Reddish Vale High School Review 2026: A community secondary with a school farm, and a clear improvement agenda

A state-funded secondary for students aged 11 to 16, Reddish Vale High School combines familiar comprehensive breadth with an unusual signature feature, its on-site school farm, where Farm Club includes caring for animals and practical husbandry tasks.

The school is currently in a formal improvement phase. The latest Ofsted graded inspection (June 2024) judged the school Inadequate overall, with Inadequate for Quality of education and for Leadership and management; Behaviour and attitudes was Requires improvement, and Personal development was Good.

Leadership has since stabilised at the top. Mr Darren Moroney became substantive headteacher in January 2025, and the trust’s first monitoring inspection in April 2025 reported progress, while making clear that further work is needed before special measures can be removed.

The school’s stated values are Respect, Aspiration, Determination and Independence, used as a shared language for expectations and recognition. Positive behaviour and effort are reinforced through RADI points, which link directly to a tiered Reward Club (Bronze through to Platinum).

In the most recent graded inspection evidence, students were described as typically happy, with trust in staff support, and a noticeable appetite for clubs and wider opportunities. The same evidence base also flags inconsistency outside lessons, particularly at social times and in corridors, which matters because it is where routines, relationships, and calm transitions either strengthen or fray.

A notable part of the school’s identity is its farm provision, which goes beyond a one-off enrichment activity. Farm Club is framed as a structured opportunity to build responsibility, independence and teamwork through real tasks such as feeding, watering, cleaning and gardening. The farm is referenced not only as an extracurricular, but also as a meaningful context for students who enjoy practical learning.

Since January 2025, the improvement narrative is increasingly explicit. The monitoring inspection describes leaders focusing on long-term change, including consistency of teaching approaches and a renewed push on reading and attendance. That combination is sensible: steady classroom practice helps students feel secure, while attendance is the precondition for any academic recovery.

This is a mixed 11 to 16 comprehensive. In the most recent published data used here, the school’s Progress 8 score was -0.29, indicating that students, on average, made less progress than similar students nationally from the end of primary school to the end of Year 11.

Attainment 8 was 42.3. EBacc entry and achievement indicators are on the lower side: 14.9% achieved grade 5 or above in the EBacc, and EBacc average point score was 3.66.

Ranked 2,451st in England and 10th in Stockport for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the school sits in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

What this means for families is that headline outcomes, as currently recorded, are not the school’s strongest selling point. The more important question becomes trajectory, and whether the current improvement work is translating into consistent teaching, better attendance, and stronger outcomes over time.

If you are comparing options locally, the FindMySchool Local Hub comparison tools can be useful for checking how these figures sit against nearby schools serving a similar intake.

A clear theme from the monitoring inspection is a move towards tighter consistency in how lessons are taught. The school has set out an agreed pedagogical approach, supported by training, and the monitoring letter links this to increasing staff confidence and clearer expectations for what pupils can achieve.

Reading is a second priority that signals a pragmatic approach to improvement. The monitoring letter describes sharper identification of weaker readers, the introduction of a phonics programme alongside other reading strategies, and the development of a better-resourced library and form-time reading.

For families, the implication is straightforward. If your child arrives with gaps in literacy, there is evidence that the school has put new structures in place. The next step, and the part to probe during open events or meetings, is how consistently those structures are applied across subjects, and how swiftly support translates into confidence and fluency.

Where Students Go Next

As an 11 to 16 school with no sixth form, the key transition is post-16. The school’s careers programme and wider personal development work are positioned as a strength in the graded inspection narrative, including structured careers education and opportunities for responsibility (such as ambassador and peer-mentor roles).

Practically, families should expect the school to support students towards a range of post-16 routes, including further education colleges, sixth forms in the wider area, apprenticeships, and training pathways. The most useful questions to ask are about guidance quality in Year 9 and Year 11, how work experience is organised, and what tailored support looks like for students at risk of becoming disengaged.

Admissions are coordinated by Stockport local authority rather than handled directly by the school. For September 2026 entry into Year 7, the school’s published timeline mirrors the local authority schedule: applications opened 15 August 2025, and the closing date was 31 October 2025. Offer day is listed as 02 March 2026.

