Westlands School Review 2026: A big, inclusive secondary where the school farm shapes the culture

A school farm at the edge of a large secondary site changes the rhythm of the place. Here, it is not a token feature. The farm has been part of school life for over 70 years, and the school is now building a dedicated farm classroom block to extend that work.

Westlands School is a mixed secondary with a sixth form, educating students from age 11 to 18. It is part of Swale Academies Trust and is led by Headteacher Miss Christina Honess.

The school’s culture is framed through its RADAR values, Respect, Achievement, Diversity, Aspiration and Resilience, supported by a strong pastoral model built around year group teams and “communities”.

Westlands presents as a large, structured school that tries to make scale feel human. The “communities” language matters here because it is tied to how students seek help and how pastoral support is organised. Official evidence shows students know where to go with concerns and feel listened to by staff in their communities, which is a useful indicator for families weighing day to day reassurance, not just formal policy.

RADAR is more than branding. It is used as a shared vocabulary for expectations and conduct. Respect and behaviour are explicitly presented as foundations for learning, while Achievement and Aspiration are positioned as habits rather than simply results, with attendance also treated as a core part of the achievement story.

A distinctive part of the school’s identity is the mix of academic, practical and vocational pathways, plus facilities that support them. The school promotes engineering, construction, design technology spaces, plus creative and performance areas such as a media suite, dance studio, and music and drama facilities. The farm is the standout because it creates hands on opportunities that are rare in a mainstream secondary, and it is directly referenced in formal inspection evidence as something students value.

Westlands’ outcomes, as measured in the FindMySchool GCSE ranking, sit below England average overall. Ranked 3,290th in England and 3rd in Sittingbourne for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), it falls in the below England average band overall. Attainment 8 is 40.2, with a Progress 8 score of -0.38, which indicates that, on average, students make less progress than pupils with similar starting points nationally.

For post 16, the A-level picture is also below England average. Ranked 2,516th in England and 5th in Sittingbourne for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the results sit in the below England average band. A-level grades recorded are 0% A*, 3.49% A, 9.3% B, and 12.79% at A* to B combined. England averages in the same measure are 23.6% A* to A and 47.2% A* to B, which sets a clear benchmark.

What does this mean for families. Westlands is best understood as a school where the experience, support structures, and breadth of pathways carry a lot of weight, while academic outcomes are an area many families will want to explore carefully at open events and through subject level discussions.

Parents comparing local outcomes should use the FindMySchool Local Hub page and Comparison Tool to view results alongside nearby options on the same basis.

The teaching model described in formal evidence focuses on sequencing knowledge, deliberate revisiting, and supporting students to make connections between key ideas. This is a strong underpinning for students who benefit from clear structure and frequent retrieval. Reading is treated as a cross curricular priority, including targeted support for students who struggle with fluency, and a focus on subject specific vocabulary across disciplines.

A practical implication of this approach is consistency. When sequencing and revisiting are done well, students who need repetition and explicit links between topics tend to gain confidence, particularly in knowledge heavy subjects. The inspection evidence also flags a common risk in large secondaries, variability in checking understanding. In some lessons, misconceptions were not consistently identified and corrected, which can lead to gaps becoming entrenched if students move on too quickly.

Curriculum breadth is a clear theme. Students benefit from a mix of academic and vocational courses at key stage 4 and in the sixth form. The school also recognises that English Baccalaureate take up has been low, and has been promoting modern foreign languages with numbers reportedly increasing. For families, this is a point to probe. If a child is aiming for a more traditional academic pathway, it is worth asking how language uptake works in practice, what guidance is given at options, and how sets are staffed.

Westlands offers sixth form provision, and destination outcomes show a mixed set of next steps. For the 2023/24 leavers cohort, 36% progressed to university, 9% started apprenticeships, 35% entered employment, and 1% went into further education. This profile suggests the school serves a broad range of ambitions, including direct employment and apprenticeship routes, not only university pathways.

Oxbridge outcomes, where recorded, are limited in volume. Over the measurement period, there were 2 Cambridge applications, 1 offer and 1 acceptance, with no Oxford figures recorded. This points to an occasional Oxbridge route rather than a high volume pipeline.

In practical terms, families should see Westlands as a school that may suit students who want options and support towards multiple destinations, including vocational and technical choices, alongside higher education. Students with highly selective university ambitions can still do well, but they will typically need to be proactive, academically self directed, and ready to use enrichment and guidance consistently.

