State secondary schools in Hertfordshire
80 schools · East of England · 2024/25 Department for Education figures
Hertfordshire has 80 state secondaries, 79 of them with sixth forms. 77.5% of families got their first choice last year, worse than most of England. Results run from 20.5% to 87.5% passing English and maths, a spread of 67 points, with a middle school at 52.5%, above England's 45.4%.
Of those Ofsted has graded, 17 rated Outstanding, 41 Good, 1 Requires improvement, 1 Inadequate. 20 schools carry no overall grade at all — either inspected since Ofsted stopped issuing one in September 2024, or never inspected.
21% 88% passed English & maths no figure
Hertfordshire against England
State-funded schools, 2024/25
Getting a place
2026/27 secondary admissions round, across Hertfordshire
77.5%
Got their first choiceof those who applied
England 84%
92.4%
Got one of their threefirst, second or third
0.1%
Got no offer at allfrom any preference
18%
Appeals upheld92 of 515 heard
These are figures for Hertfordshire as a whole. A popular school can be much harder to get into than the average suggests, and the criteria that decide it are set by each school's own admission authority rather than centrally. How applying works
How much the choice matters here
Across Hertfordshire's 79 schools, the share passing English and maths runs from 21% to 88%. That is a spread of 67 percentage points, wider than most councils.
The typical council spans about 48 points. Where schools are close together the school a child gets matters less; where they are far apart it matters a great deal. The widest spreads are all selective areas, where grammar schools sit at one end and everything else at the other.
Hertfordshire schools, subject by subject
The share reaching grade 4 or above, among schools entering at least 20 pupils. Which pupils take a subject differs a lot between schools, so read this as what happened rather than as a ranking of teaching.
mathsenglish literatureenglish languagegeographycombined sciencehistorybiologyartphysicschemistrybusiness studiesfrenchspanishcomputer sciencephysical educationdesign technologyreligious studiesfood technology
- 1 Parmiter's School Watford · 55 entries 95%
- 2 The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College Bishop's Stortford · 88 entries 93%
- 3 Hitchin Girls' School Hitchin · 51 entries 90%
- 4 Beaumont School St Albans · 101 entries 89%
- 5 Dame Alice Owen's School Potters Bar · 33 entries 88%
- 6 St Albans Girls' School St Albans · 71 entries 87%
- 7 The Bishop's Stortford High School Bishop's Stortford · 70 entries 87%
- 8 The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School Stevenage · 76 entries 87%
- 9 St Clement Danes School Rickmansworth · 122 entries 86%
- 10 Samuel Ryder Academy St Albans · 84 entries 85%
- 11 Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School St Albans · 90 entries 84%
- 12 Queens' School Bushey · 102 entries 84%
- 13 Sandringham School St Albans · 63 entries 84%
- 14 Saint Michael's Catholic High School Watford · 47 entries 84%
- 15 Hitchin Boys' School Hitchin · 115 entries 83%
- 16 Loreto College St Albans · 56 entries 82%
- 17 Barclay Academy Stevenage · 42 entries 81%
- 18 The Broxbourne School Broxbourne · 99 entries 81%
- 19 Presdales School Ware · 57 entries 81%
- 20 Ashlyns School Berkhamsted · 89 entries 80%
- 21 St Mary's Catholic School Bishop's Stortford · 58 entries 79%
- 22 Rickmansworth School Rickmansworth · 58 entries 79%
- 23 Chancellor's School Hatfield · 57 entries 79%
- 24 Richard Hale School Hertford · 76 entries 78%
- 25 Roundwood Park School Harpenden · 49 entries 78%
- 26 St George's School Harpenden · 83 entries 77%
- 27 Freman College Buntingford · 109 entries 75%
- 28 Katherine Warington School Harpenden · 51 entries 75%
- 29 Croxley Danes School Rickmansworth · 92 entries 74%
- 30 Tring School Tring · 91 entries 74%
