Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #12 in Surrey public Top 5% UK

The Ashcombe School

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

personMr Chris Panting

corporate_fareSOUTH EAST SURREY SCHOOLS EDUCATION TRUST

location_onDorking, RH4 1LY

language Visit Website phone 1306886312

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2019

groups

Students

1,478

trending_up

Attainment 8

57.1

leaderboard

GCSE Rank

#12 in Surrey

#354 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

The Ashcombe School is a Academy converter secondary school in Dorking, 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

The Ashcombe School is an academy converter in Dorking, Surrey, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of SOUTH EAST SURREY SCHOOLS EDUCATION TRUST. The school has approximately 1,513 pupils on roll, of whom 11% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 57.1, placing the school #12 in Surrey and #354 of 3,216 nationally. 67.80% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 34.4% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 25 A-level subjects. 55.7% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 23.9% at A*–A. A-level value added: +0.21 — students made above-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2019. The school's current overall rating is 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 17.6:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 2.2 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

57.1

Grade 5+ E&M

67.80%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)34.4%

Entering EBacc75.00%

EBacc APS5.42

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.27

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc72.50%

EBacc APS5.13

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.18

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

53.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc72%

EBacc APS5.12

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.08

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

55.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc84%

EBacc APS5.3

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc77%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.04

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

51.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc83%

EBacc APS5.03

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.07

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

50.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc78%

EBacc APS4.89

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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)94%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

100%

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

Apprenticeships2%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)0%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

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

Apprenticeships3%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

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

Apprenticeships3%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

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

Apprenticeships5%

EmploymentSP%

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

+0.21

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

149

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*6.7%

Achieving A*–A23.9%

Achieving A*–B55.7%

VA Banding Above average

Retention rate98.0%

A-level subjects offered25

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.34

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils do significantly better than expected at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

124

Retention rate100.00%

2023

Avg Grade

C+

Students

117

Retention rate98.30%

2022

Avg Grade

B-

Students

119

Retention rate100.0%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

22 May 2024

Inspection Report

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08 January 2019

Inspection Report

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06 January 2017

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2019-01-08

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2015-01-28

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2010-11-10

None EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

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

2.4%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.9%(29 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 1,513 pupils. During this period, there were 37 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 2.4%, 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
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,513	37	2.4%	7.3%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,515	29	1.9%	7.8%
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,494	22	1.5%	7.4%
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,496	15	1.0%	7.1%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,498	23	1.5%	8.2%
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,472	33	2.2%	6.6%
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,478	29	2.0%	6.4%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,481	28	1.9%	5.9%
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,468	31	2.1%	4.7%
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,476	47	3.2%	4.9%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,480	30	2.0%	4.4%
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,464	19	1.3%	3.6%
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,468	6	0.4%	1.0%
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,473	45	3.1%	3.9%
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,437	0	0.0%	0.0%
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,437	33	2.3%	3.2%
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,437	37	2.6%	4.2%
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,399	28	2.0%	3.1%
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,395	50	3.6%	3.8%
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,386	59	4.3%	3.8%
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,393	67	4.8%	3.4%
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,395	52	3.7%	3.0%
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,390	70	5.0%	3.7%

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 87 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 71 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 56 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 39 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 37 pupils

Hearing Impairment 3 pupils

Physical Disability 3 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 2 pupils

Visual Impairment 1 pupils

health_and_safety

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

95.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

96.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

21.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree46%

agree45%

disagree5%

strongly disagree2%

don't know3%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree38%

agree48%

disagree11%

strongly disagree1%

don't know2%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree52%

agree20%

disagree4%

strongly disagree2%

don't know1%

not applicable21%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes20%

no80%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree43%

agree39%

disagree13%

strongly disagree3%

dont know1%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree51%

agree41%

disagree6%

don't know2%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree54%

agree39%

disagree3%

strongly disagree2%

don't know2%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree52%

agree42%

disagree4%

strongly disagree1%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree63%

agree33%

disagree4%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree71%

agree27%

disagree1%

strongly disagree1%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree55%

agree36%

disagree5%

strongly disagree1%

don't know3%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes94%

no6%

Top Secondary Schools in Surrey

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

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Salesian School, Chertsey

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Outstanding

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Outstanding

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Hinchley Wood School

Outstanding

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Weydon School

Good

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St Peter's Catholic School

Outstanding

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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

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)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Surrey

Salesian School, Chertsey

Rosebery School

Gordon's School

Hinchley Wood School

Weydon School

St Peter's Catholic School