Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #54 in Hertfordshire public Top 24% UK

St Mary's Church of England High School (VA)

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

personMr Richard Vaughan

corporate_fareST MARY'S CE ACADEMY, CHESHUNT

location_onWaltham Cross, EN7 5FB

language Visit Website phone 1992629124

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2023

groups

Students

1,092

trending_up

Attainment 8

leaderboard

GCSE Rank

#54 in Hertfordshire

#1,727 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

St Mary's Church of England High School (VA) is a Academy converter secondary school in Waltham Cross, serving ages 11-19. Rated Good by Ofsted.

article

School Summary

St Mary's Church of England High School (VA) is an academy converter in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, admitting pupils aged 11-19. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of ST MARY'S CE ACADEMY, CHESHUNT. The school has approximately 982 pupils on roll, of whom 38% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 45, placing the school #54 in Hertfordshire and #1,727 of 3,216 nationally. 40.50% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 14.5% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 17 A-level subjects. 28.1% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 6.8% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.36 — 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.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.4× capacity.

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

In the 2024/25 academic year, there was 1 permanent exclusion. The average suspension rate was 6.1 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

Grade 5+ E&M

40.50%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)14.5%

Entering EBacc50.50%

EBacc APS4

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.07

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc54.20%

EBacc APS3.96

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.24

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

41.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc48%

EBacc APS3.65

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.21

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc42%

EBacc APS3.78

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc30%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.21

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

41.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc61%

EBacc APS3.61

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.07

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc55%

EBacc APS3.88

explore

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

91%

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

Apprenticeships0%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

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

Apprenticeships2%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)90%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)95%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)95%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

workspace_premium

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

-0.36

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*–A6.8%

Achieving A*–B28.1%

VA Banding Below average

Retention rate84.6%

A-level subjects offered17

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.23

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

D+

Students

Retention rate88.60%

2023

Avg Grade

D+

Students

Retention rate96.90%

2022

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate90.0%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

10 October 2023

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

17 September 2019

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

15 May 2018

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

10 December 2014

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

10 August 2012

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

Inspection Report

Inspection History

5 Evaluations

2023-10-10

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2019-09-17

S5 Inspection EIF

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Requires improvement

Development

Good

Leadership

Requires improvement

2018-05-15

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2014-12-10

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2010-11-24

None Legacy

Good

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

Good

history Predecessor Link

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

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

Suspension Rate

4.7%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

3.2%(31 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 982 pupils. During this period, there were 46 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 4.7%, 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)	982	46	4.7%	7.3%	1
2024/25 (Autumn term)	983	73	7.4%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,046	68	6.5%	7.4%	1
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,037	60	5.8%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,034	36	3.5%	8.2%	1
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,092	25	2.3%	6.6%	2
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,092	28	2.6%	6.4%	1
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,098	35	3.2%	5.9%	1
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,163	39	3.4%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,167	24	2.1%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,171	34	2.9%	4.4%	2
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,247	51	4.1%	3.6%	1
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,251	7	0.6%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,256	38	3.0%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,244	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,244	45	3.6%	3.2%	2
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,252	42	3.4%	4.2%	3
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,179	26	2.2%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,203	26	2.2%	3.8%	1
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,204	26	2.2%	3.8%	2
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,190	25	2.1%	3.4%	1
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,191	19	1.6%	3.0%	5
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,215	38	3.1%	3.7%	2
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,105	22	2.0%	3.0%	1
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,099	46	4.2%	3.3%	3
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,109	46	4.1%	3.1%	5

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

accessibility_new

psychology_alt

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 61 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 26 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 24 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 17 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 8 pupils

Physical Disability 6 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 6 pupils

Hearing Impairment 1 pupils

Visual Impairment 1 pupils

Top Secondary Schools in Hertfordshire

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

Dame Alice Owen's School

Outstanding

location_on Potters Bar, EN6 2DU

emoji_events #1 in LA

Watford Grammar School for Boys

Outstanding

location_on Watford, WD18 7JF

emoji_events #2 in LA

Watford Grammar School for Girls

Outstanding

location_on Watford, WD18 0AE

emoji_events #3 in LA

Parmiter's School

Outstanding

location_on Watford, WD25 0UU

emoji_events #4 in LA

St Clement Danes School

Outstanding

location_on Rickmansworth, WD3 6EW

emoji_events #5 in LA

Sandringham School

Outstanding

location_on St Albans, AL4 9NX

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in Hertfordshire arrow_forward

St Mary's Church of England High School (VA)

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Faith Priority (Church of England)

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Hertfordshire

Dame Alice Owen's School

Watford Grammar School for Boys

Watford Grammar School for Girls

Parmiter's School

St Clement Danes School

Sandringham School