Outwood Academy Hindley Review 2026: A fast-improving 11–16 academy with a structured day and a clear focus on consistency

A secondary school that has been through significant change in a short period; the current era is defined by tighter routines, clearer curriculum sequencing, and a deliberate push on attendance and aspiration. The academy joined Outwood Grange Academies Trust in 2022, and leadership is now well established under Principal Jude Norman.

The most recent inspection (December 2024, published January 2025) judged all key areas as Good, and the report points to stronger teaching consistency alongside a personal development programme that is genuinely practical for day-to-day adolescent life.

For families, the big question is fit. This is a mainstream 11–16 school, mixed intake, with a purposeful approach to routines, tutoring structures, and after-school enrichment built into the timetable.

The academy’s identity is shaped by two overlapping influences. First, it is a local Hindley school with a clear community remit. Second, it sits inside a trust model that standardises a significant amount of day-to-day practice, from curriculum architecture to reporting cadence and pastoral systems. The blend can work well when families value clarity and predictability, and when students benefit from consistent messages across subjects and year groups.

Leadership is clearly signposted. The school’s public-facing leadership list names Jude Norman as Principal and sets out a wider team including vice principals and the SENDCo. The governance listings also record Jude Norman’s appointment as ex-officio by virtue of office from 01 January 2022, giving a useful anchor for how long the current principalship has been in place.

Daily culture leans towards structured expectations rather than informal flexibility. Tutor time is a defined part of the day and is described as a vehicle for academic and pastoral monitoring, with tutor groups organised in a named structure (countries linked to continents). Reporting and recognition are similarly systematised. The academy uses its “Praising Stars” cycle to provide half-termly reporting that blends attainment, effort, attendance and progress over time, which tends to suit families who like frequent, trackable feedback rather than termly surprises.

A practical element of atmosphere is the school day itself. The published schedule includes after-school activities as a built-in final block, which signals an expectation that school life extends beyond the last lesson rather than treating clubs as optional extras that sit outside the core day.

Historically, the site’s roots go back to its earlier identity as Mornington High School, established in the early 1960s, before later renaming and conversion. That matters less for day-to-day decisions than the more recent shift in governance and systems, but it does help explain why local families may still talk about the school in older terms.

On FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking (based on official data), the academy is ranked 3,040th in England and 10th in Wigan. This places it below England average overall, within the bottom 40% of schools in England on this measure.

Looking at the most recent published GCSE performance indicators provided for this review:

• Attainment 8 is 39.8.

• Progress 8 is -0.08, which indicates pupils make slightly below-average progress from their starting points.

• The average EBacc APS is 3.45.

• 7.7% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above across EBacc subjects.

These figures suggest a school where outcomes are not yet at the level families might associate with the strongest local comprehensives, but where the direction of travel matters. Inspection evidence points to curriculum and teaching consistency improving, with a clear emphasis on staff development and structured teaching approaches.

If you are comparing several Wigan secondaries, it is worth using FindMySchool’s Local Hub pages and Comparison Tool so that like-for-like measures (such as Progress 8 and ranking position) remain consistent across schools rather than relying on headline narratives.

Curriculum intent is framed around sequencing and coherence, with published curriculum pages describing how knowledge is mapped across a five-year model (Years 7–11), alongside shorter option-course pathways where relevant.

The most recent inspection describes an ambitious curriculum where knowledge builds logically from Year 7 to Year 11, and highlights teachers’ subject expertise and clarity of explanation. The same evidence base also flags a practical improvement point: assessment and checking for understanding is not yet consistently strong in every classroom, and occasionally learning moves on before some pupils are ready. That is an important nuance for families whose children need careful pacing, or who are prone to quietly “coasting” until gaps become visible later.

Literacy is treated as a concrete priority rather than a slogan. The inspection evidence describes quick identification of weaker readers in key stage 3 and structured support, including older pupils acting as reading mentors. For families with a child who has reading vulnerability, the key follow-up question at an open event is how that support then continues into key stage 4, because the same report indicates that key stage 4 reading support is less developed.

As an 11–16 school, the main “next step” decision comes at 16. The school’s careers and personal development work is described as thorough in the most recent inspection evidence, with a clear emphasis on broadening awareness of next steps and helping pupils make informed decisions.

A useful practical point for families is that the academy day includes a planned after-school activities block. In many schools, Year 10 and Year 11 support can become informal or ad hoc. Here, the timetable structure makes it easier to build intervention, revision, and enrichment into weekly rhythm, which can support smoother transition planning into post-16 options.

Admissions are coordinated through the Local Authority, and the academy’s admissions page explains that applications are made via the Common Application Form administered by the Local Authority on behalf of the trust.

For September 2026 Year 7 entry (Wigan’s published timetable), key dates are clearly set out: the closing date for applications is 31 October 2025; national offer day is 01 March 2026; appeals close 30 March 2026, with appeals heard May to June 2026.

