Classpot

Birchwood High School

East Hertfordshire, CM23 5BDSecondaryAges 11–18MixedState
Ofsted Inspection
Ofsted inspected
5 Good
Jan 2025
Progress 8
-0.08
Below average
−20+2
Competition
0.6×
Not oversubscribed
123 1st-choice / 211 places
Ranking
#1,734
of 3,141 nationally

About Birchwood High School

Birchwood High School, a large mixed secondary in East Hertfordshire, holds a Good rating from Ofsted following its most recent inspection in January 2025, with every assessed category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision — all judged Good. The single most telling exam metric is its Progress 8 score of -0.08, which places the school in the bottom 50 nationally and ranks it 9th out of 10 schools in its local authority area. This score means that, on average, pupils achieve slightly less than the national expected progress across eight GCSE subjects. The school’s Attainment 8 score sits at 48.1, and 49.4 per cent of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths. For context, the local authority average Progress 8 is 0.18, so Birchwood sits below that benchmark, though its maths Progress 8 score of 0.14 is a relative bright spot, showing pupils make expected progress in that subject.

Key Details

School TypeSecondary (State)
Age Range11 to 18 years
GenderMixed
Religious CharacterNone
AddressParsonage Lane, Bishop's Stortford, East Hertfordshire, CM23 5BD
HeadteacherSam Griffin
Local AuthorityHertfordshire
Number of Pupils1,454
Free School Meals (FSM)16.7%
School Capacity1,454 / 1,500 (97% full)
Sixth FormYes

The full report on this school

What 275 parents told Ofsted, the inspection in plain English, and how this school compares to nearby alternatives — all in one full school report.

  • Ofsted inspection in plain English
    Strengths, concerns and what inspectors flagged
  • Parent View survey results
    What parents told Ofsted — when the school has 10+ responses
  • Where Ofsted and parents disagree
    Gaps to probe + questions to ask at the open day
  • Admissions & catchment
    Admission criteria, distance cutoffs (where the LA publishes them)
  • Nearby schools compared
    Backup options with Ofsted, demand and distance
  • Attendance & behaviour data
    Persistent absentees, suspensions and exclusions vs national
See an example
One-off paymentNo subscriptionStripe checkout

Ofsted Inspection Breakdown

21 Jan 2025
View Report
Quality of Education
Good
Behaviour & Attitudes
Good
Personal Development
Good
Leadership & Management
Good
Sixth Form Provision
Good

From September 2024, Ofsted no longer assigns a single overall grade in inspections of state-funded schools.

Source: Ofsted, 20 Mar 2025. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.

Facilities

6
Swimming PoolICT SuiteAstro TurfArt StudiosSixth Form CentrePlaying Fields

Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.

Extracurriculars

18

Sports

BadmintonRugbyFootballMartial ArtsCricketBasketballAthleticsRowingCross Country

Clubs & Activities

Film ClubDuke of EdinburghDebateArt ClubYoung EnterpriseOrchestraChessGardeningChoir

Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.

SEND Support

AutismDyslexiaMental HealthSpeech & LanguageLearning DifficultyOther

Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.

Was this page helpful?

Frequently Asked Questions About Birchwood High School

Birchwood High School has been rated "Good" by Ofsted. This means the school provides a good standard of education and effectively supports all pupils to succeed.