Ofsted: Outstanding trending_up High Demand emoji_events #2 in Hertfordshire public Top 2% UK

Watford Grammar School for Boys

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

personMr Ian Cooksey

corporate_fareWATFORD GRAMMAR SCHOOL FOR BOYS

location_onWatford, WD18 7JF

language Visit Website phone 1923208900

verified

Ofsted

Outstanding

Inspected 2021

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Students

1,533

trending_up

Attainment 8

68.9

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GCSE Rank

#2 in Hertfordshire

#115 of 3,216 nationally

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Watford Grammar School for Boys is a Academy converter secondary school in Watford, serving ages 11-18. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted — the highest possible grade. Highly competitive: 1.7× more applications than places — plan well ahead.

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School Summary

Watford Grammar School for Boys is an academy converter in Watford, Hertfordshire, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of WATFORD GRAMMAR SCHOOL FOR BOYS. The school has approximately 1,610 pupils on roll, of whom 7% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 68.9, placing the school #2 in Hertfordshire and #115 of 3,216 nationally. 83.30% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 58.6% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 27 A-level subjects. 66.2% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 36.7% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.05 — sixth-form progress was broadly average.

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

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.7× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 16.6:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 2 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 0.9 per 1,000 pupils per term.

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

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

68.9

Grade 5+ E&M

83.30%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)58.6%

Entering EBacc95.90%

EBacc APS6.8

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.72

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

66.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc95.90%

EBacc APS6.54

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.75

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

68.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc96%

EBacc APS6.75

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.8

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

69.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc99%

EBacc APS6.86

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc100%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.52

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

66.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc98%

EBacc APS6.55

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.74

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

69.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc99%

EBacc APS6.86

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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

99%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)97%

Apprenticeships1%

EmploymentSP%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

99%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)99%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

99%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)99%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

99%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)97%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)96%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

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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

-0.05

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

248

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*14.7%

Achieving A*–A36.7%

Achieving A*–B66.2%

VA Banding Average

Retention rate99.2%

A-level subjects offered27

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.11

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B+

Students

196

Retention rate95.40%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

220

Retention rate99.10%

2022

Avg Grade

B+

Students

200

Retention rate99.0%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

13 October 2021

Inspection Report

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14 February 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2021-10-13

S5 Inspection EIF

Outstanding

Education

Outstanding

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Outstanding

2006-09-27

S5 Inspection EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

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

1.0%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.7%(12 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

1pupils

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 1,610 pupils. During this period, there were 16 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 1.0%, which is below 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)	1,610	16	1.0%	7.3%	1
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,614	14	0.9%	7.8%	1
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,558	22	1.4%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,557	23	1.5%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,556	21	1.3%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,530	19	1.2%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,533	22	1.4%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,532	15	1.0%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,511	15	1.0%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,516	16	1.1%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,518	18	1.2%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,456	10	0.7%	3.6%	1
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,456	3	0.2%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,460	23	1.6%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,427	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,427	9	0.6%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,426	14	1.0%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,369	11	0.8%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,369	20	1.5%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,370	9	0.7%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,339	3	0.2%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,338	7	0.5%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,338	15	1.1%	3.7%	1
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,349	9	0.7%	3.0%	1
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,351	9	0.7%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,351	10	0.7%	3.1%	1

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.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 41 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 34 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 29 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 27 pupils

Visual Impairment 10 pupils

Physical Disability 7 pupils

Hearing Impairment 6 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 6 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 5 pupils