The Royal Harbour Academy Review 2026: Split-site secondary with an IB-shaped offer

A split-site layout sets the tone here. Years 7 and 8 are based on the Lower Site, then students move to the Upper Site for Key Stage 4 and sixth form, creating a clear “settle first, specialise later” pathway. The Academy describes itself as focused on life skills alongside qualifications, with enrichment positioned as part of the core offer rather than an optional extra.

Leadership is stable, with Simon Pullen as headteacher, and the current academy opened on 1 April 2023.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. Costs families should still plan for include uniform, trips, and any optional extras such as clubs, materials, or enrichment activities.

The strongest defining feature is structural. Early secondary years on the Lower Site are presented as a transition-focused phase, with emphasis on routines, confidence, and rebuilding learning habits after primary school. The Upper Site then shifts the centre of gravity towards exam preparation, increased subject specialism, and post-16 pathways.

There are also clear signals about boundaries and daily conduct. The Academy has communicated a phone-free approach during the school day, linked explicitly to safeguarding, which tends to create a more consistent culture at break and lunch.

Support for students with additional needs is visible in the way the school describes targeted spaces and interventions, including a dedicated support area referred to as “The HUB” in school communications. For families weighing suitability, this matters because it indicates provision that goes beyond paperwork and into day-to-day routines and supervised spaces at unstructured times.

The Academy’s public messaging also leans heavily into recognising effort and participation, for example through large-scale reward points and end-of-term reward activities. For some students, that can be the difference between compliance and genuine buy-in, especially in a non-selective setting where motivation and attendance patterns often drive outcomes as much as raw ability.

GCSE outcomes, as summarised in the latest available dataset used here, are challenging. The school’s Attainment 8 score is 29.8 and Progress 8 is -1.02, signalling that, on average, students are leaving with lower outcomes than might be expected from their starting points.

On the FindMySchool ranking (a proprietary ranking based on official data), the Academy is ranked 3,767th in England for GCSE outcomes and 2nd locally (Ramsgate). This places performance below England average overall, even if it compares more favourably within the immediate local group used for the local ranking.

EBacc indicators are also low with 1.2% achieving grade 5 or above in the EBacc and an EBacc average point score of 2.42, compared with an England average of 4.08.

At post-16, the A-level picture is similarly tough. The A-level A* to B measure is 30%, compared with an England average of 47.2%.

On the FindMySchool ranking for A-level outcomes, the Academy is ranked 2,317th in England and 3rd locally (Ramsgate).

A practical interpretation for parents is that sixth form routes and qualifications matter here. The Academy’s sixth form offer is positioned around vocational and mixed pathways, including the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme (IBCP), so families should look closely at the specific courses their child would take, and how well those pathways are supported.

The curriculum narrative is framed around breadth plus applied learning, with a strong emphasis on structured programmes and on connecting learning to next steps. This is especially visible in the sixth form messaging, which highlights a mix of academic and vocational courses and positions outcomes in terms of destinations, including employment and apprenticeships alongside university.

The Academy also uses external-facing academic experiences to reinforce its post-16 identity. A recent example is outreach work with the University of Kent for Year 12 biology students, intended to expose students to university-level lab work and research practices.

At Key Stage 4, the Upper Site positioning is direct, building confidence and independence while moving students towards GCSE specialism. For families, the implication is that the Year 9 transition is a meaningful pivot point, and students who struggle with change may need additional support through that move.

Where Students Go Next

The Academy does not publish a clear, comparable set of headline destination percentages in the sources reviewed, and the available dataset here does not provide destination figures. In practice, this means parents should evaluate “next steps” through the quality of guidance and the breadth of routes rather than headline university percentages.

Careers education is explicitly resourced, with named roles including a Careers Leader and a specific sixth form careers contact.

There is also evidence of careers and university exposure through trips and enrichment, including subject-linked visits such as business-focused travel to Canary Wharf and sixth form residential opportunities. For many students, these experiences can shift aspiration into a concrete plan, particularly when combined with strong pastoral oversight and structured application support.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through Kent County Council, using the standard Secondary Common Application Form process. For September 2026 entry, applications opened on Monday 1 September 2025 and the on-time deadline was Friday 31 October 2025. Offers were issued on Monday 2 March 2026, with an acceptance deadline of Monday 16 March 2026.

