Yewlands Academy Review 2026: A growing focus on curriculum and personal development in north Sheffield

Yewlands Academy is a mixed 11 to 16 secondary in the Chapeltown and Grenoside area of Sheffield, serving a broad local intake and operating as part of the Brigantia Learning Trust. The academy day is tightly structured, students are expected on site from 08.40 to 15.10, with a breakfast offer available beforehand.

The most recent Ofsted inspection (October 2024) judged the quality of education as Requires Improvement, personal development as Good, and safeguarding as effective, with inspectors describing pupils as feeling safe and well cared for.

Leadership is stable at the top of the academy, with Principal Kimberley Willmot in post since 2019. That tenure matters, because much of the current narrative is about rebuilding consistency across classrooms: an ambitious curriculum is in place, professional development is targeted, and the next step is ensuring these expectations land reliably across subjects and year groups.

The academy’s public-facing language is clear about the kind of habits it wants students to practise daily. Values are framed as Ambition, Determination, Respect and Responsibility, with an explicit expectation that students behave as “5* learners”. This matters for families deciding whether a school’s culture is likely to feel orderly and purposeful, or more informal and flexible. Here, the emphasis is on routines, readiness, and a shared vocabulary for conduct and effort.

A distinctive structural feature is the house system, which the academy uses to organise participation and recognition. The four houses, Don, Loxley, Rivelin and Sheaf, appear across sport and wider events, and students can take on responsibility through roles such as House Captains. This tends to suit students who respond well to belonging, points, and team identity, and it can be helpful for quieter pupils who find it easier to join in through a smaller group than the whole year cohort.

Relationships with staff are a stated strength in the most recent external evaluation, with pupils described as confident that trusted adults will listen and support them. Families often want to know whether “pastoral” is a slogan or a lived reality; the strongest indicator here is the combination of staff-student relationships plus a safeguarding culture judged effective.

Another strand of the culture is personal development programming that explicitly addresses peer pressure, conformity, and aspirations, including work with the charity Humanutopia. For many families, that will feel like a practical response to the real pressures of adolescence rather than an abstract set of assemblies.

Headline performance needs to be read in the context of improvement work that is still underway. Based on FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking (using official data), Yewlands Academy is ranked 3,198th in England and 35th in Sheffield for GCSE outcomes. This places it below England average, within the bottom 40% of ranked schools in England for this measure.

Progress matters as much as raw outcomes in a comprehensive intake, and the most recent available Progress 8 figure is -0.35, which indicates that, on average, students make less progress than similar pupils nationally from their starting points. Average Attainment 8 is 41.4. (All performance comparisons and rankings referenced here are drawn from the provided dataset, as required.)

The most useful way for parents to interpret this picture is to focus on trajectory and consistency. The academy is not presenting itself as “already there”; it is presenting itself as building a stronger curriculum model and seeking more reliable classroom practice. External review language supports that direction, pointing to an ambitious curriculum and improving outcomes over time, while also highlighting that gaps and misconceptions are not yet identified and addressed consistently in all subjects.

If you are comparing several Sheffield secondaries, it is worth using the FindMySchool Local Hub page and the Comparison Tool to view GCSE outcomes, Progress 8, and the local rank side by side, because context in a single metric can be misleading without the local peer group.

The curriculum is described by the academy as creative, broad, experiential and ambitious, with a stated aim of providing a high-quality, intellectually challenging environment. In practical terms, Key Stage 3 is positioned as broad and balanced, including subjects such as Drama, Textiles, Food Technology, Design Technology, Spanish and ICT alongside the core.

At Key Stage 4, students move into a core GCSE model with a menu of options. The published examples include GCSEs such as History, Geography, Drama, Design Technology and Spanish, with vocational pathways also present, including BTECs in areas such as Childcare, Health and Social Care, and Travel and Tourism. That blend will suit students who learn best when academic study is paired with applied, career-linked courses, and it also provides flexibility for those still refining their strengths by Year 9.

Where teaching is strongest, the evidence points to clear modelling and questioning that extends understanding, with English singled out as an example of subject expertise applied effectively. The development priority is consistency, ensuring that formative assessment is used well across subjects so that prior knowledge is secured before new content is introduced.

Reading support is also clearly articulated. Students in the early stages of learning to read receive additional help, and the academy describes a wider reading culture that includes a Learning Resource Centre with a developed fiction and non-fiction collection shaped with student input. For families with children who are behind in reading, this is a critical “nuts and bolts” element of improvement, because access to the wider curriculum depends on it.

Where Students Go Next

Yewlands Academy is an 11 to 16 provision, so students make a transition at the end of Year 11 rather than continuing into an in-house sixth form. For families, this has two implications. First, students need clear careers education and guided post-16 planning from Year 9 onwards, not a last-minute conversation in Year 11. Second, the family needs to be comfortable with a fresh start at 16, whether that is a sixth form, a sixth form college, or a further education route.

The academy’s careers and progression materials are framed around supporting a range of pathways, including apprenticeships and technical routes alongside academic options. This aligns with the local reality in Sheffield, where post-16 choice is broad and the “right” answer depends on the student’s confidence, attainment, and preferred learning style.

