Shoreham Academy Review 2026: Outstanding Ofsted secondary with a structured character programme

Shoreham Academy is a large 11–18 academy serving families in Shoreham and Southwick, and it is built around a simple organising idea: high expectations, made practical through routines, mentoring, and a clearly defined wider programme. Established in 2009 and part of United Learning, it positions “Education With Character” alongside exam success, using a pledge system that expects every student to engage in clubs, leadership, and experiences beyond lessons.

Leadership has been stable for a long period. Mr Jim Coupe is the Principal, and he has been in substantive post since 2014, after a period as acting Principal.

The headline external benchmark is clear: the latest Ofsted inspection (7 and 8 February 2024, published 19 March 2024) judged the school Outstanding overall, and Outstanding in every graded area including sixth form.

This is a high-structure school with a high-structure language. The values are explicit and repeated, integrity, excellence, hard work, and high standards, with a “character stamp” that spells out expected dispositions such as being polite, resilient, independent, disciplined, and engaged. That may sound like branding, but it also functions as a shared vocabulary for students, staff, and families when discussing behaviour, effort, and progress.

The distinctive piece is the pledge system, branded as the Shoreham Academy Experience. The pledges are intentionally incremental and sit across the full age range, with recognition levels (bronze, silver, gold) and an inter-house competitive element via the Kingston Cup. In practical terms, it pulls students towards taking part rather than opting out. For many families, that turns the usual “extra-curricular is optional” culture into something closer to a default expectation, especially in Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4.

The school’s religious character is listed as Christian, but its public-facing materials emphasise inclusivity. The admissions policy states that there are no faith criteria, and the ethos material frames the trust’s Christian roots as a moral purpose that welcomes and respects students of all faiths and none. That combination tends to suit families who appreciate a values-led approach without wanting admissions or daily life to be organised around religious practice.

Scale is another defining feature. The published capacity is 1,700, and recent official reporting places the roll at around 1,757, so parents should expect a big-school experience, broad peer groups, a more complex timetable, and a wider menu of pathways, alongside the need for strong systems to keep things consistent.

At GCSE, the data places Shoreham Academy in a strong position. Ranked 1,026th in England and 1st in Shoreham-by-Sea for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), it sits above England average, placing it comfortably within the top 25% of secondary schools in England. The school’s Attainment 8 score is 52.3 and Progress 8 is +0.56, which indicates that pupils make well above average progress from their starting points.

GCSE subject measures reinforce that picture. The EBacc average point score is 4.8, and 28.2% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above across the EBacc subjects set.

Sixth form outcomes look more mixed by comparison. Ranked 1,635th in England and 1st in Shoreham-by-Sea for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), results sit below the middle of A-level providers in England. The grade profile shows 2.81% at A*, 14.61% at A, and 41.57% at A*–B. Against the England A-level benchmark, the A*–B share is below the England average of 47.2%, and A*/A combined (17.42%) is below the England average of 23.6%.

What this means for families is that Shoreham Academy presents as a particularly strong option for Years 7 to 11, with a sixth form that offers breadth and opportunity, but where outcomes (as measured here) are not as consistently high as the GCSE picture. For students planning to stay for sixth form, fit, subject choice, and the quality of guidance become especially important parts of the decision, not just headline grades.

The school’s curriculum story is unusually concrete. Rather than relying on general claims, it sets out an approach built on “powerful knowledge”, careful sequencing, and deliberate practice, alongside a strong emphasis on literacy and oracy. One practical example is the stated expectation that mentors read with their form groups regularly, exposing students to ambitious texts and building vocabulary breadth over time. For students who arrive with weaker reading confidence, the same framework points to staged support, so they can access mainstream subject teaching rather than being funnelled into a reduced curriculum.

The implication is a coherent teaching model that prioritises clarity and routine. When this is done well, it benefits most students, including those who prefer predictability, those who need repeated retrieval to retain knowledge, and those who are capable but disorganised. The trade-off is that students who thrive on very open-ended, student-led learning may find the tone more guided and more structured than at some smaller secondaries.

Where Students Go Next

University and employment destinations are best interpreted through the available published cohort data. For the 2023/24 leaver cohort (148 students), 38% progressed to university, 36% went into employment, 5% started apprenticeships, and 3% moved into further education.

For highly selective routes, the Oxbridge pipeline is present but small. In the most recent reporting period, seven students applied to Oxford or Cambridge, one received an offer, and one secured a place, at Cambridge.

The school also highlights named destinations in its sixth form materials, including Oxford, Imperial College London, UCL, and Harvard, but it does not publish a full numerical breakdown on the pages reviewed, so parents should treat this as illustrative rather than representative.

The practical implication is that Shoreham Academy looks set up to support multiple “next steps” well: university, employment, and apprenticeships. Families with a student targeting the most selective universities should probe subject-by-subject support, super-curricular provision, and how the school structures application coaching, rather than relying on general statements.

