Hinchley Wood School

About Hinchley Wood School

Hinchley Wood School sits in Elmbridge, part of Surrey local authority, and ranks first among the five secondary schools in its immediate borough. That puts it ahead of local peers such as St Andrew's Catholic School, Gordon's School, and Salesian School, Chertsey, all of which are strong performers in their own right. Across the wider Surrey secondary landscape, Hinchley Wood places 11th out of 66 schools, placing it comfortably in the top tier. The school is a mixed, non-denominational state secondary with a sixth form, and it is significantly oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, there were 693 applications for 209 places, with 331 families listing it as their first preference. Of those, 204 received offers. That level of demand reflects a school that local families clearly hold in high regard, and the numbers back that up.

Academically, the school's most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023 awarded Outstanding across every category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision. That is a clean sweep. The previous inspection in 2011 also rated the school Outstanding overall, so this is a sustained record. At GCSE, the Progress 8 score is 0.68, which is well above average and significantly higher than the Surrey local authority average of 0.26. The Attainment 8 score sits at 60.5, and 88.4% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths. At A-level, the school's value-added score is 0.41, also well above average, with students averaging a B grade per entry and 27.4% achieving at least AAB in their best three A-levels. The sixth form is rated Outstanding too, and the progress banding is described as well above average.

The school is well equipped, with facilities including a swimming pool, sports hall, tennis courts, playing fields, science labs, music rooms, and a dedicated sixth form centre. Sports on offer include hockey, rugby, cricket, gymnastics, athletics, tennis, and swimming, while extracurricular options range from the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and Model UN to Young Enterprise, choir, and debate. SEND provision is broad, covering autistic spectrum disorder, dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, speech and language needs, and social, emotional and mental health support, with a dedicated SEN unit on site. With 6.1% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a relatively affluent area but still draws a diverse intake. Hinchley Wood is a strong fit for families who want a high-performing, oversubscribed state school with a proven track record from Year 7 through to sixth form, and who are prepared to compete for a place.

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