SCHOOL PROFILE

Fearnhill School

Secondary Foundation school URN 117504
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,055 Published school capacity
Capacity used 56.6% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest inspection

21 April 2026
Latest published outcome Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Expected standard
Curriculum & teaching Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Attendance & behaviour Needs attention
Personal development Expected standard
Leadership & governance Expected standard
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

13 September 2022
Graded inspection Good
Published 17 November 2022
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Foundation school
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Hertfordshire
Trust Letchworth Garden City Education Partnership
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 597 597 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 296 49.6% of pupils
Male pupils 301 50.4% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

38.0%
13.2 pts above England
School 38.0%
North Hertfordshire 15.0%
East of England 19.7%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

9.7%
10.6 pts below England
School 9.7%
North Hertfordshire 9.9%
East of England 16.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.3%
0.7 pts below England
School 0.3%
North Hertfordshire 1.1%
East of England 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
76.4%
456
White and Black Caribbean
4.2%
25
Any other White background
3.5%
21
Any other Mixed background
3.0%
18
African
2.7%
16
Indian
2.7%
16
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 26.1% 156 of 597 pupils
5.3 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 26.1%
North Hertfordshire 20.8%
East of England 19.8%
England 20.8%
SEN support 21.1% 126 pupils
England 14.8% 6.3 pts above
EHC plans 5.0% 30 pupils
England 6.0% 1.0 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 50
Specific learning difficulty 46
Autistic spectrum disorder 25
Speech, language & communication 25
Other difficulty or disability 4
Physical disability 3

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

38.9 0.3 pts below England
School 38.9
North Hertfordshire 45.1
East of England 40.4
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 26.7% England 36.0% 9.3 pts below England
English & maths grade 4+ 53.3% England 51.4% 1.9 pts above England
EBacc entry 39.0% England 30.6% 8.4 pts above England
EBacc average point score 3.56 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.14 · 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

10.91%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

4.69 pts higher than England
School 10.91%
North Hertfordshire 5.77%
East of England 6.17%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

31.00%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

15.18 pts higher than England
School 31.00%
North Hertfordshire 13.11%
East of England 15.39%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

6.13%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

4.33 pts higher than England
School 6.13%
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

56.6% 35.7 pts below England
Fearnhill School
56.6%
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