The school also published a clear cut-off for change-of-address evidence (24 January 2026) for that admissions cycle.

For open events, the school ran an Open Evening on Thursday 16 October 2025 for September 2026 entry, with drop-in access and headteacher talks scheduled during the evening. The school also flagged limited parking and encouraged public transport or walking where possible.

Recent published demand indicators used here suggest demand above supply, with 341 applications for 201 offers, which is about 1.7 applications per place. That is consistent with the school being oversubscribed.

Families considering a move should use the FindMySchool Map Search to understand likely travel time and local alternatives, and to sense-check what “realistic” looks like in the context of Stockport’s coordinated admissions.

Pastoral structures sit alongside a clear behaviour and recognition framework. The RADI points system is intended to make expectations visible and reward positive conduct and effort, not only sanctions for poor behaviour.

The graded inspection narrative presents a mixed picture. Most students behaved well in lessons, with a smaller minority contributing to disruption, and movement around school was identified as a weaker point than classroom behaviour. The implication for families is that routines matter, and consistency from staff is the key driver of calmer social times.

Safeguarding is not the area of concern in the latest graded inspection, which stated that safeguarding arrangements were effective.

The monitoring letter also describes leaders taking steps to support staff wellbeing and workload during improvement, while acknowledging that communication and behaviour consistency remain areas where a minority of staff still feel insufficiently supported.

The extracurricular offer is broad in shape, but it becomes most persuasive where it is specific and well-attended. Farm Club is the headline example, with students involved in animal care and practical tasks; the school also links Farm Club to wider outcomes such as responsibility, independence and care skills.

Clubs referenced in the graded inspection include netball and cinema club, alongside farm club activity with alpacas, which suggests that enrichment is not limited to sport alone.

For students who are motivated by creative and digital work, the school’s published extracurricular timetable includes activities such as Stop Motion Club and Art and Animation Club, alongside ICT intervention and an Upper School Vocal Group.

There is also evidence of external partnerships and community-facing activity, such as football sessions delivered through a Manchester City Football Club community programme, positioned as a free opportunity to attend and play.

The implication for parents is that this is a school where “belonging” is often built through activities rather than purely through academic identity. For some children, particularly those who need a hook to feel engaged, that matters.

The school day begins at 08:30 and ends at 15:00, with five teaching periods plus tutor time, break and lunch.

For families preparing for transition, the school’s Open Evening format for September 2026 entry ran 16 October 2025 from 16:00 to 19:00, with no registration requirement, and parking noted as limited.

Uniform expectations are clearly documented, including smart presentation standards and restrictions on footwear and trousers.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. Families should still plan for the usual associated costs such as uniform, trips, and optional activities.

• Inspection context and pace of change. The June 2024 judgement places the school in a formal improvement cycle. Families should ask specifically what has changed since September 2024, and how progress is being measured term by term.

• Attendance and consistency. Both graded and monitoring evidence highlight attendance as a barrier for some students, and inconsistency in behaviour systems and corridor conduct as an ongoing challenge. This can affect learning continuity for children who already find school hard.

• Support for SEND and weaker readers. The improvement plan prioritises reading and SEND support, with new staffing and clearer systems described, but consistency of classroom adaptation remains a live issue. Parents of children with additional needs should ask to see how support plans translate into everyday teaching.

• Staff stability. The graded inspection highlighted staffing instability and absence as a barrier to delivering the curriculum consistently. It is reasonable to ask what staffing stability looks like now, and how the school is ensuring subject-specialist teaching where possible.

Reddish Vale High School is a community comprehensive with genuine distinctive strengths in enrichment, particularly through its school farm and a structured club programme that gives many students a reason to feel connected.

The limiting factor is not ambition, it is consistency. With an Inadequate judgement in June 2024 and special measures monitoring confirming progress but more work ahead, the school is best considered by families who value local community ties and wider opportunities, and who will engage closely with the improvement journey.

Best suited to students who benefit from structured routines, clear behaviour expectations, and a school that can motivate through practical and creative activities as well as lessons. Families should go in with eyes open, ask detailed questions, and look for evidence that recent changes are now embedded day-to-day.