The Pingle Academy Review 2026: Large 11 to 18 Academy with a clear local role in Swadlincote

A big, mixed secondary in Swadlincote, The Pingle Academy sits at the heart of a town where families often want one practical thing from their local school, stability. Capacity is set at 1,376, and Ofsted’s most recent full inspection (October 2021) judged the school Good across all key areas, including the sixth form.

The academic picture is mixed. On FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking, the school sits in the lower 40% of schools in England, yet it ranks 2nd locally within Swadlincote. That gap between national position and local standing is an important lens for parents, it suggests the school is a significant local option, even if families benchmarking against the strongest schools in England may set different expectations.

This is also a school that does more than classroom learning. Evidence from external sources points to structured outdoor education, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, and a forest school programme, alongside initiatives designed to keep costs down for students taking part.

The academy format and trust membership matter here. The Pingle Academy is part of Affinity Learning Partnership, and that tends to bring a more standardised approach to policy, governance, and school improvement than a stand alone community school. For parents, the implication is consistency, you are less reliant on one individual leader’s personal style, and more on system wide routines.

Publicly available government records list Mrs Michelle Oliphant as the current headteacher or principal. The published record available via search does not clearly surface her appointment date in a way that can be independently verified without direct access to the underlying DfE page. In practice, families should treat leadership visibility, communication quality, and consistency of behaviour expectations as higher value indicators than the exact start month, and probe these directly at open events.

The most recent Ofsted inspection narrative supports a school where ambition is explicit and curriculum planning exists across subjects, but consistency is the lever that determines day to day experience. The report highlights that some subject areas were not implemented as consistently well as others, and that low level disruption was not always addressed quickly enough by all staff. For families, this usually translates into variability: the best lessons feel orderly and purposeful, while the weaker moments tend to depend on how quickly adults intervene and how predictably routines are applied.

The school also operates with a clear inclusion footprint. The Ofsted report confirms an enhanced resource provision for up to 15 pupils with autism spectrum disorder. That is a meaningful detail for local families who want mainstream schooling with a defined, structured pathway for students who need additional specialist support.

For a secondary with a sixth form, parents need two separate lenses: GCSE outcomes and sixth form outcomes. The data below uses the FindMySchool ranking and the input dataset for performance metrics, which means it is consistent for comparison across England.

GCSE profile (most recent dataset values)

The school’s Attainment 8 score is 42.3. Progress 8 sits at -0.11, which indicates students make slightly below average progress from their starting points compared with similar pupils nationally. EBacc average point score is 3.61 compared with an England benchmark of 4.08, and 3.8% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above across the EBacc measure used.

Rankings provide a further anchor. Ranked 2,950th in England for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the school sits below England average, in the lower 40% of schools in England. Locally, it ranks 2nd within Swadlincote.

The implication is not that high attainment is absent, it is that strong outcomes may be less uniform across subjects and groups than parents see in top quartile schools. Families with children who need highly consistent classroom control, or those targeting the most selective post 16 and university pathways, should examine subject level performance and set level entry requirements carefully.

Sixth form profile (most recent dataset values)

At A level, 1.72% of grades were A*, 8.25% were A, and 26.46% were A* to B. England comparator figures are 23.6% for A* to A and 47.2% for A* to B, so the published pattern is below the England reference point.

Ranked 2,245th in England and 1st in Swadlincote for A level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the sixth form looks locally significant but not strong in national terms. For parents, the takeaway is straightforward, local convenience and continuity are likely to be key reasons to stay on, rather than a headline grade profile that competes with the strongest sixth forms in England.

A practical way to use this data is comparative, rather than absolute. Parents weighing nearby sixth forms can use the FindMySchool Local Hub page and the Comparison Tool to set these figures alongside other local options and check whether the pattern matches their child’s likely subjects and working style.

A credible reading of this school’s teaching story is that structures are in place, and the main task is consistency. The Ofsted inspection describes leaders as ambitious and confirms a well planned curriculum across subjects, with teaching that usually supports leaders’ intentions.

Where this matters most is classroom experience. In schools with a large roll, consistent implementation is often what separates calm learning from low level disruption. The inspection’s improvement points focus on ensuring new content builds on prior knowledge and that staff apply behaviour policy consistently, especially in response to low level disruption.

For parents, a useful question is not “Is the curriculum good?”, it is “How predictable is the experience across subjects and teachers?”. During visits, ask how the school checks curriculum sequencing within each department, how staff are supported when routines are not embedded, and what the school does when behaviour expectations vary across classrooms.

Inclusion is part of teaching design here, not an afterthought. The enhanced resource provision for autism is a concrete indicator that the school has organised capacity for specialist support within a mainstream setting. The best next step for families considering this route is to request a detailed explanation of how students access the provision, what mainstream integration looks like across the week, and how transitions are managed between Year 6 and Year 7, and then into exam years.

Where Students Go Next

This is a school where local post 16 destinations matter, not just university. The dataset’s 2023/24 leavers destinations profile shows a balanced set of pathways: 50% progressed to university, 3% to further education, 8% to apprenticeships, and 30% into employment. That spread suggests the sixth form and wider careers provision should be judged on the quality of guidance and the realism of pathways, not only on A level grade profiles.