- 31 The Nobel School Stevenage · 49 entries 73%
- 32 Stanborough School Welwyn Garden City · 58 entries 72%
- 33 John F Kennedy Catholic School Hemel Hempstead · 79 entries 71%
- 34 Hockerill Anglo-European College Bishop's Stortford · 27 entries 70%
- 35 Townsend Church of England School St Albans · 57 entries 70%
- 36 Simon Balle All-Through School Hertford · 98 entries 69%
- 37 The Knights Templar School Baldock · 72 entries 68%
- 38 Verulam School St Albans · 68 entries 67%
- 39 The Reach Free School Rickmansworth · 48 entries 67%
- 40 Bushey Meads School Bushey · 29 entries 66%
- 41 Kings Langley School Kings Langley · 74 entries 65%
- 42 Haileybury Turnford Waltham Cross · 89 entries 65%
- 43 Leventhorpe Sawbridgeworth · 118 entries 64%
- 44 The Priory School Hitchin · 73 entries 64%
- 45 Longdean School Hemel Hempstead · 74 entries 61%
- 46 The Highfield School Letchworth Garden City · 77 entries 58%
- 47 St Mary's Church of England High School (VA) Waltham Cross · 67 entries 57%
- 48 The Hemel Hempstead School Hemel Hempstead · 112 entries 54%
- 49 Westfield Academy Watford · 77 entries 51%
- 50 Hertswood Academy Borehamwood · 88 entries 51%
- 51 The Marlborough Science Academy St Albans · 48 entries 50%
- 52 Laureate Academy Hemel Hempstead · 36 entries 50%
- 53 Onslow St Audrey's School Hatfield · 76 entries 49%
- 54 Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School Rickmansworth · 84 entries 46%
- 55 The John Warner School Hoddesdon · 102 entries 46%
- 56 Barnwell School Stevenage · 49 entries 45%
- 57 The Grange Academy Bushey · 70 entries 43%
- 58 Fearnhill School Letchworth · 49 entries 41%
- 59 Ridgeway Academy Welwyn Garden City · 59 entries 36%
- 60 The Sele School Hertford · 27 entries 30%
- 61 The Adeyfield Academy Hemel Hempstead · 55 entries 28%
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Every school in Hertfordshire
Schools in neighbouring authorities are not in this list, because admissions run per authority. See bordering areas.
21 of 79 have no spare places. Sort the list, or narrow it first.
- Ashlyns School Berkhamsted · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 71%
- Attainment 8
- 57.9
- Absence
- 18%
- Avanti Grange Secondary School Bishops Stortford · Inspected, after Ofsted stopped issuing a single overall grade.
- Eng & maths
- —
- Attainment 8
- —
- Absence
- 11%
- Barclay Academy Stevenage · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 57%
- Attainment 8
- 49.5
- Absence
- 20%
- Barnwell School Stevenage · Inspected under the current report card, which gives no overall grade.
- Eng & maths
- 37%
- Attainment 8
- 41.5
- Absence
- 29%
- Beaumont School St Albans · Inspected, after Ofsted stopped issuing a single overall grade.
- Eng & maths
- 74%
- Attainment 8
- 62.6
- Absence
- 7%
- Birchwood High School Bishop's Stortford · Inspected, after Ofsted stopped issuing a single overall grade.
- Eng & maths
- 42%
- Attainment 8
- 46.1
- Absence
- 25%
- Bishop's Hatfield Girls' School Hatfield · Outstanding.
- Eng & maths
- 55%
- Attainment 8
- 51.9
- Absence
- 17%
- Bushey Meads School Bushey · Inspected, after Ofsted stopped issuing a single overall grade.
- Eng & maths
- 41%
- Attainment 8
- 43.6
- Absence
- 32%
- Chancellor's School Hatfield · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 47%
- Attainment 8
- 47.6
- Absence
- 22%
- Croxley Danes School Rickmansworth · Inspected under the current report card, which gives no overall grade.
- Eng & maths
- 50%
- Attainment 8
- 51.3
- Absence
- 17%
- Dame Alice Owen's School Potters Bar · Outstanding. · no spare places
- Eng & maths
- 88%
- Attainment 8
- 72.9
- Absence
- 7%
- Elstree Screen Arts Academy Borehamwood · Inspected, after Ofsted stopped issuing a single overall grade.
- Eng & maths
- 32%
- Attainment 8
- 39.1
- Absence
- 33%
- Fearnhill School Letchworth · Inspected under the current report card, which gives no overall grade.
