Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #5 in West Berkshire public Top 20% UK

Denefield School

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

personMr Edwin Towill

corporate_fareDENEFIELD SCHOOL

location_onReading, RG31 6XY

language Visit Website phone 1189413458

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2023

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Students

1,112

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Attainment 8

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GCSE Rank

#5 in West Berkshire

#1,357 of 3,216 nationally

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Denefield School is a Academy converter secondary school in Reading, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.1×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Denefield School is an academy converter in Reading, West Berkshire, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of DENEFIELD SCHOOL. The school has approximately 1,142 pupils on roll, of whom 17% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 47, placing the school #5 in West Berkshire and #1,357 of 3,216 nationally. 49.70% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 21.6% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 19 A-level subjects. 54.9% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 25.5% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.17 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2023. 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.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.1× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 18.0:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 8.5 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

Grade 5+ E&M

49.70%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)21.6%

Entering EBacc37.70%

EBacc APS4.14

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.16

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

49.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc35.40%

EBacc APS4.3

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.44

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

52.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc34%

EBacc APS4.47

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.1

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

53.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc38%

EBacc APS4.64

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc39%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.27

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc45%

EBacc APS3.71

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.02

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

48.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc46%

EBacc APS4.18

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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

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)87%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)87%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)82%

Apprenticeships8%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)89%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)85%

Apprenticeships6%

Employment4%

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

-0.17

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*6.5%

Achieving A*–A25.5%

Achieving A*–B54.9%

VA Banding Below average

Retention rate100.0%

A-level subjects offered19

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.02

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate91.90%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate100.00%

2022

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate96.4%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

01 November 2023

Inspection Report

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16 January 2018

Inspection Report

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10 June 2014

Inspection Report

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10 December 2013

Inspection Report

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27 February 2013

Inspection Report

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12 December 2012

Inspection Report

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14 February 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2023-11-01

S5 Inspection EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2018-01-16

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2014-06-10

Serious Weaknesses S5 Reinspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2012-12-12

None EIF

Inadequate

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

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

8.9%per term

warning Above Average

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

4.4%(50 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,142 pupils. During this period, there were 102 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 8.9%, 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)	1,142	102	8.9%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,139	91	8.0%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,114	94	8.4%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,120	129	11.5%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,121	144	12.8%	8.2%	2
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,101	110	10.0%	6.6%	2
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,112	110	9.9%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,105	67	6.1%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,123	63	5.6%	4.7%	1
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,120	63	5.6%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,125	43	3.8%	4.4%	1
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,130	42	3.7%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,135	14	1.2%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,139	43	3.8%	3.9%	2
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,142	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,142	31	2.7%	3.2%	2
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,153	55	4.8%	4.2%	3
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,138	49	4.3%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,146	47	4.1%	3.8%	1
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,153	38	3.3%	3.8%	1
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,102	29	2.6%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,111	32	2.9%	3.0%	4
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,115	21	1.9%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,053	18	1.7%	3.0%	1
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,057	35	3.3%	3.3%	1
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,057	22	2.1%	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.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 61 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 58 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 57 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 26 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 25 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 8 pupils

Hearing Impairment 5 pupils

Physical Disability 2 pupils