The Nicholas Hamond Academy Review 2026: A calm, structured 11 to 16 school with a clear improvement story

This is a school where the inspection profile is currently stronger than the performance metrics.

At GCSE level, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 35.5. The English Baccalaureate average point score is 3.23, and 10.7% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above across the EBacc. Progress 8 is -0.55, which indicates pupils made below average progress compared with pupils nationally who had similar starting points.

In FindMySchool’s GCSE rankings based on official outcomes data, the school is ranked 3295th in England and 2nd within the Swaffham local area grouping. That level of ranking sits below England average overall, within the bottom 40% of schools in England on this measure.

The implication for families is simple. Students who are already strongly self motivated may do well here, but those who need rapid academic acceleration should look closely at subject level support, intervention, and how the school targets gaps, particularly in literacy and in the subjects most closely linked to GCSE pathways.

A level results are not listed in the available results for this school, and the school is unranked for A level outcomes in the same source, which aligns with the wider point that post 16 is not the central offer at present.

Teaching here is built around a deliberately planned curriculum and shared approaches. The inspection evidence points to an ambitious curriculum structure and to subject teams working together to identify and sequence key knowledge so pupils remember more over time. When that planning is detailed, it tends to translate into lessons where pupils can recall prior learning and link new content to what they already know, which is critical for GCSE readiness.

One distinctive element is the school’s LOOL programme, shorthand for Leaders of Our Lives, used to help pupils engage with wider themes such as modern Britain, diversity, and the social and personal knowledge that sits around the formal timetable. For parents, the benefit is that personal development is not left to chance assemblies, it is timetabled, taught and reinforced across the week.

Reading and literacy are a stated development area. The inspection evidence highlights that the school changed its approach to reading across the curriculum, expecting every subject to consider literacy more centrally, but with implementation not yet consistent in every classroom at that point in time. That is worth probing if your child finds extended reading challenging, particularly in humanities and science where access to text can drive attainment.

Careers education is another practical strand. The school communicates that it aims for all students to move into post 16 education, training or apprenticeships, and it describes links with local sixth forms and colleges. The implication is that Year 10 and Year 11 are likely to include structured guidance and planned next step conversations rather than a last minute scramble after mock exams.

For most families, the key destination question is not university pipelines, it is post 16 options after Year 11.

The school’s published curriculum information emphasises links with local colleges and sixth forms and sets an expectation that students progress into post 16 education or apprenticeships.

Inspection evidence supports the idea that next steps guidance is taken seriously, stating that almost all pupils move successfully to the next stage of education or employment because careers advice is effective and pupils are exposed to other providers.

What this means in practice is that families should begin post 16 planning early, especially if the student has a particular pathway in mind such as a technical route, health and social care, or a highly academic A level mix at another provider. The school’s own documentation for Year 11 encourages applications to a college or sixth form and signals that this is a normal part of the Year 11 calendar rather than an exception.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through Norfolk County Council, using the standard secondary transfer process. For September 2026 entry, applications open on 11 September 2025 and close on 31 October 2025, with offer day on 2 March 2026.

The academy’s own admission arrangements for 2026 to 2027 set the Published Admission Number for Year 7 at 168. If the school is oversubscribed, places are prioritised in this order: looked after and previously looked after children, then siblings, then children of qualifying trust staff, then remaining applicants ranked by straight line distance from home to the academy.

The implication is that there is no mystery about the rules, but outcomes depend on how demand clusters in a given year. If distance is likely to matter for you, use the FindMySchool Map Search to check your precise straight line distance compared with past patterns, and treat it as an indicator rather than a promise.

In year admissions are handled directly by the academy, with applications considered through an admissions panel approach set out in the same published arrangements.

The safeguarding culture is presented as vigilant and transparent in official evidence, with clear reporting systems and strong coordination between pastoral, behaviour and attendance roles. The Ofsted inspection confirmed safeguarding as effective.

Pastoral support is also closely tied to behaviour and attendance. When these systems work well, pupils who are anxious or who have had disrupted learning tend to benefit from faster re engagement, because school feels predictable and adults respond consistently. The inspection evidence explicitly links calm behaviour, strong relationships, and an industrious atmosphere in lessons, which is the day to day foundation many families prioritise over headline results.

Support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities is described as effective in inspection evidence, with staff receiving detailed information and pupils with SEND accessing the same curriculum as peers. For parents of pupils with additional needs, this is a prompt to ask about how strategies are communicated to teachers, how intervention is timetabled, and how the school tracks small steps progress as well as GCSE outcomes.

Extracurricular life is not treated as a decorative extra here, it is repeatedly framed as part of personal development and confidence building.

A particularly distinctive example is the Horrible History club for Key Stage 3, highlighted in school communications as a regular lunchtime activity with strong take up. It is the kind of low barrier club that can help new Year 7 pupils build friendships quickly while still linking back to curriculum knowledge.

There is also visible engagement with external programmes. The school reports activity with the Jon Egging Foundation linked to RAF Marham, focused on teamwork and leadership skills, and highlights participation in Youth Parliament representation. These experiences matter for students whose strengths are not purely academic, and they can support attendance and motivation through Years 9 to 11.

Sport and performing arts are offered through clubs with published schedules. For example, the PE club programme includes after school basketball and badminton, alongside scheduled fixture nights. Drama club activity is structured around rehearsals and auditions, including preparation for a Christmas pantomime, with sessions after school in the main hall.

Trips also appear regularly, including subject led residential opportunities in modern foreign languages and visits linked to curriculum learning, with the broader point being that enrichment is used to make learning stick rather than simply to fill a calendar.

The published timetable sets the start of tutor time at 8.45am and lessons running through to 3.10pm, with a morning break and a 40 minute lunch.

For transport, families should expect a mix of walking, cycling and bus travel depending on where you live in the wider Swaffham area. The school’s transition documentation explicitly references staff support to help pupils onto buses, which will reassure parents of younger Year 7 pupils who are learning new routes.

As a state school there are no tuition fees, but families should budget for uniform, educational visits and optional activities, plus any subject specific items where relevant.

• Academic outcomes are currently below England benchmarks. With Progress 8 at -0.55 and an Attainment 8 score of 35.5, families should ask detailed questions about subject level intervention and how the school targets literacy and exam readiness, especially for pupils who need extra momentum.

• Communication with parents has been an identified improvement area. Official evidence previously noted that some parents felt they did not receive timely information. Ask how communication is managed now, including how you will be updated about progress, behaviour and attendance.

• Post 16 is likely to be an external progression decision. The school’s own planning emphasises links with colleges and sixth forms, and past official documentation indicates that sixth form participation was not the core offer at that time. Families should plan early for post 16 applications and entry requirements.

• Distance can matter in an oversubscription year. If demand rises above the Published Admission Number, the final allocation criterion is straight line distance after higher priority groups. Use the FindMySchool Map Search to understand your distance, then treat it as guidance rather than certainty.

The Nicholas Hamond Academy is a structured, improvement focused 11 to 16 school, with calm routines and a Good inspection profile that will reassure many families. The academic metrics are not yet where ambitious parents may want them to be, so the best fit is a student who benefits from clear expectations, values enrichment and leadership opportunities, and will engage with support and intervention when it is offered. It suits families who want a predictable day, consistent behaviour standards and a school that actively builds personal development alongside GCSE preparation.