- Eng & maths
- 27%
- Attainment 8
- 38.9
- Absence
- 32%
- Freman College Buntingford · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 53%
- Attainment 8
- 53.1
- Absence
- 19%
- Future Academies Watford Watford · Inspected, after Ofsted stopped issuing a single overall grade.
- Eng & maths
- 32%
- Attainment 8
- 39.8
- Absence
- 25%
- Goffs - Churchgate Academy Waltham Cross · Inspected under the current report card, which gives no overall grade.
- Eng & maths
- 33%
- Attainment 8
- 42.6
- Absence
- 26%
- Goffs Academy Waltham Cross · Good. · no spare places
- Eng & maths
- 49%
- Attainment 8
- 49.1
- Absence
- 15%
- Gracewood Academy Potters Bar · Requires improvement.
- Eng & maths
- 27%
- Attainment 8
- 36.1
- Absence
- —
- Haileybury Turnford Waltham Cross · Inspected under the current report card, which gives no overall grade.
- Eng & maths
- 37%
- Attainment 8
- 43.3
- Absence
- 21%
- Hertswood Academy Borehamwood · Inspected, after Ofsted stopped issuing a single overall grade.
- Eng & maths
- 27%
- Attainment 8
- 38.3
- Absence
- 29%
- Hitchin Boys' School Hitchin · Inspected under the current report card, which gives no overall grade.
- Eng & maths
- 67%
- Attainment 8
- 57.1
- Absence
- 10%
- Hitchin Girls' School Hitchin · Inspected, after Ofsted stopped issuing a single overall grade.
- Eng & maths
- 69%
- Attainment 8
- 57.8
- Absence
- 14%
- Hockerill Anglo-European College Bishop's Stortford · Good. · no spare places
- Eng & maths
- 73%
- Attainment 8
- 61.7
- Absence
- 12%
- John F Kennedy Catholic School Hemel Hempstead · Inspected under the current report card, which gives no overall grade.
- Eng & maths
- 55%
- Attainment 8
- 47.9
- Absence
- 15%
- Katherine Warington School Harpenden · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 60%
- Attainment 8
- 54.8
- Absence
- 16%
- King James Academy Royston Royston · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 34%
- Attainment 8
- 40.3
- Absence
- 18%
- Kings Langley School Kings Langley · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 53%
- Attainment 8
- 48.6
- Absence
- 25%
- Laureate Academy Hemel Hempstead · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 39%
- Attainment 8
- 41.7
- Absence
- 34%
- Leventhorpe Sawbridgeworth · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 47%
- Attainment 8
- 49.6
- Absence
- 19%
- Longdean School Hemel Hempstead · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 35%
- Attainment 8
- 42.4
- Absence
- 22%
- Loreto College St Albans · Inspected, after Ofsted stopped issuing a single overall grade.
- Eng & maths
- 59%
- Attainment 8
- 58.3
- Absence
- 17%
- Marriotts School Stevenage · Inspected under the current report card, which gives no overall grade.
- Eng & maths
- 39%
- Attainment 8
- 42.4
- Absence
- 25%
- Monk's Walk School Welwyn Garden City · Good. · no spare places
- Eng & maths
- 52%
- Attainment 8
- 50.8
- Absence
- 20%
- Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School St Albans · Outstanding. · no spare places
- Eng & maths
- 65%
- Attainment 8
- 56.4
- Absence
- 9%
- Onslow St Audrey's School Hatfield · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 24%
- Attainment 8
- 36.6
- Absence
- 32%
- Parmiter's School Watford · Outstanding.
- Eng & maths
- 81%
- Attainment 8
- 66.5
- Absence
- 17%
- Presdales School Ware · Outstanding. · no spare places
- Eng & maths
- 70%
- Attainment 8
- 58.9
- Absence
- 17%
- Queens' School Bushey · Inspected, after Ofsted stopped issuing a single overall grade.
- Eng & maths
- 68%
- Attainment 8
- 57.5
- Absence
- 12%
- Richard Hale School Hertford · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 66%
- Attainment 8
- 56.3
- Absence
- 12%
- Rickmansworth School Rickmansworth · Outstanding.
