Mercia Academy Review 2026: A rebuilding school with improving culture and a clear focus on behaviour

A secondary school serving Newhall and the wider Swadlincote area, Mercia Academy is navigating a rare challenge, running day to day education from purpose-built temporary accommodation after its main building closed in November 2023.

Since joining Lionheart Educational Trust in June 2024, the school has tightened expectations around conduct and routines, with students describing clear rewards and recognition when they meet standards. The current headteacher, Nick Holmes, took up the post in late August 2025, following a period where leadership was framed around stabilising provision and improving consistency in classrooms.

Mercia Academy presents as a school that is actively resetting its norms. Expectations for behaviour and conduct are explicit, and most students respond well to that clarity, particularly around lessons, corridors, and social times. The tone is purposeful rather than pressured, with a sense that staff are working to make routines predictable for students who have experienced significant disruption.

A notable feature of the current phase is the physical context. Students have been taught in temporary accommodation, and school communications describe a “brand-new school building at Sunnyside” intended to serve students through the 2027 to 28 academic year. That matters because site constraints can affect everything from movement between lessons to the availability of specialist spaces. Here, the published plan is to ensure the temporary facilities include specialist teaching rooms and social spaces that support a normal school day, including science laboratories, a sports hall, a drama studio, and a library.

For families weighing fit, the school’s own language centres on being a smaller secondary with strong relationships and consistent adult support. The practical implication is that students who benefit from structure, predictable routines, and staff oversight are likely to settle more comfortably than students who thrive only in highly self-directed environments.

For GCSE outcomes, Mercia Academy is ranked 3,483rd in England (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), and 3rd locally in the Swadlincote area. This places performance below England average overall, within the lower 40% of schools in England on this measure.

The most recent published GCSE performance indicators point to a mixed picture. An Attainment 8 score of 38 suggests outcomes are not yet where the school wants them to be, and the Progress 8 score of -0.27 indicates students, on average, made less progress than pupils nationally with similar starting points across the same time period.

The main takeaway for parents is that improvement work needs to translate into more consistent classroom practice across subjects, and exam outcomes may take time to reflect that shift. Families comparing local options can use the FindMySchool Local Hub page and Comparison Tool to view these results alongside nearby secondaries, using the same measures.

Curriculum intent appears well organised and ambitious, with clear sequencing of what students learn and when. The limiting factor, based on external evaluation, is consistency in delivery, specifically around how clearly new learning is explained and how reliably teachers check understanding to spot gaps and misconceptions.

Reading is treated as a priority rather than an add-on. Teachers regularly read to students during registration, and the school identifies students who need additional support with reading fluency, then provides targeted help intended to accelerate improvement. For families, this matters most for students arriving with weaker literacy, or those who need structured reinforcement to access a full secondary curriculum.

Support for students with special educational needs and disabilities is described as increasingly systematic, with staff receiving guidance on how to meet needs and adapt classroom practice. The next step is making sure that expectation, support, and feedback translate into consistently high-quality written work across subjects, not only in English.

Where Students Go Next

With no sixth form on site, the key transition point is post-16. The school’s careers guidance is framed as a strength, with structured preparation for next steps and clear coverage of pathways, including technical routes and apprenticeships.

In practical terms, families should plan for a Year 11 process that involves exploring local sixth forms, colleges, and apprenticeship options early, particularly for students considering vocational routes alongside GCSEs. The school’s stated compliance with provider access expectations suggests students should have opportunities to hear from colleges and training providers as well as more traditional academic routes.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through Derbyshire County Council, rather than applying directly to the school. The school’s admissions page states that the closing date for Year 7 applications is 31 October.

The published admissions arrangements set a Year 7 published admission number of 150 (for the relevant policy year), and confirm that children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school are offered a place. If applications exceed places, priority is set by oversubscription criteria including looked-after children, siblings, and living in the school’s normal area served, with distance used as a tie-breaker where applicable.

Because distance cut-offs vary from year to year and can be influenced by local demand, families who are sensitive to catchment distance should use the FindMySchool Map Search tool to sense-check proximity and build a realistic shortlist.

Behaviour has been a deliberate improvement focus. The school has raised expectations, students understand those expectations, and most behave well in response to a clearer culture of routines and recognition. Students report knowing an adult they can speak to if they need help, which is a meaningful indicator of day-to-day pastoral accessibility.

Attendance has improved significantly over a short period, supported by tracking and work with families to address barriers to regular attendance. The ongoing challenge is that a subset of students still have attendance that is too low, and that directly affects learning and outcomes.

Co-curricular provision is described in a way that reflects the school’s current priorities, offering activities that build confidence and belonging while keeping barriers to entry low. Students can access performing arts opportunities and a range of sports clubs, including football and badminton.

There are also lower-pressure options that suit students who prefer quieter social settings, such as board games, Chess Club, Graphics Club, and Music Club. That combination matters because it gives students multiple ways to connect, whether through competition, creativity, or shared interests.

For older students, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is positioned as a key structured opportunity, with participation referenced at Key Stage 4. For families, this is often a useful marker of personal development, sustained commitment, and wider skill-building beyond exam courses.

The published timings for the school day show an 8.30am arrival, with lessons beginning at 9.00am and the day ending at 3.10pm. The transition materials also describe a cashless canteen system using student ID cards, which parents and carers can top up through the school’s platform.

Transport expectations are best checked directly with Derbyshire’s home-to-school travel guidance and the school’s admissions information, particularly while the school is operating in temporary accommodation.

• Teaching consistency is still the main limiter. The curriculum is ambitious, but it is not delivered consistently enough in all classrooms, which affects how securely students build knowledge over time.

• Attendance remains uneven. The school has improved attendance quickly, but some students still miss too much learning, and that can be hard to recover at GCSE.

• A disrupted site context is part of the current experience. The move into temporary accommodation followed the closure of the main building in November 2023, and families should weigh how their child handles change and constraints on space or routines.

• No sixth form on site. Post-16 planning matters earlier because every student transitions out at 16, so families should engage with options and entry requirements well before Year 11.

Mercia Academy is a school in an active rebuilding phase, operationally and academically. Culture and conduct are improving, safeguarding is secure, and there is evidence of stronger routines and support after a period of upheaval. The key question is pace of academic improvement, particularly consistency of classroom delivery and the knock-on effect on outcomes.

Who it suits: students who benefit from clear behaviour expectations, structured support, and a school that is working visibly on improvement, particularly those who respond well to routine and pastoral accessibility. Families for whom top academic outcomes are the overriding priority may want to compare local alternatives carefully, using consistent measures, before deciding.