• Langley Hall Arts Academy is creative, nurturing and academically purposeful, and aims to combine artistic education with a supportive and inclusive school culture.

• Will suit families seeking a smaller Berkshire secondary where the arts are taken seriously and pupils can feel known rather than lost in the crowd.

Admissions at Langley Hall Arts Academy are direct and manageable, with the school clearly signalling how to apply and positioning itself as a one-form-entry secondary with a distinct creative focus. The overall feel will suit families who want a smaller school where the arts are central rather than peripheral.

Scholarships are not really the point here. The attraction is access to a smaller secondary school where creative and performing arts education sits alongside academic study rather than as an after-school extra.

The overall picture is quite clear, with the academy openly presenting itself as academic as well as arts focused and stressing a nurturing environment. Parents should still visit to judge whether the school's scale and creative specialism feel energising and sufficiently well structured.