John Madejski Academy Review 2026: A re-set built around structure and high expectations

This is a Reading secondary with sixth form that is in the middle of a major re-set. From 01 January 2025 it joined Greenshaw Learning Trust, and from September 2025 it has adopted the name Hartland High School on its public-facing website.

The school is led by Ms Emily Davey, who took up the headteacher role with effect from 01 September 2025. Her public messaging is consistent, a deliberate focus on routines, learning culture, and a clear mantra, work hard, be kind.

Families considering John Madejski Academy should read the most recent inspection material carefully, because the official picture is mixed. The sixth form and leadership were judged more positively than Years 7 to 11, and subsequent monitoring describes early improvement alongside substantial work still required.

The defining feature here is intentional structure. The school day is designed around predictable routines, including line-up at the start of the day and a daily tutor reading programme before lessons begin. That emphasis shows up in multiple places across the school’s published material, from behaviour expectations through to rewards systems and transition guidance for new families.

It is also a school in transition, and that matters for culture. A move to a new trust, a change of public name, and a new headteacher within the last year all point to a leadership team trying to reset standards quickly. For some families, that will feel reassuring, especially if they want clearer boundaries and tighter routines than a more informal school can offer. For others, it can feel intense, particularly for students who respond better to a softer approach to compliance and behaviour.

The external evidence base is candid about why this approach is being pushed. Inspectors described serious disruption in many lessons at the last full inspection, with learning affected by poor behaviour and inconsistent delivery of curriculum plans. The important contextual point for parents is that the school is not pretending this is a cosmetic refresh. The published messaging and the behaviour guidance are aligned around a central aim, disruption-free learning as the baseline entitlement.

Where the tone shifts is post-16. Sixth form is consistently described as calmer and more focused in the inspection evidence, and the school’s published sixth form entry criteria suggest a clear academic threshold for A-level study alongside a vocational route for those on level 2 or mixed programmes. For families primarily attracted by post-16 options, the sixth form is likely to be the most stable and clearly defined part of the offer.

At GCSE, the most informative headline is Progress 8. A score of -0.92 indicates students made substantially less progress than similar students nationally from Key Stage 2 starting points to GCSE. This is a meaningful signal for parents because it is designed to capture the school’s contribution, not the intake profile. (FindMySchool data)

Other GCSE indicators reinforce the picture of challenge. The Attainment 8 score is 31.8, and the share achieving grades 5 or above in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is 9.6%. (FindMySchool data) EBacc entry itself is also low by England norms, which may suit students who benefit from a more flexible Key Stage 4 pathway, but it can limit later option breadth for students who might thrive with a more academic suite. (FindMySchool data)

A-level outcomes sit below England averages in both headline measures provided. An A star to A rate of 3.76% and an A star to B rate of 16.13% compare with England averages of 23.6% and 47.2% respectively. (FindMySchool data) In FindMySchool’s proprietary ranking based on official data, the sixth form is ranked 2,464th in England and 27th locally in Reading for A-level outcomes. (FindMySchool data)

The nuance, and it is important nuance, is that inspection evidence points to stronger practice where staffing and curriculum delivery are more stable, with the sixth form specifically highlighted as an area where students make good progress through planned curricula. For families, the practical implication is that academic experience can vary significantly between phases and even between subjects, depending on staff stability and how consistently the agreed curriculum approach is implemented.

Teaching is framed as research-led and highly explicit. The school describes direct instruction as a core method, with high-frequency retrieval practice, chunked explanations, frequent checks for understanding, and planned independent practice to consolidate learning. That is a coherent approach, and it is broadly aligned with what tends to work best for schools seeking to improve behaviour and raise attainment quickly, because it reduces ambiguity for students and makes classroom routines easier to standardise.

The daily tutor reading programme is another signal of a deliberate strategy rather than a loose collection of initiatives. Reading is positioned as a routine rather than an occasional intervention, and it is embedded into the start of every day. For many students, particularly those who arrive with weaker literacy, this kind of regular exposure can be more effective than sporadic catch-up, provided it is delivered consistently and supported by well-chosen texts and strong checking of comprehension.

The gap, historically, has been consistency. Both the graded inspection and the monitoring letter describe improvement efforts, but also highlight that stronger teaching practice is not yet uniform across classrooms, and that expectations of what pupils can learn and the quality of work they should produce have not been high enough in too many lessons. Families should interpret the school’s teaching model as the intended direction of travel, and then use visits, departmental conversations, and subject-level questions to test how consistently that model is now applied.

Where Students Go Next

The most reliable destination signal available is the school’s Oxbridge pipeline, which is small but present. In the measured period, two students applied to Oxford or Cambridge, one received an offer, and one ultimately took up a place. (FindMySchool data) For a school with significant improvement work underway, even a small number can indicate that there is support for high-attaining individuals, especially in sixth form.

Beyond Oxbridge, the strongest destination narrative is tied to the school’s performance sport pathway, particularly basketball. The school describes a long-running performance basketball programme, with competitive participation in EABL for boys and WEABL for girls, plus systematic monitoring of academic progress alongside training expectations. It also describes university offers for student athletes in the UK and USA, although it does not publish verified counts.

