Shipston High School Review 2026: A small, structured 11 to 16 school with strong local roots

Shipston High School is a mixed, state secondary for students aged 11 to 16, sized at around 600 places, and designed to feel manageable rather than sprawling. Its scale matters, it can support breadth in curriculum and enrichment, while keeping routines consistent and staff visibility high. The most recent full inspection (11 July 2023) judged the school to be Good across the headline areas.

Academic outcomes sit around the middle of the national pack on the FindMySchool benchmarks, with a local story that looks stronger. Ranked 1,961st in England and 1st in Shipston on Stour for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the school’s results profile reads as steady and serviceable for families wanting a well organised local comprehensive option.

For Year 7 entry in September 2026, applications were handled through Warwickshire’s coordinated process, opening 01 September 2025 and closing 31 October 2025, with offers on 02 March 2026.

The school’s published routines point to a day that is deliberately structured. Students arrive from 8.35am, with five one hour lessons, a 20 minute break and a 45 minute lunch, finishing at 3.10pm. The two week timetable (Week A and Week B) is a practical detail that often signals a school trying to balance consistency with variety, especially for option blocks and enrichment.

House identity is a clear organising feature. Badger, Hart, Mayo and Sheldon appear throughout school life, including tutor group structures and charity links. In practice, this tends to give students a smaller “home base” inside a 600 pupil setting, which can help belonging and behaviour culture, especially for students who find secondary transition socially demanding.

Leadership is best understood as “in transition”. Government records list Andrew Larkin as headteacher. The school’s own senior staff page describes “acting headteachers” responsibilities split across curriculum and standards and culture, which typically indicates a shared senior leadership model at present. For parents, the practical implication is to ask directly about continuity: who holds day to day operational decisions, who is accountable for behaviour and safeguarding, and how stable the staffing picture is across Year 10 and Year 11.

Shipston High School’s GCSE performance indicators present a mixed picture that is best read as “broadly in line with England, with specific pressure points”.

A core headline is Attainment 8 at 46.5. Progress 8 is -0.12, which indicates students make slightly below average progress from their starting points, relative to similar pupils nationally.

The EBacc indicators help explain the academic shape. The average EBacc APS is 4.05, close to the England benchmark shown. A lower proportion achieving grades 5 or above in the EBacc element (14.9%) suggests that higher grade performance in the full EBacc suite is not currently a defining strength, which may matter for families aiming for a strongly academic route through to A levels elsewhere.

The FindMySchool rankings supply the simplest parent facing summary. Ranked 1,961st in England and 1st in Shipston on Stour for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), Shipston sits in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). This points to a school that is not marketed on exam dominance, but can still be a sensible choice where family priorities are routines, teaching stability and a grounded local culture.

Parents comparing options across Warwickshire and the surrounding area can use the FindMySchool Local Hub page and Comparison Tool to put these metrics side by side with other nearby secondaries, particularly to compare progress measures rather than raw grades.

The best evidence about teaching and learning comes from the most recent inspection, which describes a school where expectations are clear and relationships are positive. The 2023 report also signals a culture where learning matters and where leaders are focused on improvement rather than complacency.

The school’s operational design supports that. Five one hour lessons create longer teaching periods than many secondaries, which can work well for practical subjects and for extended writing, as long as lessons are well structured. A two week timetable can also allow departments to sequence curriculum time without squeezing creative or technical subjects into minimal slots.

For parents, the most useful next step is to look for subject level detail, not general statements. The school website publishes curriculum and subject curriculum areas; that is where you can check whether subject sequencing is explicit (what is taught, when, and why), and whether there is clear support for students who need catch up in literacy or numeracy before Year 10.

As an 11 to 16 school, Shipston High School’s “destination” question is mainly about post 16 progression rather than university pipelines. Students typically move into sixth form or college provision elsewhere at 16. Families should ask three practical questions early in Year 10:

1. Which local post 16 providers are most common choices, and why

2. What the school’s careers programme looks like in Years 9 to 11, particularly guidance for vocational, apprenticeship and A level routes

3. How GCSE option choices are framed for students who want to keep A level pathways open

The school has historically emphasised careers awareness from younger years, including structured careers activity for Year 7, which suggests careers is not treated as a last minute Year 11 exercise.

