SCHOOL PROFILE

Hitchin Girls' School

Secondary Academy converter URN 137288
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,400 Published school capacity
Capacity used 96.9% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

8 October 2024
Latest published outcome Not judged
OEIF
Quality of education Outstanding
Behaviour & attitudes Outstanding
Personal development Outstanding
Leadership & management Outstanding
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Secondary
Gender Girls
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Hertfordshire
Trust HITCHIN GIRLS' SCHOOL
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,357 1,357 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 1,357 100.0% of pupils
Male pupils 0 0.0% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

6.9%
17.9 pts below England
School 6.9%
North Hertfordshire 15.0%
East of England 19.7%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

16.2%
4.1 pts below England
School 16.2%
North Hertfordshire 9.9%
East of England 16.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

2.5%
1.5 pts above England
School 2.5%
North Hertfordshire 1.1%
East of England 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
67.2%
912
Indian
6.1%
83
Any other White background
4.3%
58
White and Asian
3.3%
45
Any other Asian background
3.0%
41
Chinese
2.4%
32
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 12.5% 170 of 1,357 pupils
8.3 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 12.5%
North Hertfordshire 20.8%
East of England 19.8%
England 20.8%
SEN support 10.5% 142 pupils
England 14.8% 4.3 pts below
EHC plans 2.1% 28 pupils
England 6.0% 4.0 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Specific learning difficulty 59
Social, emotional & mental health 44
Autistic spectrum disorder 26
Moderate learning difficulty 22
Speech, language & communication 11
Hearing impairment 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

57.8 18.6 pts above England
School 57.8
North Hertfordshire 45.1
East of England 40.4
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 68.8% England 36.0% 32.8 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 86.1% England 51.4% 34.7 pts above England
EBacc entry 34.1% England 30.6% 3.5 pts above England
EBacc average point score 5.05 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: 0.62 · 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

7.18%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.96 pts higher than England
School 7.18%
North Hertfordshire 5.77%
East of England 6.17%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

16.30%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

0.49 pts higher than England
School 16.30%
North Hertfordshire 13.11%
East of England 15.39%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

2.84%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

1.04 pts higher than England
School 2.84%
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

96.9% 4.6 pts above England
Hitchin Girls' School
96.9%
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