Huxlow Academy Review 2026: A community secondary with a clear improvement trajectory

Ambition, Respect and Pride sit at the centre of daily language here, supported by a house structure that makes belonging feel practical rather than abstract. Since joining Tove Learning Trust in September 2022, the academy has been tightening systems and sharpening expectations, with Mrs Kim Isaksen taking up the headship in June 2024.

In the May 2025 inspection, Ofsted graded behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth form provision as Good, with quality of education judged Requires Improvement. Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

For families, the headline is this: the culture feels more settled and purposeful, while the next step is making classroom delivery consistent enough to lift outcomes across subjects.

The academy’s public identity is tightly defined. The headteacher’s welcome sets out Ambition, Respect and Pride as the organising values, and the language is reinforced through The Huxlow Way, which is used to describe expected behaviours and day-to-day routines. That matters because it makes expectations easier for students to understand and for staff to apply consistently.

The house structure adds another layer of cohesion. Students are assigned to one of four houses, Red Kites, Golden Eagles, Green Ospreys and Blue Falcons, and each house has a Head of House drawn from senior leadership. In practice, that gives students more than one route to recognition, whether through house events, leadership responsibilities, or weekly challenges.

Formal review evidence aligns with this tone. The inspection report describes purposeful classrooms, high ambition from staff, and a strong sense that most pupils know what the academy is aiming for. The key caveat is equally clear, improvement has been real, but not yet uniform.

At GCSE level, outcomes currently sit below many schools in England. Ranked 3095th in England and 6th in Wellingborough for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), the academy falls below England average overall, within the lower 40% of schools in England on this measure.

The attainment profile reinforces that picture. The academy’s Attainment 8 score is 37.3, and Progress 8 is -0.67, indicating that, on average, students make less progress than pupils with similar starting points nationally. EBacc performance is also a pressure point, with 10.5% achieving grade 5 or above across the EBacc measure in the available dataset.

A-level outcomes show a similar pattern. Ranked 2269th in England and 7th in Wellingborough for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), results sit below England averages. In the available dataset, 27.8% of grades are A* to B, compared with an England average of 47.2%; A* to A is 8.9%, versus an England average of 23.6%.

For parents comparing nearby options, the FindMySchool Local Hub page and Comparison Tool are particularly useful here, because they make it easier to separate perception and anecdote from measurable outcomes across the local market.

The academy’s current teaching story is best summarised as ambition that is not yet delivered consistently enough. The inspection report describes an ambitious curriculum in almost all subjects and notes recent improvement in the quality of education, but it also highlights uneven delivery and inconsistent classroom impact.

One specific issue is the usefulness of feedback and guidance. Where students receive clear, actionable guidance, learning builds; where it is not routine, some pupils do not learn and remember the curriculum as well as they could. The implication for families is straightforward, this is a school that benefits from students who respond well to structure and can advocate for help when needed, while leaders continue to standardise practice.

Sixth form teaching is described more positively, with secure subject knowledge and thorough checking of understanding. For students considering staying on, that matters because it suggests post-16 learning routines may be more stable than the 11 to 16 experience for some cohorts.

The sixth form pipeline is mixed, which is typical for a community academy serving a broad local intake. In the 2023/24 leavers cohort (31 students), 42% progressed to university, 10% started apprenticeships, 3% moved into further education, and 42% entered employment.

Oxbridge outcomes are present but at a small scale, with two applications and one acceptance in the measurement period. In context, that suggests the support exists for highly academic applicants, but the more common routes are local and regional universities, apprenticeships, and direct employment.

Careers guidance is an important part of this picture. The inspection report describes pupils receiving useful careers information, and sixth form students being well prepared to make decisions about life beyond school. For families, the practical takeaway is to ask how careers guidance is personalised, especially for students who are undecided at 15 to 16, or who are considering technical pathways.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through North Northamptonshire Council, with applications opening 10 September 2025 and closing 31 October 2025 for September 2026 entry. Offers are issued on 2 March 2026.

The academy’s published admission number is 150 for Year 7. Oversubscription is structured around a defined area of Irthlingborough, Finedon, Great Addington, Little Addington and Woodford, with priority also given for siblings (as defined in the published arrangements). If oversubscription applies, distance is measured using the local authority GIS method, with a defined tie-break approach.

