SCHOOL PROFILE

The Priory School

Secondary Foundation school URN 117499
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,300 Published school capacity
Capacity used 93.9% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

5 October 2022
Latest published outcome School remains Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Foundation school
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Hertfordshire
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,221 1,221 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 590 48.3% of pupils
Male pupils 631 51.7% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

23.7%
1.1 pts below England
School 23.7%
North Hertfordshire 15.0%
East of England 19.7%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

7.5%
12.8 pts below England
School 7.5%
North Hertfordshire 9.9%
East of England 16.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.1%
0.9 pts below England
School 0.1%
North Hertfordshire 1.1%
East of England 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
71.7%
875
Any other White background
4.3%
52
White and Black Caribbean
3.9%
48
Any other Mixed background
3.3%
40
White and Asian
2.9%
36
African
2.4%
29
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 23.7% 289 of 1,221 pupils
2.8 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 23.7%
North Hertfordshire 20.8%
East of England 19.8%
England 20.8%
SEN support 18.1% 221 pupils
England 14.8% 3.3 pts above
EHC plans 5.6% 68 pupils
England 6.0% 0.5 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder 86
Specific learning difficulty 70
Social, emotional & mental health 61
Speech, language & communication 27
No specialist assessment yet 14
Moderate learning difficulty 12

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

48.5 9.3 pts above England
School 48.5
North Hertfordshire 45.1
East of England 40.4
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 49.2% England 36.0% 13.2 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 64.1% England 51.4% 12.7 pts above England
EBacc entry 32.8% England 30.6% 2.2 pts above England
EBacc average point score 4.28 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.05 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

8.69%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

2.47 pts higher than England
School 8.69%
North Hertfordshire 5.77%
East of England 6.17%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

19.38%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

3.56 pts higher than England
School 19.38%
North Hertfordshire 13.11%
East of England 15.39%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

4.10%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

2.29 pts higher than England
School 4.10%
North Hertfordshire 1.69%
East of England 1.83%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

93.9% 1.6 pts above England
The Priory School
93.9%
North Hertfordshire
94.9%
East of England
92.9%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information