Fulwood Academy Review 2026: A values-led Preston secondary with a clear focus on behaviour, reading, and curriculum coherence

Clear expectations are a defining feature here. The school’s own language, centred on “We Care, We Challenge, We Commit”, positions Fulwood Academy as a place where routines, relationships, and academic habits are meant to reinforce one another, rather than compete. The latest Ofsted inspection in June 2023 judged the school to be Good across all areas.

This is an 11–16 school, so every student transitions elsewhere at 16. That shapes priorities from Year 9 onward, including option guidance and an emphasis on secure literacy, strong subject foundations, and practical next-step planning. Reading sits high on the agenda, with targeted support for students who arrive less confident, and a wider reading approach designed to build cultural and civic understanding.

For families, the headline question is fit. Fulwood Academy will suit students who benefit from explicit routines, clear behavioural standards, and structured support, alongside opportunities to take responsibility, from reading buddies to prefect roles and the school council.

A calm tone is repeatedly reinforced through consistent adult presence and an emphasis on respectful relationships. Pupils are described as polite and generally positive about school life, which matters because it signals that expectations are understood rather than merely imposed.

The culture also leans towards participation and contribution. Responsibility roles are not presented as window dressing. Reading buddies, prefects, and the school council are positioned as leadership opportunities, and this tends to work best in schools where behaviour is stable enough for student leadership to be meaningful.

Leadership and governance context is part of the story. The academy sits within Dunstone Education Trust, with trust involvement described as active and ambitious in its oversight of education quality. The principal is Andrew Galbraith, who is also referenced in trust reporting as leading a rapid improvement plan, with 2022–23 described as his first full year in post.

Finally, there is a strong emphasis on inclusion. The school sets out an intention that pupils with special educational needs and disabilities learn alongside peers and access the full curriculum, supported by clear information flow to teachers and early identification of needs.

On academic outcomes, the FindMySchool GCSE ranking places Fulwood Academy at 3,261st in England and 20th in Preston for GCSE outcomes. This is a proprietary FindMySchool ranking based on official data, and it indicates performance below England average overall.

The underlying measures align with that picture. Attainment 8 is 37.9, and Progress 8 is -0.37, which indicates students, on average, make less progress than pupils with similar starting points nationally.

The EBacc indicators are particularly important for parents to interpret carefully. Only 6.7% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in the EBacc measure, and the school’s EBacc average point score is 3.31, below the England benchmark of 4.08. That combination can reflect a mix of factors, including entry patterns, option choices, and attainment distribution across the cohort, but it does underline that EBacc success is a development area rather than a current strength in the published measures.

What this means in practice is that families should look beyond the broad label of “Good” and focus on implementation details, particularly in how subject departments build knowledge, how assessment is used to address gaps, and how option pathways are structured. Those details matter most for a school where outcomes are not yet where leaders want them to be.

Fulwood Academy describes its curriculum as knowledge-rich and deliberately mapped across subjects, with time weighted towards the core academic suite and the EBacc subjects across Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. In practical terms, that typically translates into carefully sequenced content, regular retrieval, and explicit emphasis on key knowledge, rather than a purely project-led approach.

Key Stage 3 is structured as a three-year phase, from Year 7 to Year 9, with breadth across academic and practical disciplines. The school sets out a menu that includes performing arts, design technology strands (including food technology and textiles), graphic arts pathways (including photography), computing, and personal development, alongside English, mathematics, science, humanities, and modern languages. That breadth matters, because it ensures students do not narrow too early, and it gives staff time to identify strengths before GCSE options.

At Key Stage 4, students select four options at the end of Year 9, supported by guidance and pathway framing which explicitly allows an EBacc route or a more open pattern. For many families, this is the decision point to probe, especially if a child has specific ambitions in languages, humanities, or technical subjects, or if they need a more flexible balance.

Reading is a major operational priority. The approach described focuses on early identification of less confident readers as pupils arrive, then targeted work to improve fluency and confidence, including phonics where appropriate. For parents of children who are still closing gaps from primary, that is one of the more practical indicators of whether a school is well set up to accelerate progress.

Because the school is 11–16, transition at 16 is built into the model. The school’s published approach highlights careers education and structured support for Year 11, including mentoring, designed to help students continue in education, training, or employment routes after GCSEs.

For parents, the useful question is how effectively the school matches guidance to the student. Strong 11–16 schools treat Key Stage 4 as preparation for post-16 study habits, not simply examination entry. Here, the combination of curriculum sequencing, reading priority, and a stated focus on personal development provides a sensible platform, especially for students who benefit from structure and adult direction.