Open events are typically placed early in the autumn term. For the September 2026 intake cycle, the academy scheduled an open evening on 1 October 2025, followed by daytime tour slots during October. If you are planning a later entry point or an in-year move, admissions are handled through the council’s in-year process, and availability depends on numbers in the relevant year group.

For sixth form entry, the published admissions arrangements set GCSE entry expectations by course type. For Level 3 (A-level) routes, the stated threshold is a minimum of five GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including English and Maths, with some subject-specific requirements set by leaders. Families considering post-16 entry should also look for sixth form open-event timings, which are often scheduled later in the autumn term.

The academy’s pastoral proposition is centred on relationships, clarity, and predictable routines. The inspection report notes that most pupils feel safe and can identify a trusted adult to speak to if they have concerns. That is a meaningful indicator for families weighing day-to-day security and emotional stability.

Structures reinforce this. The house system creates smaller communities within the larger school, with Heads of House and assemblies designed to keep expectations consistent and to promote a sense of belonging. Students also take on leadership roles (for example, sports leaders and form representatives), which gives some pupils a concrete route to confidence and responsibility.

Attendance remains a key operational issue for many secondary schools; formal evidence here points to active work to understand absence and remove barriers, rather than passive enforcement. For families, the most useful question is how quickly the school escalates support when attendance slips, and what that support looks like in practice.

Extracurricular provision is organised in a practical, timetable-led way, with lunchtime and after-school options that span sport, performing arts, and structured study support.

Sport is the most visible pillar. The published extracurricular timetable includes activities such as football, basketball, netball, badminton, dodgeball, and multi-sport sessions, with some clubs targeted by key stage or year group. The implication is straightforward, students who benefit from routine physical activity can build it into the week without needing off-site clubs, and team structures can support belonging for pupils who connect more easily through sport than through lessons.

The arts and performance strand is also clear. The weekly activity schedule includes KS3 Drama and KS4 Dance, anchored in named specialist spaces such as the Drama Studio and Dance Studio. That matters because it signals that creative activities are not treated as occasional events; they sit within the weekly rhythm.

A third strand is structured support and culture-building. The schedule includes library break and lunch provision for Year 7, a Toast Club and a Drop-In Club hosted in the Ethos Room, plus a BTEC coursework catch-up session listed within the week. For many families, these quieter spaces are as important as headline clubs, particularly for students who are anxious, who need help organising work, or who prefer calm social settings.

House competitions add another mechanism for participation. Inter-house sport and weekly curriculum challenges are part of the stated approach, with the intention of building student voice and participation beyond the classroom.

The published school-day timetable indicates a line-up window from 8.45am to 8.55am, with form time from 8.50am and the final period ending at 3.20pm. Term dates are published in advance for planning across the academic year.

Transport planning is unusually specific. The academy has published information about Stagecoach Wellingborough Mega-Rider passes for eligible routes, alongside local bus route references for areas such as Finedon and the Addington and Woodford villages. Families relying on buses should confirm eligibility, pass arrangements, and the most current timetables before September.

• Quality of education consistency. The strongest improvement work is visible in culture and routines, but the inspection report is clear that curriculum delivery is not yet consistent, and pupils do not achieve as well as they should. This is important if you have a child who needs highly predictable teaching routines to thrive.

• Feedback and guidance are uneven. Where guidance is specific, learning builds; where it is less purposeful, pupils can fall behind in retaining the curriculum. Families may want to understand how the academy is standardising feedback across departments.

• Admissions are criteria-led, not informal. Priority is shaped by the defined area and distance rules set out in the published arrangements. Families outside Irthlingborough, Finedon, Great Addington, Little Addington and Woodford should read the oversubscription criteria carefully before relying on a place.

• Sixth form outcomes and pathways are mixed. University, apprenticeships, and direct employment all feature materially in destinations. That can be a strength for students who want options, but it also means families should explore how individual guidance is delivered at key decision points.

Huxlow Academy is a community secondary and sixth form that has strengthened behaviour, pastoral routines, and student identity, with safeguarding confirmed as effective and leadership judged positively in the most recent inspection. The core task now is translating that momentum into consistently strong classroom outcomes across subjects.

Best suited to families who want a local 11 to 18 school with clear expectations, structured pastoral systems, and accessible extracurricular routes, and who are realistic that academic outcomes are still catching up with the cultural reset.