Kennet School

About Kennet School

Kennet School, a large mixed secondary in West Berkshire, was rated Good overall in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2024, a change from its previous Outstanding rating. However, the inspection report itself is a story of nuance: while the overall effectiveness grade dropped, the school was judged Outstanding in three of the five individual categories — quality of education, personal development, and sixth-form provision. Leadership and management also retained an Outstanding rating. The only area rated Good was behaviour and attitudes. This split suggests a school that is still delivering excellent teaching and pastoral care, even if inspectors saw room for improvement in how pupils conduct themselves. The most telling academic metric is the school’s Progress 8 score of 0.15, which places it comfortably above the local authority average of 0.02 and ranks it 4th out of 9 secondary schools in West Berkshire. Nationally, that score sits in the 38th percentile, meaning pupils here make stronger progress than most schools across England.

At GCSE, Kennet’s Attainment 8 score sits at 47.5, and 68.8% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths, compared with 47.4% at the higher grade 5 threshold. The school’s EBacc average point score is 4.21, and 44% of pupils entered the EBacc suite of subjects. Progress across individual subjects is broadly positive: pupils make the strongest gains in the EBacc subjects (Progress 8 of 0.2) and in maths (0.17), while English progress is more modest at 0.03. In the sixth form, the school’s value-added score of 0.08 is rated Average, with students achieving an average of 35.1 points per entry, equivalent to a B- grade. The best three A-levels average out at a C+ grade. With 118 pupils in the cohort, the sixth form is sizeable and offers a points-per-entry grade of B-, which is a solid benchmark for a non-selective state school.

Kennet is a popular school, oversubscribed for 2025/26 with 379 applications for 294 places, and 260 first-preference offers made. The school has a broad range of facilities including a theatre, chapel, music rooms, art studios, and a dedicated sixth-form centre. Sports provision is extensive, with rowing, martial arts, rugby, and hockey among the options, and clubs include the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Young Enterprise, and debate. The school also has a strong SEND framework, with provisions for autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, and specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, as well as a resourced provision. With 17% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a reasonably diverse intake. This is a good fit for families who want a large, well-resourced secondary with strong academic progress, particularly in maths and EBacc subjects, and a sixth form that performs above the national average.

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