Year 7 admissions are coordinated by Kent County Council. For students starting Year 7 in September 2026, applications opened on Monday 1 September 2025 and closed on Friday 31 October 2025. Offers are issued on Monday 2 March 2026.

For families looking ahead to September 2027 entry, the pattern is usually similar, with applications typically opening in early September and closing at the end of October. Exact dates should always be checked on the Kent County Council site and the school’s admissions pages.

Open events matter at Westlands because the site and facilities are a large part of the proposition. For the September 2026 intake cycle, the school scheduled an open evening on Thursday 25 September 2025, and open morning tours running from Monday 29 September to Friday 10 October 2025.

If you are using distance as part of your shortlisting logic, use FindMySchool Map Search to check your precise home to gate distance alongside the school’s published admissions arrangements, and do so before relying on the chance of a place.

Pastoral support is built around year group teams, including pastoral support managers, and the school explicitly references the role of communities in helping students raise concerns and access help.

SEND is a significant and well described part of the school’s work. The school runs The Pyramid Centre specialist resourced units for students with Education, Health and Care Plans, including support for specific learning difficulties and a separate strand for physical disabilities and complex medical needs. The school describes specialist teaching, interventions, quiet spaces at unstructured times, and teaching assistant supported homework clubs.

For mental health and wellbeing, the school references defined internal spaces and support routes. These include the Boom Room, described as a safe lunchtime space for vulnerable students, plus the Resilience Room for students experiencing emotional wellbeing challenges and emotional based school avoidance, with access controlled and monitored through safeguarding leadership.

The farm is the headline differentiator because it is not a one off enrichment feature. Students are involved in animal care and farm activities, and the school is investing in a bespoke farm classroom block to expand that provision. For students who learn best through doing, and for families who value practical responsibility alongside classroom learning, this is a meaningful benefit.

Creative and performance opportunities also appear strongly in the school’s public narrative and inspection evidence. Productions are referenced as a point of student pride, which suggests participation is not limited to a small specialist group.

On the co curricular side, the school explicitly frames clubs as a way for students to find belonging and develop skills, giving examples such as DJ club and hair and beauty activities. That mix is telling. It suggests a model where extracurricular life is not only competitive sport and traditional arts, but also vocational and applied interests that mirror the school’s broader curriculum mix.

Facilities named in school materials reinforce this breadth. The school references a sports hall and on-site gym, a library, design technology workshops, plus specialist areas such as a Construction Skills Centre, engineering facilities, art and photography rooms, a media suite, and a dance studio.

The school day is clearly set out. The site is open to pupils from 7.45am Monday to Friday, and a free breakfast is available for all students in Newlands’ Canteen from 7.50am to 8.15am. Lessons run from 8.35am to 3.05pm, with a weekly total of 32.5 hours.

For transport planning, the most reliable approach is to map the home to school journey at the exact times your child will travel, and stress test the route against winter traffic and weather. Sittingbourne is a commuting town and peak time variability can materially change daily experience. For students attending clubs or late study, families should also factor in return journey options and supervision arrangements.

• Academic outcomes are below England average overall. GCSE and A-level rankings sit in the below England average band, and Progress 8 is negative. Families should ask detailed questions about subject level improvement priorities, staffing stability, and what support looks like for students aiming to exceed expectations.

• Consistency in checking understanding is an improvement area. Formal evidence highlights that misconceptions are not always identified in some lessons. For students who need frequent feedback and correction to stay secure, it is worth asking how departments monitor and improve day to day classroom practice.

• Attendance is a priority, with a specific concern for disadvantaged absence. The inspection evidence flags that too many disadvantaged pupils were regularly absent, affecting achievement. Families dealing with medical, anxiety, or complex attendance histories should ask how early help is coordinated and what phased return or support routes look like in practice.

• The scale suits some students better than others. Large schools can offer breadth and specialist facilities, but they can feel busy at unstructured times. Westlands addresses this with structured pastoral teams and quiet spaces, yet it is still worth assessing fit at open events, especially for students with sensory or social overwhelm.

Westlands School is best understood as an inclusive, large secondary with a broad curriculum mix and distinctive practical learning through its long established school farm. Pastoral structures, SEND resourcing, and wellbeing spaces are clearly defined, which will reassure many families.

It suits students who want breadth, including vocational and applied pathways, and who will benefit from clear routines, pastoral teams, and opportunities beyond the classroom. The primary trade off is that headline academic outcomes are below England average, so families prioritising purely academic performance should probe subject level plans and support carefully before committing.