Bushey Meads School

About Bushey Meads School

Bushey Meads School’s most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2025 judged its overall effectiveness as “Not judged” because the school was visited under a new framework, but the graded judgements were clear: the school now Requires Improvement for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management. That’s a step down from its previous Good rating in 2019, when all areas were graded Good or better, including Outstanding for personal development and sixth-form provision. The most telling exam metric is Progress 8, which measures how much pupils improve between Year 7 and 11 compared with the national average. Bushey Meads scored -0.45, meaning pupils left with nearly half a grade less per subject than expected. That places the school in the bottom 50 nationally, ranked 4th out of 6 schools in the Hertsmere local authority area, and well below the Hertfordshire LA average Progress 8 score of 0.18.

At GCSE, the school’s Attainment 8 score sits at 42.1, and just 40.8% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths. Only 6.5% of pupils entered the EBacc combination of subjects, and of those, just 3.3% achieved a grade 5 or above in all components. In the sixth form, the picture is more mixed: the value-added score is -0.1, which is classed as Average, and the average points per entry is 30.05, equivalent to a C grade. The best three A-levels averaged a C grade too, with 7.5% of entries achieving AAB or higher. The sixth form itself was rated Good by Ofsted, which is a bright spot. Parents responding to the Ofsted Parent View survey were split: 64% would recommend the school, but only 45% agreed their child is happy, and just 39% felt behaviour is well managed. On SEND support, 28% disagreed that children get the help they need, against 27% who agreed.

Bushey Meads is a large secondary with 1,236 pupils and a sixth form, operating below its 1,300 capacity. It’s oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 572 applications for 189 places, with 112 first-preference applications and 92 first-preference offers. The school has a broad range of facilities, including a swimming pool, astro turf, tennis courts, science labs, and a sixth form centre. Clubs and activities are well regarded by parents — 87% agreed there’s a good range — and include orchestra, drama, Model UN, and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. SEND provision is extensive, covering 12 categories including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, and a resourced provision. This is a school that suits families who value a wide extracurricular offer and a sixth form that’s performing at an average level, but who are prepared for a secondary school that’s currently working through leadership and behaviour challenges flagged by Ofsted.

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