Highfield Leadership Academy
| Type | Secondary / Academy sponsor led |
| Age Range | 11-16 |
| Religion | Does not apply |
| Address | Highfield Road Blackpool Lancashire FY4 3JZ |
| Phone | 01253965750 |
| Reference Number | 142469 |
Description
betaHighfield Leadership Academy is a co-educational secondary school in Marton, Blackpool, Lancashire, England. Established in 2016, it replaced the former Highfield Humanities College, which had been a specialist humanities college since 2004. The school caters to students aged 11 to 16, with approximately 1,130 enrolled. Highfield Leadership Academy is part of Star Academies, an education trust specializing in Islamic faith schools, with the school being their first secular partner.
The academy offers GCSEs, a range of subjects beyond the typical number, requiring pupils to study up to 13 subjects. All students must study the core subjects (English, Maths, Science) and at least one language, humanities subject (RE, Geography, History), and a computer-based subject, while art subjects remain optional.
The school's history includes a strong improvement in GCSE results recognized in a list by the Department for Children, Schools and Families. The school was subsequently recognized as a humanities college and subsequently renamed after making the best sustained improvements in its GCSE results.
After several challenges leading to an "inadequate" rating by Ofsted in 2019, the academy's performance has improved to a "good school" status. The school places a strong emphasis on treating others well and working towards excellence, with a commitment to their community.
Notable former pupils include Joe Bullock (rugby league player), Steven Croft (cricketer), Anna Jobarteh (actor), David Thewlis (actor), Shelly Woods (paralympian), and James Cahill (snooker player).
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 631 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 48.49%
Girls: 51.51% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 52.9% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 11.7% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 22.7 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 79 | 86 | 165 |
| 8 | 79 | 70 | 149 |
| 9 | 51 | 56 | 107 |
| 10 | 59 | 56 | 115 |
| 11 | 38 | 57 | 95 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 81.9% |
| White, Other | 4% |
| White & Black (African) | 1.9% |
| Asian, Other | 1.6% |
| Mixed, Other | 1.3% |
| Pakistani | 1.3% |
| White & Asian | 1.1% |
| Indian | 1.1% |
| Unclassified | 0.8% |
| African | 0.8% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 0.5% |
| Irish | 0.2% |
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Requires Improvement |
| > Quality of education | Requires Improvement |
| > Behaviour & Attitude | Requires Improvement |
| > Personal Development | Good |
| > Leadership & Management | Requires Improvement |
| Last Inspection Date | 2024-05-08 |
| Date | Description | Report |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-03-12 | School inspection: | School inspection: |
| 2021-07-13 | Full inspection: | Full inspection: |
| 2021-03-16 | Monitoring visit | Monitoring visit |
| 2020-09-29 | Monitoring visit | Monitoring visit |
| 2020-02-12 | Monitoring visit | Monitoring visit |
| 2019-06-18 | Monitoring visit | Monitoring visit |
| 2018-12-11 | Full inspection: | Full inspection: |
Attainment 8 Score
Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:
- English
- Maths
- 3 subjects from qualifications that count towards the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), like sciences, language and history
- 3 more GCSE qualifications (including EBacc subjects) or technical awards from a list approved by the Department for Education
Each grade a pupil gets is assigned a point score from 9 (the highest) to 1 (the lowest). These scores are added up, with English and maths counted twice.
| School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|
| 34.3 | Unlock | Unlock |
Progress 8 Score
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
| School Score | Percentile (loc) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|
| -0.96 | Unlock | Unlock |
Attainment 8 Score
Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:
Sample
UnlockGCSE Results
Sample
UnlockProgress 8 Score
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
Sample
UnlockDestinations after GCSE's
Data relates to students who sat their GCSE's in 2022 and was last updated in May 2024.
| Staying in Education | Unlock |
| > Further Education | Unlock |
| > School Sixth Form | Unlock |
| > Sixth Form College | Unlock |
| > Other Education | Unlock |
| Apprenticeships | Unlock |
| Employment | Unlock |
| Not in education or employment | Unlock |
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