Year 7 admission is coordinated through Warwickshire’s admissions process rather than direct school application. For September 2026 entry, on time applications opened 01 September 2025 and closed 31 October 2025. Offers are issued on national offer day (02 March 2026).

The Published Admission Number for Year 7 is 150. Oversubscription criteria follow a typical hierarchy, with looked after children and those with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school taking priority, then a mix of priority area and sibling criteria, with distance as the tie break within categories.

Shipston also defines a priority area via named primary schools (including Shipston Primary School, Brailes CofE Primary School, Acorns Primary School, Quinton Primary School, Ilmington CofE Primary School, and Newbold and Tredington CofE Primary School). Families who are borderline on geography should use a precise distance check rather than relying on rough maps; the FindMySchool Map Search is the most practical way to sanity check your likely distance position relative to other applicants.

Pastoral organisation looks formalised, with named leadership responsibility for pastoral, safeguarding and attendance within the senior team. House structures add a second layer, which often helps students know where to go when things are not going well socially or emotionally.

The most important official safeguard signal is simply that the most recent inspection judged the school Good overall, and this outcome includes the expectation that safeguarding is effective. For parents, the practical questions are operational rather than philosophical: how the school tracks attendance patterns, what early help looks like, how behaviour sanctions are communicated, and how students access a trusted adult outside their teaching staff.

Extracurricular life is framed as accessible rather than elite, with activities described as free and staff run. That matters in a rural and semi rural area, where transport can limit after school participation and where paid clubs can become a barrier.

There are several distinctive features worth flagging. One is The Shipston Award, described as unique to the school, running at bronze, silver and gold levels in Years 7 to 9, and intended as a platform into Duke of Edinburgh in Years 10 and 11. That combination, a local in house award plus a national programme, tends to reward steady commitment over showy achievement. For many students, it is a confidence builder that sits alongside academic learning.

Sport is organised through clubs and fixtures across the year, with activities updated termly. For students who are not drawn to competitive teams, the school’s stated emphasis that “all students should enjoy sport” is the right stance, the key question is how well that translates into inclusive opportunities for beginners.

Clubs mentioned on the school’s extracurricular pages include options such as coding, table tennis and creative writing. For parents, the right lens is breadth plus reliability: do clubs run consistently across the year, and can students who rely on buses realistically stay for them.

The school day runs from arrival at 8.35am to end of day at 3.10pm, with five one hour lessons, a 20 minute morning break and a 45 minute lunch.

Transport is a real consideration in this area. Warwickshire publishes school bus routes serving the school, including services such as 75S and several numbered routes from surrounding villages. For rail, families commonly use Moreton in Marsh as the nearest station for Shipston on Stour, then continue by bus or taxi.

• Leadership transition. Government records list a current headteacher, while the school’s own staffing page describes “acting headteachers” responsibilities. Ask directly how leadership continuity is being managed through the next academic year, especially for Year 11 preparation and safeguarding accountability.

• Progress measures. Progress 8 at -0.12 indicates slightly below average progress from students’ starting points. Families with children who need strong academic acceleration should probe how intervention works, particularly in English and mathematics.

• EBacc profile. The EBacc grades 5+ measure is comparatively modest (14.9%). If your child’s plan involves strongly academic post 16 pathways, ask how the school supports high attaining students and how options are designed to keep doors open.

• After school participation and transport. The enrichment offer includes clubs and structured awards, but the practical barrier is often getting home. Confirm bus timings and whether late buses exist for club nights.

Shipston High School is best understood as a well organised local secondary with clear routines, strong community links and a practical approach to enrichment. Its academic picture is broadly in line with the middle of England’s secondary performance distribution, with some indicators that warrant careful discussion if your child needs rapid academic progress.

It suits families who want a smaller scale 11 to 16 school, value consistency in the school day, and prefer enrichment that is accessible rather than selective. The key decision point is fit: clarity on leadership stability, and confidence that teaching and intervention will match your child’s needs through Years 10 and 11.