SCHOOL PROFILE

The Marlborough Science Academy

Secondary Academy converter URN 138042
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,250 Published school capacity
Capacity used 107.0% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

29 November 2023
Latest published outcome Good
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Outstanding
Personal development Outstanding
Leadership & management Outstanding
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character —
Local authority Hertfordshire
Trust THE MARLBOROUGH SCIENCE ACADEMY LIMITED
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,337 1,337 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 624 46.7% of pupils
Male pupils 713 53.3% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

19.4%
5.4 pts below England
School 19.4%
St Albans 10.0%
East of England 19.7%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

8.5%
11.8 pts below England
School 8.5%
St Albans 15.9%
East of England 16.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.8%
0.2 pts below England
School 0.8%
St Albans 1.0%
East of England 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
64.2%
859
Any other White background
9.1%
122
Bangladeshi
6.2%
83
White and Asian
3.4%
46
White and Black Caribbean
3.0%
40
Any other Mixed background
2.6%
35
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 18.9% 253 of 1,337 pupils
1.9 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 18.9%
St Albans 17.7%
East of England 19.8%
England 20.8%
SEN support 15.7% 210 pupils
England 14.8% 0.9 pts above
EHC plans 3.2% 43 pupils
England 6.0% 2.8 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 62
Specific learning difficulty 55
Autistic spectrum disorder 51
No specialist assessment yet 27
Speech, language & communication 21
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

43.4 4.2 pts above England
School 43.4
St Albans 46.5
East of England 40.4
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 36.4% England 36.0% 0.4 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 60.4% England 51.4% 9.0 pts above England
EBacc entry 40.1% England 30.6% 9.5 pts above England
EBacc average point score 3.80 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.10 · 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

9.76%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

3.54 pts higher than England
School 9.76%
St Albans 5.63%
East of England 6.17%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

30.05%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

14.24 pts higher than England
School 30.05%
St Albans 12.95%
East of England 15.39%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

3.01%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

1.21 pts higher than England
School 3.01%
St Albans 1.63%
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

107.0% 14.6 pts above England
The Marlborough Science Academy
107.0%
St Albans
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