Ofsted: Outstanding trending_up Popular emoji_events #20 in Hertfordshire public Top 5% UK

Hitchin Boys' School

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

personMr Timothy Bennett

corporate_fareHITCHIN BOYS' SCHOOL

location_onHitchin, SG5 1JB

language Visit Website phone 1462432181

verified

Ofsted

Outstanding

Inspected 2016

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Students

1,307

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Attainment 8

57.1

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GCSE Rank

#24 in Hertfordshire

#354 of 3,216 nationally

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Hitchin Boys' School is a Academy converter secondary school in Hitchin, serving ages 11-18. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted — the highest possible grade. Demand is above capacity (1.2×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Hitchin Boys' School is an academy converter in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of HITCHIN BOYS' SCHOOL. The school has approximately 1,357 pupils on roll, of whom 8% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 57.1, placing the school #24 in Hertfordshire and #354 of 3,216 nationally. 66.70% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 32.8% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 27 A-level subjects. 57.5% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 32.7% at A*–A. A-level value added: +0.17 — students made above-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2016. The school's current overall rating is Outstanding.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.2× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 16.3:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 2.5 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

57.1

Grade 5+ E&M

66.70%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)32.8%

Entering EBacc82.90%

EBacc APS5.5

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.57

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

56.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc88.50%

EBacc APS5.52

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.39

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

57.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc81%

EBacc APS5.48

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.31

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc78%

EBacc APS5.43

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc83%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.41

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

59.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc83%

EBacc APS5.79

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.03

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

53.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc88%

EBacc APS5.18

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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

98%

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

Apprenticeships2%

EmploymentSP%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

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

Apprenticeships1%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

99%

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

Apprenticeships2%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

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

Apprenticeships0%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)94%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

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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 above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

138

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*14.3%

Achieving A*–A32.7%

Achieving A*–B57.5%

VA Banding Above average

Retention rate97.1%

A-level subjects offered27

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.1

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

127

Retention rate89.00%

2023

Avg Grade

C+

Students

122

Retention rate99.20%

2022

Avg Grade

B-

Students

125

Retention rate99.2%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

21 September 2021

Inspection Report

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26 January 2016

Inspection Report

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28 March 2014

Inspection Report

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04 January 2013

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2016-01-26

Maintained Academy and School Short inspection Legacy

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

2011-03-02

None Legacy

Good

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

1.6%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.5%(20 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 1,357 pupils. During this period, there were 22 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 1.6%, 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)	1,357	22	1.6%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,353	45	3.3%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,318	40	3.0%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,317	30	2.3%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,322	38	2.9%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,307	32	2.4%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,307	43	3.3%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,305	32	2.5%	5.9%	1
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,284	34	2.6%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,286	28	2.2%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,284	18	1.4%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,221	20	1.6%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,224	10	0.8%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,225	19	1.6%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,164	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,164	16	1.4%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,161	13	1.1%	4.2%	1
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,127	18	1.6%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,126	17	1.5%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,125	21	1.9%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,085	18	1.7%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,087	12	1.1%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,088	2	0.2%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,054	24	2.3%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,055	9	0.9%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,054	9	0.9%	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.

Specific Learning Difficulty 81 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 65 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 40 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 23 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 20 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 12 pupils

Physical Disability 5 pupils

Hearing Impairment 4 pupils