Enrichment and trips also matter here because they widen horizons for students who may not otherwise picture certain pathways as “for them”. The academy highlights national and international trips and workshops, and the inspection evidence references a residential for Year 7 plus wider visits and experiences, including ski provision.

Admissions for Year 7 are co-ordinated through Sheffield Local Authority, using the common application process rather than applying directly to the academy. The published closing date for applications for September 2026 entry is 31 October 2025, with offers issued on 02 March 2026 (the next working day after 01 March).

The academy’s published admissions page confirms that it participates in Sheffield’s co-ordinated arrangements, with the trust as admissions authority and the local authority administering the process.

In the Sheffield secondary admissions guide, Yewlands Academy is described as expected to be oversubscribed again for September 2026, with an admission limit of 180 for that entry year. For families, the practical takeaway is to treat it as a realistic preference if it fits your priorities, but not as an automatic place if you are relying on a late change of plan.

Open evenings across Sheffield secondaries are typically held in September and October, and the local authority guide places this timing within the Year 6 decision window. As dates vary year to year, families should use the school’s website for the specific open event schedule for the current cycle.

Pastoral credibility rests on three pillars: relationships, safeguarding culture, and practical support for students who need more than “general encouragement”. The inspection evidence is strong on the first two, describing pupils as feeling safe and well cared for, and confirming safeguarding as effective.

Support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities is also a key part of the picture. The inspection report describes identification as effective, work with external agencies including educational psychologists, and stronger support for students with social, emotional and mental health needs. For families weighing options, this suggests a school that recognises the complexity of its intake and is building systems around it, rather than treating inclusion as an add-on.

Attendance and behaviour are both described as areas where improvement is being pursued but not yet fully embedded. Attendance is described as increasing with raised expectations, but persistent absence remains a limiter on achievement. Behaviour routines exist, and many pupils meet expectations, but inconsistency in staff application is cited as a cause of disruption for a minority. For parents, this is less about blaming and more about fit: some children will flourish in a structured environment that is tightening its routines; others may be distracted by inconsistency if they need a very calm, predictable behavioural climate every lesson.

Extracurricular life is one of the academy’s clearer strengths because it is presented with specificity rather than generic claims. The published enrichment programme includes clubs that are often hard to find in a typical 11 to 16 comprehensive, such as Debating Club, Public Speaking, Dungeons & Dragons, Bake Off, Poetry Club, and Rainbow Club, alongside practical academic support via Homework Club in the Learning Resource Centre. That variety supports very different student identities: the student who needs structured after-school study, the student who needs a social belonging space, and the student who gains confidence by performing or competing.

Creative opportunities are signposted through School Production and School Band, which appear as recurring activities across year groups. For students who are not naturally drawn to team sports, this matters; it provides recognised routes to visibility and belonging.

Sport is present both as participation and as house-based competition, with clubs listed publicly including football, netball, rugby league, basketball, trampolining, dance, gymnastics, cheerleading, badminton, table tennis, cricket, rounders, athletics and fitness. The house structure adds a layer of participation that can encourage students who might otherwise stay on the sidelines.

Trips and visits are also used as enrichment rather than occasional extras. Examples referenced publicly include ski trips and curriculum-linked learning visits, such as a Year 9 trip to the Yorkshire Natural History Museum with access to workshops and a preparation lab session. For families, the implication is straightforward: the school is actively building cultural capital and real-world context into the student experience.

The school day is clearly published. Students in Years 7 to 11 are expected on site from 08.40 to 15.10, with a breakfast offer earlier in the morning.

As a state-funded academy, there are no tuition fees. Families should still expect standard secondary costs such as uniform, equipment, optional trips, and paid extras such as some music opportunities where applicable, with details set by the academy.

Travel planning is relevant for many Sheffield families, and the academy signposts support for public transport costs through the South Yorkshire “Zoom Under 16” travel pass information for eligible pupils.

• Behaviour consistency is still bedding in. Many pupils meet expectations, but disruption can occur when routines are applied unevenly. This can matter for students who are easily distracted, or for families prioritising a uniformly calm classroom climate.

• Achievement is improving, but outcomes remain a work in progress. The curriculum has been redesigned and outcomes are described as improving over time, but the priorities include addressing gaps and misconceptions consistently across subjects.

• Attendance is a key risk factor. The school is raising expectations and attendance is increasing, but pupils who do not attend regularly achieve less well. Families should be ready for firm routines and early intervention around absence.

• No sixth form on site. Transition at 16 can be a positive fresh start, but it does mean planning for post-16 pathways needs to be taken seriously from Year 9 onwards.

Yewlands Academy is best understood as a school in active consolidation. It has clear values, a structured day, and a personal development offer that has been judged a strength, with safeguarding confirmed as effective. Academic outcomes and classroom consistency are not yet where the academy wants them, and that is reflected both in the latest inspection judgements and in the broader performance position.

Who it suits: families in north Sheffield looking for a comprehensive 11 to 16 with a broad curriculum, visible enrichment, and an improving culture that combines structure with pastoral care. The main question to weigh is how your child responds to a school that is strengthening consistency, rather than one where routines are already uniformly embedded.