- Eng & maths
- 81%
- Attainment 8
- 61.2
- Absence
- 10%
- Ridgeway Academy Welwyn Garden City · Inspected, after Ofsted stopped issuing a single overall grade.
- Eng & maths
- 25%
- Attainment 8
- 35.7
- Absence
- 28%
- Robert Barclay Academy Hoddesdon · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 39%
- Attainment 8
- 44.2
- Absence
- 23%
- Roundwood Park School Harpenden · Outstanding. · no spare places
- Eng & maths
- 67%
- Attainment 8
- 59.5
- Absence
- 14%
- Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School Rickmansworth · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 56%
- Attainment 8
- 50.6
- Absence
- 23%
- Saint Michael's Catholic High School Watford · Inspected, after Ofsted stopped issuing a single overall grade. · no spare places
- Eng & maths
- 50%
- Attainment 8
- 50.9
- Absence
- 17%
- Samuel Ryder Academy St Albans · Inspected under the current report card, which gives no overall grade. · no spare places
- Eng & maths
- 70%
- Attainment 8
- 56.5
- Absence
- 17%
- Sandringham School St Albans · Outstanding. · no spare places
- Eng & maths
- 84%
- Attainment 8
- 65.1
- Absence
- 10%
- Simon Balle All-Through School Hertford · Outstanding.
- Eng & maths
- 64%
- Attainment 8
- 55.4
- Absence
- 10%
- Sir John Lawes School Harpenden · Outstanding. · no spare places
- Eng & maths
- 76%
- Attainment 8
- 62.8
- Absence
- 7%
- St Albans Girls' School St Albans · Inspected, after Ofsted stopped issuing a single overall grade.
- Eng & maths
- 70%
- Attainment 8
- 58.8
- Absence
- 17%
- St Clement Danes School Rickmansworth · Outstanding.
- Eng & maths
- 84%
- Attainment 8
- 65.1
- Absence
- 11%
- St George's School Harpenden · Inspected, after Ofsted stopped issuing a single overall grade. · no spare places
- Eng & maths
- 77%
- Attainment 8
- 63.7
- Absence
- 12%
- St Mary's Catholic School Bishop's Stortford · Inspected, after Ofsted stopped issuing a single overall grade. · no spare places
- Eng & maths
- 66%
- Attainment 8
- 57.6
- Absence
- 15%
- St Mary's Church of England High School (VA) Waltham Cross · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 41%
- Attainment 8
- 45
- Absence
- 25%
- Stanborough School Welwyn Garden City · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 53%
- Attainment 8
- 47.9
- Absence
- 10%
- The Adeyfield Academy Hemel Hempstead · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 22%
- Attainment 8
- 35.1
- Absence
- 27%
- The Astley Cooper School Hemel Hempstead · Inspected under the current report card, which gives no overall grade.
- Eng & maths
- 27%
- Attainment 8
- 34.7
- Absence
- 36%
- The Bishop's Stortford High School Bishop's Stortford · Outstanding.
- Eng & maths
- 69%
- Attainment 8
- 60.2
- Absence
- 11%
- The Broxbourne School Broxbourne · Outstanding. · no spare places
- Eng & maths
- 67%
- Attainment 8
- 55.4
- Absence
- 13%
- The Chauncy School Ware · Outstanding. · no spare places
- Eng & maths
- 46%
- Attainment 8
- 49.5
- Absence
- 19%
- The Grange Academy Bushey · Inspected, after Ofsted stopped issuing a single overall grade.
- Eng & maths
- 32%
- Attainment 8
- 41.3
- Absence
- 23%
- The Hemel Hempstead School Hemel Hempstead · Inspected under the current report card, which gives no overall grade.
- Eng & maths
- 51%
- Attainment 8
- 49.9
- Absence
- 18%
- The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College Bishop's Stortford · Outstanding. · no spare places
- Eng & maths
- 76%
- Attainment 8
- 63.6
- Absence
- 13%
- The Highfield School Letchworth Garden City · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 40%
- Attainment 8
- 41.7
- Absence
- 28%
- The John Warner School Hoddesdon · Inadequate.
