progress is tracked, especially through Years 10 and 11.

Enrichment is a clear pillar, and unusually well-specified in the school’s published materials. The 2025/26 enrichment booklet and timetable list a broad set of clubs and activities that cut across sport, arts, study support, and student leadership. This kind of explicit offer is helpful because it reduces guesswork for parents and makes it easier for quieter students to find a place.

Creative and performing arts feature strongly. The school musical is positioned as a major shared project, and the enrichment programme explicitly lists “Grease the Musical” rehearsals. Music is supported through named ensembles including Baines Jazz Band, plus practical pathways such as music theory and guitar or ukulele provision. For students who thrive when they can perform, rehearse, and work towards a concrete event, this kind of programme often becomes a major driver of confidence and attendance.

The offer is not limited to performance. The enrichment materials describe Eco Club with a hands-on emphasis on gardening, an eco garden, and promoting wildlife. Diversity Club is framed as a safe space promoting equality, while Buddy Club is designed to help students connect socially through structured games and conversation, with a Year 7 specific strand as well as an all-years option. Those details matter because they show that “personal development” is not left to chance.

Academic and reflective options are also visible. The timetable lists a maths drop-in, study club in the ILC, and “Learning from the Holocaust” for key stage 4. There are also clubs such as chess, book chat, and a trading card game (TCG) club, which can be a genuine lifeline for students who prefer quieter, interest-led groups at lunchtime.

Sport and fitness sit alongside this. The enrichment programme references badminton and other activities, and the timetable includes fitness sessions using a fitness suite, with team options such as football and netball appearing by year group. For many families, the main value is that sport is offered at different levels, from social participation to team representation.

The school day timings are published clearly. Morning registration starts at 08:30, and the school day ends at 15:00, with five lesson periods and breaks set out in a structured schedule.

Study space is a practical advantage for some families. The ILC is described as offering access to books, PCs, and a place for homework and reading, supporting students before and after school as well as during social times.

Travel planning is worth doing early. The school publishes travel information and highlights work with a safer travel team, plus a bus monitor approach linked to encouraging responsible travel on buses. Local public transport providers also publish guidance on services used for travel to the school, which can help families map realistic journeys from different parts of the Fylde area.

• Inspection judgement and improvement pace. The most recent graded inspection (October 2023) judged the school Requires Improvement overall, with Behaviour and Attitudes graded Good and several other areas graded Requires Improvement. Families should ask what has changed since then, and how leaders monitor consistency across subjects.

• Academic momentum at GCSE. A Progress 8 score of -0.59 indicates students, on average, make less progress than peers from similar starting points. This makes it important to understand subject-by-subject support in Years 10 and 11, especially for students who need strong scaffolding.

• Key stage 4 reading support. Reading support is described as strong in key stage 3 but not consistently replicated for older students with gaps. Parents of students with weaker literacy should probe what targeted support is available through Year 11.

• No sixth form. Students move on at 16. For some, that is a benefit, offering a fresh start and wider post-16 choice. For others, it adds transition complexity, so families should assess the strength of careers guidance and progression planning.

Baines School offers a structured day, a clearly articulated enrichment programme, and a strong sense of local continuity grounded in a long history. Behaviour expectations and routine have strengthened, and there are visible assets such as the ILC and a well-specified extracurricular timetable.

The main question for families is academic consistency and pace of improvement. The data and inspection evidence suggest uneven outcomes between subjects and a need to keep building reliable implementation, particularly through GCSE. This is best suited to students who benefit from clear routines and who will engage with enrichment and structured support, alongside families who will stay actively involved in progress through Years 9 to 11.