For families, the implication is clear. If your child is a committed basketball player already operating at club level, and you want a school that attempts to integrate serious sport with school-day accountability, this is a distinctive part of the offer. If sport is not central to your child’s identity, the question becomes how far the wider sixth form provision, subject range, and academic culture align with their goals, and that is best tested directly via the sixth form information and a tour.

Year 7 admissions are coordinated through Reading Borough Council via Brighter Futures for Children, rather than directly by the school. For September 2026 entry, applications must be submitted by 31 October 2025. Offer notifications are issued on 02 March 2026, with families able to view allocations on that date if they applied online. The published acceptance deadline is 15 March 2026 at midnight.

The school points families to the trust admissions policy for oversubscription criteria and formal arrangements for September 2026 entry. Parents should read this in parallel with the local authority guide, because it is the combination that determines how places are allocated in practice.

Open events and transition support are actively signposted. The school’s published transition timeline refers to an open evening, school-in-action tours, and after-school taster activities for Year 6 pupils, while also reminding families to watch the school’s communications for booking arrangements and current dates.

Sixth form entry is direct to the school, with explicit minimum GCSE thresholds published. For A-level study, the entry requirement is five grade 5s or above including English and maths; for vocational courses, four grade 4s or above including English and maths.

Safeguarding is clearly explained, with an emphasis on early identification, working with families, and liaison with external agencies where appropriate. The safeguarding team is named in the school’s published community guide, alongside key staff contacts for SEND and year leadership.

Behaviour is treated as a taught curriculum, not simply a list of rules. The school describes clear systems for teaching expectations, reinforcing positive conduct through rewards, and using predictable sanctions when students fall below the required standard. For families who have struggled with inconsistent behaviour management elsewhere, this will be one of the most practically relevant parts of the offer, and it is worth asking how it is applied day-to-day in different subjects and year groups.

There is also explicit recognition that students arrive with different needs. Transition guidance sets expectations that SEND support planning begins early, with liaison between primary SENCOs and the school’s SENCO to plan the right adjustments and support for September entry.

The extracurricular picture is stronger than many parents might assume from the headline inspection judgement. The inspection report itself notes that students who participate in varied sporting and extra-curricular activities benefit from a richer set of experiences, even while the wider culture required improvement.

The clearest concrete evidence is the published timetable of after-school provision, which includes a wide spread across sport, arts, and interest clubs. Examples include Chess Club, Korean Club, Choir, Band Workshop, Craft Club, Art Club, Drama Club, Table Tennis, Gardening Club, Anime Club, Climbing, Swimming, Trampolining, and multiple Homework Club slots. There are also more targeted offers listed, such as 3D Design, Graphics, Guitar Group, and an Arts Award route.

Sport is a signature strength, with particular depth in basketball. The school describes a close relationship with Reading Rockets, plus elite competition pathways and structured mentoring for performance athletes. For students who want to build identity and discipline through sport, this can be a powerful motivator, and it provides a tangible reason to stay into sixth form.

This is a state school with no tuition fees.

The school day is tightly timed. Last entry is 8:30am, followed by line-up and a tutor reading programme, with lessons running through to dismissal for Years 7 to 10 at 3:05pm and Year 11 at 4:00pm. Period 6 is used for Lesson 6, clubs, and sports fixtures, reflecting the expectation that enrichment is part of the weekly rhythm rather than an occasional add-on.

Breakfast club is referenced in the school’s community guide, with gates opening at 8:00am via Northumberland Avenue and closing at 8:15am. For new Year 7 families, the transition FAQs also point to an after-school homework club running 3:00pm to 4:00pm three days per week, which may be useful for households where quiet study space is limited at home.

• Inspection context: The most recent graded inspection judged the school Inadequate (10 October 2023), with behaviour and attitudes and the quality of education identified as significant weaknesses. Families should read beyond the headline and understand where practice was stronger, particularly in sixth form.

• Improvement is underway, not complete: The monitoring inspection letter (17 July 2024) describes leaders making progress but also states that more work is necessary for the school to no longer be judged as having serious weaknesses, with attendance identified as a key focus.

• GCSE outcomes remain a key risk: Progress 8 at -0.92 is a substantial disadvantage for students’ academic trajectory at GCSE unless improvement has accelerated since the published data point. (FindMySchool data) Parents should ask directly what has changed in curriculum delivery, staffing stability, and classroom routines since the inspection period.

• Rapid change can feel demanding: Trust transfer, leadership change, and a name change within a short time window can create momentum, but it can also mean policies, routines, and staffing are still settling. This suits some students very well and others less so.

John Madejski Academy is best understood as a school rebuilding fast, with a leadership team explicitly prioritising consistency, routines, and disruption-free learning. Its strongest publicly evidenced assets are a clearly articulated teaching model, a structured behaviour approach, and a sixth form that is framed more positively than the lower school in inspection evidence.

Who it suits: students who respond well to clear boundaries and predictable routines, and families who want a school that is candid about improvement work and is actively trying to raise standards. Who it may not suit: students who need a more settled environment with consistently strong results already in place, or those who find strict compliance-heavy systems counterproductive.