- Eng & maths
- 33%
- Attainment 8
- 40.8
- Absence
- 28%
- The Knights Templar School Baldock · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 46%
- Attainment 8
- 48.5
- Absence
- 15%
- The Marlborough Science Academy St Albans · Good. · no spare places
- Eng & maths
- 36%
- Attainment 8
- 43.4
- Absence
- 25%
- The Nobel School Stevenage · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 47%
- Attainment 8
- 50.2
- Absence
- 20%
- The Priory School Hitchin · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 49%
- Attainment 8
- 48.5
- Absence
- 18%
- The Reach Free School Rickmansworth · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 35%
- Attainment 8
- 44.2
- Absence
- 28%
- The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School Stevenage · Good. · no spare places
- Eng & maths
- 64%
- Attainment 8
- 57.9
- Absence
- 13%
- The Sele School Hertford · Inspected, after Ofsted stopped issuing a single overall grade.
- Eng & maths
- 21%
- Attainment 8
- 35.7
- Absence
- 36%
- The Thomas Alleyne Academy Stevenage · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 53%
- Attainment 8
- 48
- Absence
- 20%
- Townsend Church of England School St Albans · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 40%
- Attainment 8
- 46.7
- Absence
- 30%
- Tring School Tring · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 54%
- Attainment 8
- 50.5
- Absence
- 24%
- Verulam School St Albans · Good.
- Eng & maths
- 55%
- Attainment 8
- 52.5
- Absence
- 18%
- Watford Grammar School for Boys Watford · Inspected under the current report card, which gives no overall grade. · no spare places
- Eng & maths
- 83%
- Attainment 8
- 68.9
- Absence
- 12%
- Watford Grammar School for Girls Watford · Outstanding. · no spare places
- Eng & maths
- 83%
- Attainment 8
- 68.2
- Absence
- 14%
- Westfield Academy Watford · Inspected, after Ofsted stopped issuing a single overall grade.
- Eng & maths
- 39%
- Attainment 8
- 41.4
- Absence
- 23%
- Yavneh College Borehamwood · Good. · no spare places
- Eng & maths
- 75%
- Attainment 8
- 61.6
- Absence
- 11%
Pick up to 4 schools to see them side by side in the comparison tool, subject by subject.
Sixth form · Key stage 5·2024/25
A levels in Hertfordshire
74 of Hertfordshire's 79 sixth forms publish A level results. Ranked on the share reaching AAB or better in at least two of the subjects universities name, which is the measure the steepest entry requirements are written in.
Sixth form Grade AAB+
- Dame Alice Owen's School Potters Bar C 51%
- Hitchin Boys' School Hitchin C 34%
- St George's School Harpenden C 31%
- Queens' School Bushey B 30%
- Roundwood Park School Harpenden C 29%
- Simon Balle All-Through School Hertford C 28%
- Watford Grammar School for Girls Watford B- 28%
- Sir John Lawes School Harpenden B+ 28%
- St Clement Danes School Rickmansworth B+ 28%
- Monk's Walk School Welwyn Garden City C 27%
- Watford Grammar School for Boys Watford C- 27%
- Marriotts School Stevenage C 26%
- The Priory School Hitchin C+ 26%
- Sandringham School St Albans B+ 25%
- Beaumont School St Albans C+ 25%
- Parmiter's School Watford C 24%
- The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College Bishop's Stortford B- 23%
- Yavneh College Borehamwood C 23%
- The Broxbourne School Broxbourne B- 21%
- The Chauncy School Ware C+ 21%
- The Knights Templar School Baldock C+ 20%
- St Albans Girls' School St Albans C+ 19%
- Stanborough School Welwyn Garden City C 19%
- The Bishop's Stortford High School Bishop's Stortford C 18%
- Bishop's Hatfield Girls' School Hatfield C+ 18%
- The Highfield School Letchworth Garden City C+ 17%
- Gracewood Academy Potters Bar C 17%
- The Thomas Alleyne Academy Stevenage C 17%
- Freman College Buntingford C+ 16%
- Verulam School St Albans D- 15%
- The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School Stevenage C 15%
- Goffs Academy Waltham Cross C+ 14%
- Hitchin Girls' School Hitchin D+ 14%
- The Nobel School Stevenage C- 14%
- Barclay Academy Stevenage C+ 13%
- Laureate Academy Hemel Hempstead C 13%
- Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School St Albans C 13%
- The Hemel Hempstead School Hemel Hempstead C+ 13%
- Chancellor's School Hatfield B- 12%