Competition for places is material rather than theoretical. In the demand data provided for this review, Reception-style primary entry data is not relevant, but Year 7 demand shows 275 applications for 172 offers, a ratio of 1.6 applications per offer, and the route is flagged as oversubscribed.

Distance and location can matter, but families should treat it as a moving target rather than a promise. In September 2025 allocations, the last place offered was at 0.875 miles. Distances vary annually based on applicant distribution; proximity provides priority but does not guarantee a place. Parents who are weighing a house move should use FindMySchool’s Map Search to measure their real walking distance against recent allocation patterns, then sanity-check against the most up-to-date Local Authority allocation notes each year.

Open events appear to run in early autumn. The school has published open evening notices in September for events in that term (for example, notices posted in September 2023, September 2024, and September 2025). Because event details can change year to year, it is safest to treat September and October as the typical window and confirm current dates directly with the school.

Pastoral systems are built around tutoring and structured monitoring. The school describes tutor time as a daily programme for guidance and pastoral oversight, and the inspection evidence supports the view that behaviour is settled and that the school is deliberate about being a safe, welcoming place.

For pupils who need additional emotional or learning support, the inspection report references a specific wellbeing approach called “The Bridge,” described as a carefully considered support route for vulnerable pupils, including those with SEND, helping them learn successfully alongside peers. This is a meaningful detail because it suggests the SEND conversation is not only about paperwork and plans, but also about how pupils are practically kept learning when anxiety, behaviour, or circumstance might otherwise derail them.

Attendance is treated as a core pastoral priority rather than a background statistic. The inspection evidence describes tenacious work to understand the causes of absence and remove barriers, and the school’s wider communication reinforces that attendance and punctuality are non-negotiable expectations because they translate directly into learning time.

The academy’s “extended learning” model is broad, and importantly it is integrated. The school describes a programme of trips, visits, events, commemorations and charity work, plus elective after-school enrichment that covers sporting, performance, craft, social and academic opportunities.

Several participation routes are named rather than left vague. Students are encouraged into Student Voice, the Honours programme, Sustainability, and roles such as Anti-bullying Ambassadors and Mental Wellbeing Ambassadors. The benefit for families is that these are not just clubs for entertainment; they double as structured leadership and responsibility roles that can suit students who need belonging and purpose to stay engaged.

Recognition and motivation systems also sit behind the extracurricular offer. Praising Stars reporting provides regular effort and attainment feedback, and the Honours programme is described as an online badge-based platform for recognising personal development and achievement. In practice, that combination tends to create a “small wins” culture where attendance, effort and participation are repeatedly reinforced, which can be valuable for students who respond better to visible milestones than to distant end-of-year goals.

Finally, the timetable itself matters. The published daily schedule explicitly includes after-school activities from 2:30pm to 3:30pm, which reduces the friction that often stops pupils joining clubs (late buses, unclear expectations, or reliance on staff goodwill).

The published day runs from arrival at 8:20am, tutor time from 8:25am to 8:45am, and a structured five-period model through to period 5 ending at 2:30pm, followed by after-school activities until 3:30pm.

Term dates and closures are published centrally, with clear listings of holiday windows and INSET days.

As an 11–16 secondary, wraparound care is not typically a core offer in the way it is in primary. Families who need early drop-off arrangements or supervised after-school provision beyond the listed activities should verify what is available and whether it is provisioned daily or only on certain days.

• Competition for places. Demand data indicates oversubscription, with 275 applications for 172 offers (1.6 applications per offer). If you are outside priority areas, admission may be harder than it looks on paper.

• Distance is not a promise. In September 2025 allocations, the last place offered was at 0.875 miles. Distances vary annually based on applicant distribution; proximity provides priority but does not guarantee a place.

• Consistency is still being embedded. The inspection evidence is positive about curriculum ambition and teaching expertise, but it also flags that assessment and checking for understanding is not yet consistently strong in all classrooms, and that learning can sometimes move on too quickly for some pupils.

• Reading support at key stage 4 is a key question. Key stage 3 reading identification and mentoring are described as effective, but key stage 4 reading support is described as underdeveloped. If your child has literacy vulnerabilities, ask specifically what happens from Year 10 onwards.

Outwood Academy Hindley is a structured, improvement-driven 11–16 secondary where routines, tutoring, and an integrated after-school block create a clear framework for students to succeed. The latest inspection evidence supports the picture of a school that is safer, calmer, and more academically coherent than its recent past, even if outcomes in headline performance measures remain below England average overall.

Who it suits: families who want a clear, consistent approach to behaviour, attendance, and learning, and students who benefit from routine, regular feedback, and visible participation pathways (Student Voice, Honours, ambassador roles). Securing entry can be the main hurdle, and families should treat catchment distances as guidance rather than entitlement.