Humphrey Perkins School, an 11-16 academy in Barrow upon Soar, is on a journey. Following our Special Measures judgement in June 2017, much work has already been undertaken to improve the school and to raise standards, including a new Governing body and joining outstanding multi-academy trust, the Lionheart Academies Trust, led by Beauchamp College in Oadby, a nationally recognised outstanding school, in October 2018. We now are looking to strengthen our Humphrey Perkins team through recruiting outstanding members of staff, who share our belief that every child deserves the very best standard of education.

We are a warm and friendly village school of approximately 800 students, taking students from our local and surrounding villages and are fortunate to have excellent parental support. Many of our students enter the school with high prior attainment and are courteous, polite and respectful.  

Staff and students enjoy the benefits of being based on a large site, with lovely open green spaces and set within a safe and vibrant village setting, with excellent transport links to larger towns and cities within the East Midlands. 

We believe in supporting and developing colleagues to achieve excellence and allow them to pursue their professional goals. We are a forward thinking school and value staff wellbeing. At Humphrey Perkins, we are committed to improving and aspire to excellence amongst our students and our staff. 

Humphrey Perkins School is steeped in history and tradition dating back to 1717, when The Humphrey Perkins School was founded as a 'Free Grammar School' in the will of the Barrow upon Soar born Reverend, Humphrey Perkins, rector of Holme Pierrepont, Nottinghamshire, who left money for the School to be built in Barrow-on-Soar. The Humphrey Perkins Grammar School was built on an orchard near the centre of the village in 1735. In 1902 the School moved to larger premises on Cotes Road with the school's first non-clergyman Headmaster and 33 students.

Until 2011, Humphrey Perkins was an 11 -14 school; in 2015 the first cohort of students sat their GCSEs the first public exams to be sat at the school since the early 60s.

In October 2018, Humphrey Perkins joined The Lionheart Academies Trust, currently made up of a family of ten schools based in and around Leicestershire. Each one of our schools is unique in that it reflects the students and local community in which it is a part. With the support of the Trust, Humphrey Perkins has introduced a new Governing Body with a new Chair, a new Executive Principal and Associate Principal.

Humphrey Perkins students enjoy a wealth of extracurricular activities from Dance Club to Debate Club. We have high achieving Sport Teams including Football, Cricket, Netball and Basketball. Students enjoy sport workshops run by Leicester Tigers and UK Badminton. Students are welcome to join our Librarian every day for Book Club, Homework Club and Chess Club in our original library, which is run by our dedicated Library Ambassadors. The Performing Arts Department produces the Annual School Show, which is enjoyed by both the school and village community, with over 100 students involved in the cast and backstage; the show is a sell out each year!

Student Leadership is a huge focus for us and we currently have over 200 student leaders, ranging from Anti-Bullying Ambassadors through to Sport Leaders. We are proud to have an excellent day and residential trip programme that runs throughout the year for all year groups, from theatre trips and university taster days to New York and Skiing Residential trips.

There are strong links with the local community, with many families now seeing second and third generations enjoying life at Humphrey Perkins. We regularly support the parish council with village community events. Through our Charity Team, we raise funds for local charities and organise collections to support members of the community.

Staff benefit from the wealth of knowledge and support from The Lionheart Academies Trust including whole Trust training days, sharing best practice and ensuring our staff have an exceptional professional journey. Our Middle Leaders enjoy the support from dedicated Trust Directors who ensure professional and inspirational support for our teams. We have a dedicated team of Teacher Champions lead by a member of SLT who run weekly CPD sessions and pathway options that are bespoke to staff needs and in line with department and whole school priorities. Staff enjoy a robust and supportive appraisal cycle to ensure continued career development.  

Humphrey Perkins takes Staff Wellbeing seriously; staff enjoy Wellbeing Weeks in the Autumn and Summer Term, which include activities, guest speakers, sport events and discounts at local gyms, businesses and shops. We are currently working towards the Carnegie Mental Health Award, affiliated with Leeds Beckett University, to demonstrate our commitment towards staff and student wellbeing.

Humphrey Perkins is a happy place in which to learn and teach, where great careers are launched and genuine friendships are forged.

• Every young person deserves an equal chance to be successful in whatever they choose to do
• Our approach is wholly student-centred and underpinned by the principle that every child is an individual who has a right to access the very highest quality education
• We value academic excellence and holistic development equally
• We actively promote our love of learning and invite you to join us to celebrate this passion

Ultimately, we believe that any young person from any background deserves an equal chance to be successful in whatever they choose to do. We want to share our love of learning with these young people in order to open the doors to their futures and prepare them with the knowledge and confidence to thrive in a competitive world.