A key compliance indicator is also confirmed. The Ofsted report states the school meets the Baker Clause requirement to provide students in Years 8 to 13 with information about technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. For families, the implication is that apprenticeships and technical routes should be visible and structured, rather than treated as secondary options for students who do not want university.

If your child is leaning towards apprenticeships or employment, press for details: which employers and providers are engaged, what work experience looks like in practice, and how the school supports applications, interviews, and personal statements. If your child is aiming for university, ask about the level of support for subject specific applications, and whether the school provides structured preparation for competitive courses.

For Year 7 entry, Derbyshire operates a coordinated admissions process with set countywide deadlines. For September 2026 entry, the Derbyshire County Council timeline lists 31 October 2025 as the closing date for applications, with offers released on 02 March 2026.

The academy’s own oversubscription criteria and any tie break rules should be checked directly in its published admissions arrangements, but the practical reality for most families is that applying on time and listing preferences intelligently has more impact than micro optimising.

Demand signals in the provided dataset indicate oversubscription in the latest available admissions cycle data, but the school’s last distance offered is not provided here, so families should avoid assuming proximity alone will secure a place. A sensible next step is to check the school’s published criteria and use a precise distance tool to understand how your home aligns with likely priority boundaries in the current year’s cohort.

For post 16 entry, requirements and timelines vary widely between schools and are often published annually. Families considering Year 12 entry should check the school’s current sixth form admissions guidance directly, especially if your child is applying from another secondary school.

Pastoral strength in a large secondary is best measured through systems and responsiveness. Here, external evidence points to positive parental confidence in the way issues are handled, and to students being taught how to keep themselves safe, including around online abuse and healthy relationships.

The key operational challenge flagged is consistency of behaviour policy implementation, particularly around low level disruption. In day to day terms, that affects student wellbeing because predictable boundaries reduce anxiety and help students concentrate. Parents should ask how behaviour expectations are reinforced across departments, how staff are trained, and how quickly patterns are addressed when they appear.

For students who need extra structure, including those supported through the autism resource provision, ask how pastoral teams coordinate with teaching staff, what the escalation process looks like, and how parents are kept informed. Clear, timely communication is usually the strongest indicator that a large school’s pastoral systems are functioning well.

It is hard to judge extracurricular depth without direct access to the school’s own published programme, and the school website is not accessible through the normal browsing tools used here due to site restrictions. Even so, there is credible third party evidence of distinctive enrichment that goes beyond generic clubs.

A Mountain Training profile featuring a senior leader at the academy confirms that the school has run Duke of Edinburgh’s Award since 2019, and that staff have developed in house capability to lead expeditions, reducing reliance on external providers and helping keep costs lower for students. The same source describes a large camp programme for Year 7 and SEND students, with day walks, outdoor activities, and mountain biking, plus an on site forest school programme.

This matters because it suggests a deliberate strategy: experiences that build independence and resilience, accessible to students who might otherwise be priced out of residential and expedition style enrichment. For parents, the practical implication is that the school may offer more breadth in experiential learning than the headline academic data implies. If that dimension is important to your child, ask for the current year’s enrichment timetable, participation levels, and how the school supports students who are anxious about overnight stays or who need adjustments to participate fully.

The academy sits centrally in Swadlincote. Local planning documentation describes the school as accessible by bicycle, and references nearby bus services, including routes 19 and 21E. For day to day logistics, families should verify which services align with their home address and how reliable they are at peak school travel times.

School day timings, after school supervision, and any breakfast provision are not consistently published in accessible sources, and can change year to year. Parents should ask directly about start and finish times, how the school manages late arrivals, and what supervised study or enrichment is available at the end of the day, especially for students who rely on public transport.

• Academic outcomes are locally significant but not nationally strong. The school ranks 2nd in Swadlincote for GCSE outcomes, yet sits in the lower 40% of schools in England on FindMySchool’s ranking. Families prioritising top quartile outcomes may want to compare nearby alternatives carefully.

• Consistency is the key watch point. The latest inspection highlights that behaviour policy and curriculum implementation are not applied consistently well by all staff. For some students this is a minor irritation; for others it materially affects concentration and confidence.

• Sixth form results suggest continuity over elite grade outcomes. A level grades are below England comparator figures. Students who thrive with strong independent study habits and clear guidance can still do well, but parents should ask detailed questions about subject availability, entry requirements, and teaching capacity.

• Website accessibility limitations mean you should request key documents directly. For families, that includes the current behaviour policy summary, SEND information report, enrichment timetable, and sixth form entry requirements.

The Pingle Academy is a large local secondary with a clear community role in Swadlincote, backed by a Good Ofsted judgement and established inclusion capacity, including an autism resource provision. Academic outcomes are below England benchmarks, but the school stands out locally and appears to invest meaningfully in enrichment, including Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and outdoor education.

Who it suits: families who want a sizeable, mixed 11 to 18 school close to home, value practical pathways alongside university routes, and are prepared to probe how consistently behaviour expectations are applied across classrooms.