Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #78 in Hertfordshire public Top 43% UK

The Astley Cooper School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Sam Orsborne

location_onHemel Hempstead, HP2 7HL

language Visit Website phone 1442394141

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Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2021

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Students

913

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Attainment 8

34.7

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GCSE Rank

#78 in Hertfordshire

#3,038 of 3,216 nationally

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The Astley Cooper School is a Community school secondary school in Hemel Hempstead, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

The Astley Cooper School is a community school in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. The school has approximately 947 pupils on roll, of whom 37% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 34.7, placing the school #78 in Hertfordshire and #3,038 of 3,216 nationally. 26.70% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 9.4% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 10 A-level subjects. 23.5% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 11.8% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.23 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2021. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.8× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 15.1:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 8 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 14.2 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

34.7

Grade 5+ E&M

26.70%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)9.4%

Entering EBacc11.80%

EBacc APS2.89

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.6

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

37.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc17.90%

EBacc APS3.15

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.82

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

35.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc6%

EBacc APS2.94

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.64

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

38.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc6%

EBacc APS3.12

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc17%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.25

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

41.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc11%

EBacc APS3.36

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.72

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

35.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc13%

EBacc APS2.88

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

87%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)81%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)88%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)83%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment9%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

90%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)84%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)10%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

-0.23

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

D+

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*2.0%

Achieving A*–A11.8%

Achieving A*–B23.5%

VA Banding Average

Retention rate100.0%

A-level subjects offered10

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.16

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

D+

Students

Retention rate100.00%

2023

Avg Grade

D-

Students

Retention rate100.00%

2022

Avg Grade

D+

Students

Retention rate75.0%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

17 November 2021

Inspection Report

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08 June 2016

Inspection Report

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25 November 2014

Inspection Report

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15 May 2014

Inspection Report

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26 March 2013

Inspection Report

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07 November 2012

Inspection Report

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15 February 2011

Inspection Report

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16 September 2009

Inspection Report

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07 February 2007

Inspection Report

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04 March 2002

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2021-11-17

S5 Inspection EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2016-06-08

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 2 Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2014-05-15

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

9.4%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

5.7%(54 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

2pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 947 pupils. During this period, there were 89 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 9.4%, which is above the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	947	89	9.4%	7.3%	2
2024/25 (Autumn term)	943	179	19.0%	7.8%	6
2023/24 (Summer term)	952	159	16.7%	7.4%	3
2023/24 (Spring term)	965	85	8.8%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	954	109	11.4%	8.2%	3
2022/23 (Summer term)	904	79	8.7%	6.6%	1
2022/23 (Spring term)	913	105	11.5%	6.4%	1
2022/23 (Autumn term)	918	106	11.5%	5.9%	1
2021/22 (Summer term)	858	87	10.1%	4.7%	3
2021/22 (Spring term)	857	52	6.1%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	865	62	7.2%	4.4%	1
2020/21 (Summer term)	777	50	6.4%	3.6%	1
2020/21 (Spring term)	765	2	0.3%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	763	13	1.7%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	673	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	673	31	4.6%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	677	38	5.6%	4.2%	2
2018/19 (Summer term)	577	11	1.9%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	566	12	2.1%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	573	20	3.5%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	500	10	2.0%	3.4%	1
2017/18 (Spring term)	495	8	1.6%	3.0%	1
2017/18 (Autumn term)	502	5	1.0%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	434	13	3.0%	3.0%	1
2016/17 (Spring term)	431	9	2.1%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	426	17	4.0%	3.1%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 95 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 51 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 45 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 22 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 21 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 5 pupils

Physical Disability 4 pupils

Visual Impairment 1 pupils

Multi-Sensory Impairment 1 pupils