Robert Barclay Academy

About Robert Barclay Academy

Robert Barclay Academy sits just below the local authority average for Progress 8, with a score of 0.11 against Hertfordshire's 0.18. That's a modest gap, and it places the school 42nd out of 86 state secondaries in the county. Within its own borough of Broxbourne, it ranks 3rd out of 7 schools on the same metric, so it's comfortably in the top half locally. The school's Attainment 8 score of 42.7 and its basics measure — 58.9% of pupils achieving a grade 5 or above in English and maths — give a solid, if unspectacular, picture. What's more telling is the trajectory: in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, the school jumped from Requires Improvement to Good across every category, including behaviour, leadership, and personal development. That's a significant turnaround under headteacher Ced de la Croix, and suggests the current data may already be shifting.

Digging into the Progress 8 breakdown, the picture is mixed. Pupils made strong progress in English (0.25) and in the so-called 'open' bucket of qualifications (0.46), but progress in maths was negative (-0.22) and the EBacc subjects as a whole were slightly below average (-0.11). Only 12.5% of pupils entered the EBacc, well below national trends, and just 6.3% achieved a grade 5 or above in it. At sixth form, the picture is more challenging: the value-added score of -0.27 is rated 'Below average', and the average points per entry (27.31) equates to a C- grade. With only 34 pupils in the cohort, small numbers can skew results, but it's worth noting that no students achieved AAB or higher in at least two facilitating subjects. The school's overall Progress 8 banding is 'Average', which aligns with its national percentile ranking of around 41.

The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 136 Year 7 places in 2025/26, there were 528 applications, giving an oversubscription ratio of 3.88. Of those, 152 put it as their first preference, and 115 received offers. That level of demand suggests local families see value here, despite the middling headline scores. Facilities include a sixth form centre, science labs, playing fields, and a chapel. The school lists a wide range of SEND provisions, covering dyslexia, autism, speech and language needs, and physical disabilities, among others. Clubs range from coding and Model UN to gardening and orchestra, and sports include rugby, netball, and cricket. For parents weighing up options, this is a school that has demonstrably improved its Ofsted rating, is popular locally, and offers a broad curriculum — but the maths and sixth form results are areas to watch closely.

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