If you are comparing options locally, FindMySchool’s Local Hub page and Comparison Tool are a practical way to place Fulwood Academy’s Attainment 8 and Progress 8 alongside nearby schools serving a similar intake.

Year 7 entry follows Lancashire’s co-ordinated admissions process. For September 2026 entry, applications opened on 01 September 2025 and the closing date was 31 October 2025, with national offer day on 01 March 2026. The published admission number for Year 7 is 200.

If the school is oversubscribed, priority is set through standard criteria, including looked-after children, exceptional medical or social reasons, siblings, then distance measured by the local authority’s system. There is also provision for tie-breaks where distance is identical.

In-year admissions are handled separately. The school states that Years 8, 9, and 10 have been full, and that applications in those year groups are therefore likely to be refused with a right of appeal. Families moving into the area mid-phase should treat this as a serious constraint and check place availability before assuming a transfer is realistic.

Open events run as part of the admissions cycle. Lancashire’s published secondary admissions information lists an open evening in September 2025 and advises parents to verify details with the school, which suggests the pattern is typically early autumn for Year 7 entry consideration.

Pastoral support is described as layered, with form tutors as the first point of contact and heads of year overseeing year-group support. This structure tends to suit students who need consistent adult oversight, particularly around attendance, behaviour, and day-to-day organisation.

Safeguarding is described as a strong culture, with training for staff, consistent reporting expectations, and coordination with external agencies when needed. For parents, the most useful practical follow-up is to ask how concerns are triaged and how quickly families are updated, since operational responsiveness is the real test of a safeguarding system.

Bullying is also addressed directly. The school is described as dealing effectively with incidents and providing trusted adults pupils can speak to, which is an important indicator for students who are anxious about social stability.

The extracurricular offer is positioned as part of the school’s wider “responsibility and participation” culture, rather than an optional add-on. Clubs explicitly referenced include music club, a wellbeing club, and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. For many students, especially those who do not immediately identify with classroom success, these activities can be the bridge into positive school identity and better attendance.

STEM

A distinctive feature in the school’s published material is its digital and technology work. The “Girls in Tech” programme, supported by external mentors, is described as guiding Year 9 pupils towards technology pathways through project work and pitching an app concept. This kind of structured project, with adult mentors and a defined end product, can be particularly valuable for students who learn best through applied tasks and real audiences.

Leadership and service

Leadership roles such as reading buddies, prefects, and school council membership are framed as a route to confidence and contribution. The implication for families is that students who are willing to step forward, even quietly, can build status through service rather than only through academic results.

Academic support beyond lessons

Homework clubs are positioned as daily support, particularly for pupils who face barriers completing work at home. This matters because consistent independent study routines are often the differentiator in GCSE success for students who are capable but inconsistent.

The school day starts at 08:35 and finishes at 15:05, with a total weekly time of 32.5 hours.

Transport-wise, the school publishes bus information for the 2025–26 academic year, including dedicated school services. Published examples include services 663 and 664 arriving at 08:20 for morning journeys, with routes serving areas such as Holme Slack and New Hall Lane. As with all school transport, timings and routes can change by operator and year, so families should check the current arrangements before relying on them.

• GCSE outcomes remain a key focus area. Progress 8 is -0.37 and Attainment 8 is 37.9, which indicates outcomes below England average overall in the published measures. This may suit students who respond well to structure and targeted support, but families should ask how subject departments are raising consistency across the full cohort.

• EBacc success is low in the published figures. Only 6.7% achieved grade 5 or above on the EBacc measure, and the EBacc average point score is 3.31 (England benchmark 4.08). If languages and EBacc breadth matter to your child’s plan, explore option guidance early and ask how the school is improving entry and success.

• No sixth form means a hard transition at 16. The school highlights Year 11 mentoring and careers guidance, but families should still plan early for post-16 routes, especially if a student benefits from continuity.

• In-year entry can be difficult in some year groups. The school states that Years 8 to 10 have been full at points, making refusal and appeal more likely for mid-year transfers. Families relocating should check capacity early.

Fulwood Academy offers a structured, values-led secondary experience in Preston, with clear behavioural expectations, a strong focus on reading, and a curriculum designed to build secure subject knowledge over time. The Good judgement in 2023 provides reassurance around the quality of day-to-day practice and safeguarding, while published outcomes indicate there is still work to do on GCSE progress and EBacc attainment. Inspectors also highlighted that curriculum plans were not yet fully finalised in a small number of subjects, which is worth probing if your child has particular subject strengths or needs.

Who it suits: students who do well with explicit routines, consistent adult support, and opportunities to build confidence through responsibility and structured enrichment. For families shortlisting multiple local options, the Saved Schools feature on FindMySchool can help track admissions deadlines and compare outcomes in one place.