Hardenhuish School

About Hardenhuish School

Hardenhuish School’s headline Progress 8 score of 0.14 places it comfortably above the Wiltshire local authority average of -0.01 for secondary schools, meaning pupils here typically achieve about a tenth of a grade more per subject than their peers across the county. That positive value is backed by a solid Attainment 8 score of 52.1, and the school ranks 10th out of 26 Wiltshire secondaries on this measure — putting it in the top half of the local league table. The school is also one of only a handful in the area to offer a sixth form, and its sixth-form value-added score of 0.25 is rated ‘Above average’, suggesting students continue to make strong progress post-16. While the school is not among the top three grammar schools in the LA, its performance is clearly above the typical Wiltshire state secondary, and it achieves this without a selective intake.

In its most recent graded Ofsted inspection, carried out in 2013, the school was rated Good overall, with both leadership and management and the sixth-form provision judged Good. An ungraded inspection in 2023 confirmed the school remains Good. The previous inspection in 2008 had rated it Outstanding, so the current rating represents a slight step down, but the school has held a Good rating across its two most recent inspections. At KS4, 77.8% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths, and 54% achieved a grade 5 or above. The EBacc average point score sits at 4.6, with 30.5% of pupils entering the EBacc combination of subjects. At A-level, the average points per entry is 34.97 (equivalent to a C+ grade), and the best three A-levels average out at a B- grade. Progress in maths is slightly positive at 0.04, while English progress is marginally negative at -0.09.

The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, it received 548 applications for 247 places, with 288 first-preference applications for 246 first-preference offers — an oversubscription ratio of 2.22. This suggests strong local demand. Facilities include a theatre, music rooms, art studios, a sixth-form centre, and a full range of sports amenities including tennis courts, a sports hall, and a gymnasium. The school offers a wide range of clubs from choir and orchestra to coding, debate, and Model UN, and fields teams in rowing, rugby, cricket, and swimming. SEND provision is broad, covering dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional needs, speech and language issues, hearing and visual impairments, physical disabilities, and autistic spectrum disorder. This is a large, popular comprehensive with a strong sixth form, suited to families who want a well-subscribed local school with above-average academic outcomes and a wide co-curricular offer.

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