Rye Hills Academy Review 2026: A Redcar secondary with a clear improvement story

A school can feel different when expectations are consistent, routines are clear, and students know what “good” looks like. Rye Hills Academy’s recent trajectory points in that direction, with a Good judgement across all inspection areas in May 2024 and a strong emphasis on ambition and enrichment.

This is a mixed, 11 to 16 state secondary in Redcar, part of the North East Learning Trust, and it does not charge tuition fees. Its leadership and identity language are deliberately direct, the shared trust-wide aim is that every child experiences excellence every day, and the academy backs that up with structured routines, curriculum planning designed for long-term retention, and a personal development programme that is explicitly timetabled.

Families weighing this option should read it as a school that is trying to be predictable in the best sense, clear boundaries, high expectations, and a deliberate push on culture and character. For some children that consistency is exactly what helps them settle and progress; for others, the pace and structure may feel demanding.

Rye Hills Academy’s public messaging is unusually cohesive. The core vision statement is simple, the expectation is that every child experiences excellence every day, and that phrase recurs in governance and inspection documentation as well as on the school’s own pages.

The tone of leadership communications also matters. In the Spring 2023 newsletter, Hijab Zaheer writes about being appointed Head of School in February and frames the role in terms of standards, welcome, and academic support, with particular attention to Year 11 preparation and structured intervention. That same named leader is listed as Head of School in the May 2024 inspection report and on school contact information, which reinforces stability and clarity about who is accountable for day-to-day direction.

A second strand of the school’s culture is its values architecture. Rather than a short list of slogans, Rye Hills uses a “mind, body, heart, soul” structure with named values beneath each heading. This is not just decorative branding, it is embedded into personal development and wider school life documents, which helps students hear the same language from different adults across the week.

Finally, the academy positions student voice as a genuine channel rather than a token. The school’s own Student Voice and Leadership page points to a Student Leadership team, Student Voice programme, and a student podcast, RyePod, which is framed as a way for students to speak about school life in their own terms.

Inspection context, used sparingly

The 14 to 15 May 2024 Ofsted inspection rated Rye Hills Academy Good across all areas, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

Second and final explicit attribution

Inspectors also described a school that has transformed in recent years, with leaders’ high expectations shaping daily experience.

Rye Hills Academy sits in a competitive local picture where families typically want both a calm learning climate and credible outcomes at GCSE. On the official performance side, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 49.7 and its Progress 8 score is 0.06, which indicates students make slightly above-average progress from their starting points. The EBacc average point score is 4.36, and 27.4% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above across the EBacc. (All figures are the most recent set provided used for this review.)

A key way to understand the overall academic position is the school’s comparative ranking. Ranked 1254th in England and 2nd in Redcar for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), Rye Hills performs in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

For parents, the practical implication is straightforward. This is not positioned as an exam-selective environment, but it is also not a school that is content with low ambition. The most reliable expectation is steady progress, with the school trying to lift outcomes through consistency, curriculum planning, and a strong focus on habits that support learning.

If you are comparing several local secondaries, the FindMySchool Local Hub comparison view is useful here, it allows you to place these figures alongside nearby schools without relying on anecdotal impressions.

The curriculum narrative is organised around long-term retention. Rye Hills describes its curriculum as carefully planned, structured, and designed so that content is revisited over time to help learning “stick” and students remember more.

That approach is supported by a timetabled personal development strand. World Ready is presented as a structured programme in which students are given time and space to reflect, be challenged, and think about lifestyle choices and the future, and the academy also publishes a sequenced multi-year plan for this work. In practice, families should read this as a school that treats personal development as part of the timetable rather than an occasional assembly theme.

The school is also explicit about breadth at Key Stage 4. Options materials emphasise careful subject choice with a clear process and defined deadlines, which can suit students who benefit from structure and from adults guiding decisions early rather than leaving everything to the last minute.

Rye Hills Academy is an 11 to 16 school, so the key question is what happens after Year 11. The school frames careers education and post-16 preparation as part of its World Ready and careers offer, and the inspection report confirms that the academy meets the provider access requirements, meaning students should have planned encounters with technical education and apprenticeship pathways as well as sixth form and college routes.

Because destination statistics are not published in the provided dataset for this school, families should evaluate the pathway through the quality of guidance rather than headline percentages. A sensible approach is to ask how the academy supports three distinct groups: students aiming for A-level routes at local sixth forms or colleges, students considering technical qualifications, and students seeking apprenticeships. For each, the practical measure is whether students get timely careers interviews, opportunities to meet providers, and support with applications and references.

