Grove Academy Review 2026: An all-through school in Slough, focused on rebuilding consistency

Grove Academy is unusual in its local context because it spans Reception through to post-16, aiming to create one coherent journey rather than a series of handovers. The school serves a large and diverse community in Slough, with an explicit emphasis on pupils and students feeling “welcome, successful and included”, and on a structured set of classroom habits, branded as the Grove 5.

This is also a school that has been through a demanding improvement cycle. The most recent graded Ofsted inspection (16 and 17 February 2022) judged the school to be Inadequate, with Early Years graded Good. A monitoring inspection followed in April 2023, concluding that serious weaknesses remained, while acknowledging progress in several areas, including behaviour routines and safeguarding capacity.

For families, the practical question is fit. The all-through structure, structured routines, and improving safeguarding picture can appeal, but the school’s recent history means parents should look closely at consistency of teaching, behaviour culture in the secondary phase, and how leaders are embedding improvement across subjects and year groups.

The school’s identity is shaped by two overlapping ideas. The first is belonging across phases, with leadership intent focused on removing the “reset” that often happens between primary and secondary. The second is routine and shared language, with expectations framed through simple rules and repeated classroom habits, including the Grove 5 learning behaviours.

Leadership is a stabilising feature. Natalie Wismayer is identified as headteacher or principal in formal documentation and in the school’s published materials, and the role is clearly central to how the school communicates its ethos and priorities. GIAS records her as the headteacher and as an ex officio governor by virtue of office, with an appointment date recorded in late 2023.

Day-to-day culture is described through expectations rather than slogans. For younger pupils, the emphasis includes language development and helping children communicate feelings and emotions. For older students, the intended experience is purposeful, with tutor time and assemblies used to set expectations and reinforce routines.

Where the atmosphere becomes more complex is the difference between phases. The 2022 inspection highlighted that primary pupils tended to show a positive attitude to learning, while the secondary phase had more disruption and inconsistency, including uncertainty about behaviour expectations. Improvement work since then has focused heavily on making routines and supervision more consistent, particularly for older students.

Because Grove Academy is all-through, the results picture is best understood in two parts, Key Stage 2 outcomes in the primary phase and GCSE outcomes in the secondary phase.

Primary outcomes (Key Stage 2)

In 2024, 56.7% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with an England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 8.7% reached greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics, compared with an England average of 8%. Science outcomes are a relative bright spot, with 86% reaching the expected standard, above the England average of 82%.

On scaled scores, the school’s 2024 averages were 101 for reading, 101 for mathematics, and 100 for grammar, punctuation and spelling. Those figures are close to typical national performance, but the combined expected-standard measure sits below England average, which matters most for many parents.

Rankings add further context. Ranked 14,025th in England and 34th in Slough for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), the primary phase sits below England average overall, in the bottom 40% of schools in England by this measure.

GCSE outcomes (Key Stage 4)

At GCSE, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 40.4, compared with an England average of 45.9. Progress 8 is -0.06, indicating student progress slightly below the England benchmark once prior attainment is taken into account. The EBacc average point score is 3.87 (England average 4.08), and 22.1% achieved grade 5 or above in English and mathematics plus the EBacc pillars, which is an indicator that the academic core remains a work in progress.

Rankings are consistent with that mixed picture. Ranked 2,209th in England and 15th in Slough for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), performance aligns broadly with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile), rather than standing out as either exceptionally strong or weak.

Sixth form outcomes

The school is listed as having a sixth form, but comparable A-level performance measures are not available for this review cycle. For sixth form families, the key questions are therefore practical, subject offer, entry requirements, and how effectively the school supports progression to university, apprenticeships, or employment.

The strongest argument for an all-through school is curriculum sequencing, the ability to design learning so that knowledge builds in a planned way from Reception onwards. The 2022 inspection described that intent as clear, but unevenly realised, with science highlighted as a subject where vocabulary, knowledge and practical learning were structured coherently across phases.

Since then, improvement activity has been directed at consistency. External monitoring in 2023 described progress in curriculum thinking in some subjects, with mathematics cited as an example where detailed planning helped pupils build knowledge over time. At the same time, it noted that not all subjects had reached that level of coherence, so the student experience could still vary depending on subject and phase.

Reading is treated as a core priority. In the earlier years, phonics and early reading are described as structured, with targeted daily practice for pupils who need additional help to catch up. For parents of reluctant readers, that emphasis is meaningful, particularly in a community where many pupils start school speaking English as an additional language.

In the secondary phase, lesson structure is reinforced through the Grove 5 habits, which are framed as practical behaviours, daily reading, retrieval of prior learning, making links, structured talk, and active participation. The value of that approach is that it can make expectations transparent, especially for students who benefit from clear routines and repeated practice.

Primary to secondary transition

Because the school includes both primary and secondary phases, many pupils can progress internally into Year 7. That can be attractive for families who want continuity of pastoral knowledge and reduced transition anxiety, particularly for pupils who need time to settle into routines.

The school also describes a transition programme for Year 6 pupils, including taster sessions taught by secondary teachers and a Summer School before September to build familiarity and friendships. For many children, especially those who are nervous about secondary school, this kind of structured transition can make the first term easier.

Post-16 pathways

Published destination statistics are not available for this review cycle, and the school does not present a verified set of outcomes through the sources available for this review. Rather than assume a pattern, it is more useful to focus on what parents can evaluate: the clarity of careers guidance, the range of courses, and the level of individual support in applications.