For Year 7, Shoreham Academy is part of the West Sussex coordinated admissions system. The academy’s Published Admission Number for September 2026 entry is 300, and the admissions policy confirms that there are no faith-based entry requirements. Oversubscription is handled through standard priorities such as looked-after children, exceptional need, siblings (with catchment detail), children of staff in specified circumstances, then catchment, then out of catchment, with distance used as the tie-break.

Demand is significant. In the most recent admissions dataset provided, 559 applications were made for 294 offers, a ratio of 1.9 applications per offer, which aligns with the school being oversubscribed. First preference demand is also strong, with a 1.08 ratio of first preferences to offers. This matters because it suggests that “listing it first” will be common, so families should plan realistically and use all preference slots carefully.

Key deadlines for September 2026 Year 7 entry are set by West Sussex. Applications opened on 8 September 2025 and closed on 31 October 2025; offers were issued on 2 March 2026.

For families thinking about catchment and distance in future years, FindMySchool’s Map Search can help you model likely eligibility by comparing your address to historical cut-offs and published criteria, while remembering that patterns move year to year.

Sixth form admissions are handled directly by the academy rather than through West Sussex. The September 2026 policy states that Year 12 has a total capacity of 180, with up to 30 places allocated for external applicants, and the number of external places can increase if fewer than 150 internal students meet the entry requirements.

Pastoral structures connect closely to the school’s wider “character” framing. There is a consistent emphasis on recognition systems, participation expectations, and routines that aim to reduce low-level disruption and keep classrooms focused on learning. This tends to suit students who want a calm, purposeful day and who benefit from being held to clear standards.

The second high-weight external assurance is safeguarding. The 2024 inspection confirmed safeguarding arrangements are effective.

For families, the practical takeaway is to ask how pastoral support is delivered in a school of this size, including who the first point of contact is, how mentoring works in practice, and how the school supports attendance and inclusion for students who find routine challenging.

The pledge system gives extracurricular life a different feel from many secondaries, because participation is linked to progression, recognition, and house competition rather than being purely optional. At school level, that includes clubs, trips, and visits, and it explicitly includes Experience Week and opportunities tied to leadership and public speaking.

The published clubs list shows the breadth of “everyday” opportunities that underpin the pledge idea. Examples include Chess for Key Stage 3, Open Mic for musicians, Table Top Gaming, Drama, Choir, Journalism, and a STEM club, as well as a Rainbow Club aimed at LGBTQ+ students and allies.

There are also practical academic supports embedded in the offer. The clubs list includes Breakfast Club with access to computers and printers for homework or independent study, followed by a free breakfast, plus structured homework clubs running after school. For families managing transport or home study space, that can materially change what a typical weekday looks like.

In sixth form, enrichment is framed as a core part of building a strong post-18 profile. The school describes local volunteering routes such as working on a radio station in a local hospital, helping in a local junior school, and organising a lunch club for local pensioners.

Finally, Shoreham Academy Sixth Form promotes specialist pathways through sports and performance academies, including football academies powered by Russell Martin Academy and a dance offer in association with the University of Chichester (3Fall Dance Company). For students for whom sport or performance is a serious commitment, this kind of structured programme can be a major draw, provided it is balanced carefully alongside academic workload.

Shoreham Academy’s regular day runs from 8.30am to 3.00pm, with a total of 32.5 hours per week, and it notes that some Year 11 and sixth form teaching and clubs run outside core hours.

Transport planning matters, especially at a school of this size. The academy publishes guidance focused on parking pressures, road safety, and cycling, and it identifies two entrances (Stoney Lane and Kingston Lane) in its transition information. Shoreham-by-Sea station is the nearest rail hub for families commuting by train.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. Families should still budget for the usual associated costs such as uniform, trips, and optional activities, and should check what is included for any specialist sixth form academies or qualifications.

• Competition for Year 7 places. Recent demand shows close to two applications for every offer. This raises the stakes on catchment, distance, and realistic preference planning.

• A very structured culture. The pledge system, recognition frameworks, and values language suit many students, but students who strongly resist routines or who dislike public recognition may need time and support to settle.

• Sixth form outcomes are not as strong as GCSE outcomes in the data provided. The sixth form offer is broad and distinctive, but families should look carefully at subject-level support, especially for students targeting top grades and selective universities.

• A Christian character with inclusive admissions. There are no faith entry criteria, but families should be comfortable with a values-led framework that explicitly references the trust’s Christian roots and moral purpose.

Shoreham Academy combines strong GCSE performance with a clear, system-led culture designed to make participation and character development part of normal school life, not an add-on. The stability of leadership and the Outstanding inspection outcome provide additional reassurance about consistency and standards. It is best suited to families who want a high-expectations environment, a broad co-curricular programme tied to clear goals, and a non-selective school that still aims high academically. The main challenge is admission demand, particularly for Year 7 places.