Year 7 places are coordinated through Redcar and Cleveland’s admissions process, with the academy’s own published admissions arrangements setting a Published Admission Number (PAN) of 150 for September 2026 entry.

For the 2026 entry cycle, the local authority admissions guide sets out the key dates clearly:

• Online applications open in the week commencing 01 September 2025

• Closing date for applications is 31 October 2025

• National Offer Day is 01 March 2026

• Appeals are typically heard May to July 2026

Rye Hills also highlights open evenings for Year 5 and Year 6 families, with a published example of an annual open evening running in late September. For the 2026 entry cycle specifically, the school advertised a Year 5 and 6 open evening on 24 September 2025 (5:00pm to 7:00pm).

If you are making a decision based on proximity, note that the most reliable boundary information will always be the local authority’s coordinated admissions criteria and the academy’s oversubscription rules. This review does not include a last-distance-offered figure because it is not available in the provided admissions dataset for this school.

A school’s pastoral offer is easiest to judge by whether it is routinised and visible. Rye Hills’ materials point to several concrete elements:

• A named Designated Safeguarding Lead is listed on the school contact information page, which helps parents know who holds responsibility for safeguarding systems.

• The academy publishes SEND information and signposts families to external support resources.

• The values model is linked to personal development work, which gives tutors and leaders a shared language when addressing behaviour, relationships, and online safety.

For families, the implication is that students who respond well to clear expectations and shared language often find it easier to settle, particularly at transition. A sensible next step is to ask how pastoral support is organised day to day, for example, the balance between form tutor support, year teams, and specialist staff, and how concerns are escalated and communicated.

The academy makes a point of linking enrichment to belonging, and several named opportunities stand out.

Literacy and oracy culture through English clubs

The English department lists multiple specific clubs, including Debate Club, Reading Rebels, and Creative Writing Club. The educational value is clear, debate strengthens structured argument and confidence in speaking, reading groups build stamina and vocabulary, and creative writing allows experimentation with language beyond exam templates.

Leadership and student voice

Rye Hills highlights a Student Leadership team and a student podcast, RyePod, which gives students a platform to discuss school life and student elections. For some students, particularly those who gain confidence through responsibility, this kind of structured voice programme is a meaningful part of belonging.

Outdoor challenge and character development

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is an established enrichment strand. A June 2024 article describes a Bronze expedition involving a two-day hike and overnight camp, which is the kind of experience that builds planning, resilience, and teamwork in a way classroom learning cannot replicate.

Anti-bullying leadership

The Spring 2023 newsletter describes students working towards The Diana Award Anti-Bullying Ambassador Programme. That matters because it pushes responsibility for culture into the student body, not just adult enforcement.

For families comparing schools, the best question is not “how many clubs exist” but “which clubs keep running and who turns up”. Named programmes that recur year after year are usually the most dependable indicator.

Rye Hills publishes clear daily timings. Staff supervise arrival from 8.20am, the day begins with registration at 8.40am, and the school day ends at 3.05pm. The site also states students are in school 32.5 hours per week.

Transport and parking arrangements are not set out in the same level of detail in the published timings information. Families who rely on public transport should test the journey against the 3.05pm finish and consider contingency plans for after-school activities.

• A structured culture will not suit every child. The academy’s direction is deliberately high-expectation and routines-led. This tends to suit students who like clarity, but it can feel demanding for children who struggle with structure or who need a gentler pace at transition.

• Local admissions deadlines are fixed and early. For September 2026 entry, the application deadline is 31 October 2025, which arrives quickly after Year 6 begins. Families who delay school visits risk making decisions without enough information.

• Post-16 planning matters because the school finishes at 16. Families should explore how well the academy supports different routes, A-levels, technical qualifications, and apprenticeships, and which providers students typically progress to.

• Expect to engage with enrichment if you want the full experience. Debate Club, Reading Rebels, Duke of Edinburgh, and student leadership all reward regular attendance. Children who go straight home every day may miss a significant part of school life.

Rye Hills Academy reads as a school that has worked hard to stabilise culture, lift expectations, and make improvement visible in everyday routines. Academically, it sits around the middle of schools in England on GCSE outcomes, with slightly positive progress and a clear focus on curriculum planning and personal development.

Who it suits

families seeking a structured, forward-moving 11 to 16 school in Redcar, especially for children who benefit from consistency, clear routines, and adult direction, and who are likely to engage with enrichment such as debate, reading clubs, and Duke of Edinburgh.