The monitoring evidence points to a strengthened programme for personal development and tutor time, including a more coherent approach to what is taught in personal, social and health education. For sixth form students, that matters because the tutor structure often becomes the hub for UCAS planning, apprenticeship applications, and employability guidance.

Grove Academy is a state school with no tuition fees. Admission is therefore driven by local authority processes and the school’s published criteria, rather than financial commitment.

Reception entry

Reception admissions for September 2026 entry were coordinated by Slough Borough Council. Online applications opened on 1 September 2025, with the national deadline for on-time applications on 15 January 2026, and offers issued on 16 April 2026. Demand data indicates that Reception entry is competitive, with 73 applications for 50 offers in the latest available cycle, which equates to around 1.46 applications per place.

Year 7 entry

Secondary admissions for Year 7 entry in September 2026 had an on-time deadline of 31 October 2025, with offer day on 2 March 2026. Demand is stronger at this entry point, with 124 applications for 63 offers, or around 1.97 applications per place. In practical terms, that means families should expect competition for places even though this is not a selective school.

Managing competition and certainty

When a school is oversubscribed, small differences in criteria can matter. Parents comparing multiple options should use the FindMySchoolMap Search to understand their likely position against priority areas and historic allocation patterns, then cross-check against the local authority’s published guidance for the relevant year.

Pastoral strength has been a key improvement priority. The 2022 inspection raised serious concerns about safeguarding, record-keeping, and whether all students felt confident reporting worries, especially in the secondary phase.

By the April 2023 monitoring inspection, safeguarding capacity and training had increased and safeguarding was judged effective, with staff and pupils clear that it was a priority and with visible safeguarding leadership around the school. The same monitoring evidence also suggested that incidents of bullying and racist or inappropriate language were reducing, alongside clearer behaviour responses.

For parents, the implication is not that concerns disappear overnight, but that the direction of travel matters. When considering a school with a recent serious weakness judgement, families should ask how the school tracks bullying incidents, how staff respond to discriminatory language, how quickly concerns are escalated, and how the school measures whether students feel safe across different year groups.

Support for pupils with SEND is a related area to scrutinise. Monitoring evidence suggested stronger practice in the primary phase than the secondary phase, with inconsistency still affecting outcomes for some students. For families whose child needs consistent adaptation, the quality of communication between teachers, pastoral staff, and home becomes especially important.

Extracurricular life is one of the areas where the school’s all-through model can work well. A larger roll and broad age range can justify investment in facilities, and it can create a culture where activities are used as part of belonging rather than an optional extra.

On the facilities side, published materials reference specialist spaces that support breadth, including science classrooms, design and technology areas, food technology rooms, a drama studio, a sports hall, a gym, a library, and a multi-use games area (MUGA). For students who learn best with hands-on work, those spaces matter because they enable practical lessons rather than purely theoretical ones.

Clubs and activities are presented with a mix of sport and creative options. Examples referenced include Art and Origami, Chess, Computing, Drama, Badminton, Fitness, Dance, Netball, and Table Tennis. That variety is helpful for families who want their child to find a social anchor point, especially at the transition into Year 7.

There are also signs of whole-school culture building. “Grove’s Got Talent” is a distinctive example because it blends performance, participation and school identity, and it gives students a low-barrier way to be visible for something positive early in secondary school.

The school day structure is designed to support routine. Published information indicates that the gates open from 08:30 to 08:45, with registration closing at 08:50. End-of-day dismissal is staggered between 15:00 and 15:30, with an earlier finish on Fridays.

For food and social time in the secondary phase, “The Bistro” is described as open early as well as at break and lunchtime, with payment linked to a parent-managed account system.

For travel, Slough is the main rail hub for the area, and the site is on Ladbrooke Road in the Chalvey area, with local bus routes running through central Slough and nearby neighbourhoods. Families should sanity-check travel time at the times that matter, morning arrival and afternoon pick-up, especially if relying on public transport.

• Recent improvement journey. The most recent graded inspection judged the school to be Inadequate, including serious concerns around safeguarding and behaviour at that time. A later monitoring inspection described progress, but also confirmed that serious weaknesses had not yet been removed. Families should ask direct questions about what has changed since 2023, and how leaders check that changes are consistent across the secondary phase.

• Behaviour consistency across phases. Evidence points to calmer lessons and clearer expectations in many cases, while acknowledging that low-level disruption still occurred, mostly in the secondary phase. If your child is easily distracted, ask how behaviour expectations are taught, reinforced, and applied from tutor time through to corridor supervision.

• Competition for places. Both Reception and Year 7 entry are oversubscribed in the latest available cycle, particularly Year 7, at close to two applications per place. If you need certainty, have a realistic second choice and understand how the local authority allocates places each year.

• SEND adaptation in the secondary phase. Monitoring evidence suggests stronger consistency in the primary phase than the secondary phase for supporting pupils with SEND. Families should ask about specific subject-level adaptations, not just general pastoral support.

Grove Academy offers an all-through structure that can genuinely simplify school life for families, and it has the scale to support specialist spaces and a broad activities programme. At the same time, it remains defined by a recent period of serious improvement work, with progress recorded but with consistency still a central issue to judge.

Who it suits: families who value continuity across phases, want a structured routines-led approach, and are prepared to engage closely with how the school is embedding improved behaviour and safeguarding culture, particularly for older students. For families who need a proven, settled track record in the secondary phase, the key is to test the detail, ask for evidence of impact, and weigh alternatives carefully.