- The Reach Free School Rickmansworth C- 12%
- Presdales School Ware B- 11%
- Richard Hale School Hertford C 11%
- Rickmansworth School Rickmansworth D+ 11%
- Tring School Tring B- 11%
- Leventhorpe Sawbridgeworth C 11%
- Birchwood High School Bishop's Stortford C 10%
- The Grange Academy Bushey C+ 10%
- Hertswood Academy Borehamwood C+ 10%
- Samuel Ryder Academy St Albans C 10%
- Saint Michael's Catholic High School Watford C 9%
- St Mary's Catholic School Bishop's Stortford C 9%
- Ashlyns School Berkhamsted B- 9%
- John F Kennedy Catholic School Hemel Hempstead C 8%
- Loreto College St Albans C+ 7%
- Townsend Church of England School St Albans C- 7%
- The Marlborough Science Academy St Albans D 7%
- Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School Rickmansworth C 6%
- Haileybury Turnford Waltham Cross C- 6%
- Bushey Meads School Bushey C- 6%
- Westfield Academy Watford C+ 5%
- Croxley Danes School Rickmansworth C- 5%
- Longdean School Hemel Hempstead C 5%
- Kings Langley School Kings Langley C 5%
- St Mary's Church of England High School (VA) Waltham Cross D 3%
- Barnwell School Stevenage C 0%
- Elstree Screen Arts Academy Borehamwood C- 0%
- Fearnhill School Letchworth C 0%
- Future Academies Watford Watford C 0%
- Onslow St Audrey's School Hatfield C- 0%
- Ridgeway Academy Welwyn Garden City C 0%
- Robert Barclay Academy Hoddesdon D 0%
- The Adeyfield Academy Hemel Hempstead D- 0%
- The John Warner School Hoddesdon C 0%
- The Astley Cooper School Hemel Hempstead D+ —
A level results only. A sixth form running mostly BTECs and other applied courses will show a dash here and can still be the right one — those are graded on their own scale, where a distinction and an A grade carry the same points and mean different things.
Bordering Hertfordshire
Near a boundary, schools on both sides are usually in reach. Whether a child can apply is set by each school's admission criteria, not by the border.
Barnet 28 schools · 63% passed English & mathsBuckinghamshire 37 schools · 59% passed English & mathsCambridgeshire 35 schools · 50% passed English & mathsCentral Bedfordshire 15 schools · 42% passed English & mathsEnfield 21 schools · 46% passed English & mathsEssex 81 schools · 43% passed English & mathsHarrow 13 schools · 54% passed English & mathsHillingdon 22 schools · 50% passed English & mathsLuton 13 schools · 42% passed English & maths
What these mean
- Attainment 8
- The average pupil's total score across eight GCSE-equivalent subjects, with English and maths counting double. It is scored out of 90. A score of 50 is roughly equivalent to achieving a grade 5 across eight subjects.
- Grades 4 and 5
- GCSEs are graded from 9 down to 1. Grade 4 is a standard pass and broadly corresponds to the old grade C; grade 5 is what the government calls a strong pass. Grade 7 is broadly equivalent to an old grade A.
- Persistent absence
- The share of pupils who miss at least 10% of their possible sessions during the school year. This includes both authorised and unauthorised absence, so illness and other authorised reasons are included. Persistent absence has remained substantially higher than its pre-pandemic level.
- First preference
- The share of families who were offered the school they ranked first on their application, on national offer day in March. This figure is calculated across the relevant schools or admissions authority, so a high overall figure does not necessarily mean that every individual school is easy to get into.
- Spare places
- The amount of available capacity a school has compared with the number of pupils on roll. This is different from oversubscription: spare places measure whether a school has capacity, whereas oversubscription describes demand for places exceeding the number available. A school with no spare places may be popular, but a small school can also be full without receiving a large number of applications.
- Average A-level grade
- The average grade achieved across students' A-level entries. This is different from measures such as the proportion achieving AAB or better in two or more facilitating subjects, which are sometimes used to indicate higher attainment and university-entry performance.