The school’s published oversubscription approach for 2026 to 2027 follows Kent’s coordinated arrangements and uses criteria including looked-after status, sibling links, and distance measurement methodology where needed.

The school’s own open evening pattern sits in early autumn, with a published Open Evening held on Wednesday 1 October 2025 and sixth form open sessions signposted in November in the admissions documentation. If you are looking for 2027 entry, treat September to November as the usual window and check the school’s calendar each year for the exact dates.

Demand indicators in the latest available admissions dataset used here suggest oversubscription, with 446 applications for 213 offers. The practical point is that families should treat admission as competitive and use precise distance checks where distance becomes a deciding factor in the oversubscription process.

Parents comparing options can use the FindMySchoolMap Search to check distance scenarios accurately, then use Saved Schools to manage a shortlist as timelines tighten.

Sixth form admissions are described separately in the 2026 to 2027 admissions criteria. Priority is given to internal Year 11 students who meet the entry criteria. For external candidates, the published admissions number is 15, and offers are linked to predicted GCSE performance, with offers expected before the end of May 2026 and then confirmed after GCSE results in August 2026.

Pastoral structures show up most clearly in the operational choices the Academy has made. A phone-free school day is one example, because it typically reduces low-level conflict and increases staff consistency around behaviour expectations.

The school also communicates wellbeing and safeguarding as core priorities through dedicated information pages and regular parent communications, and it highlights specific support spaces for students who need extra structure.

The most recent published Ofsted inspection for the predecessor school (8 January 2020) judged the school Requires Improvement overall, with sixth form provision graded Good.

That report also confirmed that safeguarding arrangements were effective at the time.

Note that Ofsted does not yet list a published inspection report for the current academy URN.

Enrichment is presented as a daily feature rather than an occasional add-on, with clubs running before school, at break, lunch, and after school. The Academy explicitly references activity types including e-sports, judo, and cooking alongside creative options.

Several named programmes stand out as anchors:

• Duke of Edinburgh Award, offered at Bronze for Year 9 and Silver for Year 12. This is a practical route into volunteering, skills development, and expedition work, and it can be particularly valuable for students whose confidence grows through structured challenge.

• Artsmark, with the school working towards the Arts Council England quality standard, and an associated push to embed creativity across the curriculum.

• Theatre Club, including a recent staged production at the Upper Site. This matters because it indicates delivery capability, not just intent, and it tends to pull in students who might not otherwise connect through sport.

• Royal Shakespeare Company Club, referenced in school news as hosting specialist activity.

There are also examples of competitive and public-facing participation, including national dance competition involvement and wider cultural projects with local institutions. For many families, that breadth is a strong indicator that school life is not limited to examination timetables.

The published school day runs from 08:40 to 15:15, totalling 32.5 hours per week.

Term dates for 2025 to 2026 are published, and the school operates across two Ramsgate sites, with Years 7 and 8 based on the Lower Site and older year groups on the Upper Site.

Wraparound care is not typically a feature of secondary schools and the school’s published information focuses on enrichment clubs rather than a formal breakfast or after-school childcare model. Families relying on structured supervision beyond the school day should confirm what is currently available.

• Outcomes are a key concern. The latest available dataset indicates low Attainment 8 (29.8) and a negative Progress 8 (-1.02). For many students, this means progress relies heavily on attendance, consistency, and the fit between the student and the school’s expectations.

• Inspection information is not fully current for the new academy. The most recent published inspection outcome is from January 2020 for the predecessor school, and Ofsted does not yet list a published report for the current academy URN.

• Split-site transition is real. Moving site after Year 8 can be a positive fresh start, but it also adds a change point that some students find demanding.

• Places can be competitive. The local admissions picture indicates oversubscription, and allocation can come down to criteria and distance when categories are full.

This is a large, mixed, non-selective Ramsgate secondary with a distinctive split-site model and a clear emphasis on enrichment and applied post-16 routes, including the IBCP. The central question for families is outcomes, because the latest available performance indicators are weak and imply that the right support, attendance, and course choices are decisive.

Who it suits: students who benefit from structure, who are likely to engage with clubs and personal development programmes, and who are considering vocational or mixed sixth form pathways alongside academic study. Who should look carefully: families seeking consistently strong GCSE and A-level performance without needing high levels of intervention and support.