Yewlands Academy

About Yewlands Academy

Yewlands Academy is a mixed, non-religious secondary school in Sheffield for pupils aged 11 to 16, and it is currently running slightly above its official capacity of 900 with 912 pupils on roll. The school serves a community with a notably high level of disadvantage: 41.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is well above the national average and signals a significant concentration of socio-economic need. Demand for places is strong — for the 2025/26 intake, the school received 287 applications for 176 places, an oversubscription ratio of 1.63, with 160 of those applications coming as first preferences. This level of demand suggests that despite the challenges the school faces, it remains a popular choice for local families. The headteacher is Kimberley Willmot, who took over leadership at a time when the school was already rated Requires Improvement by Ofsted.

Academically, Yewlands Academy is performing below the national average. Its Progress 8 score for the 2023/24 academic year was -0.35, which places it in the bottom 50% of schools nationally and ranks it 14th out of 29 secondary schools in Sheffield. That said, it sits just above the Sheffield local authority average Progress 8 score of -0.4, so it is not an outlier within its own area. The Attainment 8 score was 41.4, and only 34% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths (the basics 5+ measure). The EBacc entry rate was very low at 1.9%, and the EBacc average point score was 3.38. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2024, the school was judged as Requires Improvement overall, with personal development rated Good — a small bright spot — while behaviour and attitudes, quality of education, and leadership and management all remained Requires Improvement.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including science labs, a theatre, music rooms, a sports hall, an ICT suite, and a library. Sports provision is broad, with options from badminton and athletics to rowing and swimming, and there are clubs covering coding, Model UN, debate, science, eco, and more. For SEND, the school lists support for a wide range of needs including dyslexia, autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language difficulties, and social, emotional and mental health needs. Parent View responses from 116 families show that 72% would recommend the school, though responses on specific areas like behaviour and concern-handling are more mixed. Yewlands is a school that families in the area clearly want to get into, but it is still working through significant challenges around behaviour and academic outcomes. It may suit families who value a broad extracurricular offer and a school that is actively trying to improve, but who are realistic about the current limitations.

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