Stanborough School

About Stanborough School

Stanborough School is a large mixed secondary and sixth form in Welwyn Hatfield, part of Hertfordshire’s state school landscape. It sits within a local authority that counts 26 outstanding-rated secondary schools among its 86 total, so competition is strong. The top-performing peers in the area, based on ranking scores, are Sandringham School, Yavneh College, and Dame Alice Owen’s School. Stanborough itself holds a Good rating from Ofsted, and its nearest outstanding alternative is Bishop’s Hatfield Girls’ School, about 3.5 kilometres away. With 1,261 pupils on roll against a stated capacity of 170, the school is clearly oversubscribed — a sign of its popularity among local families. The headteacher is Merry John, and the school has no religious character. It offers a full secondary age range from 11 to 18, with an official sixth form, and is a state-funded, mixed-gender institution.

Academically, Stanborough’s most recent results from the 2023/24 year show a solid performance. Its Attainment 8 score sits at 50.9, and the basics measure — pupils achieving grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSEs — stands at 70.6 per cent, with a grade 4 or above rate of 76.5 per cent. The EBacc average point score is 4.51, and 52.9 per cent of pupils entered the EBacc combination of subjects. Of those entered, 47.1 per cent achieved a grade 5 or above in the EBacc, and 41.2 per cent at grade 4 or above. Progress 8 data is not available for this school, so it is not possible to compare its value-added score against the Hertfordshire average of 0.18. However, the attainment figures suggest a school where most pupils leave with strong core GCSE results, and where the EBacc pathway is a significant focus for a majority of students.

The school’s facilities are extensive and include a swimming pool, astro turf, tennis courts, a theatre, and a sixth form centre, alongside specialist spaces like art studios, music rooms, and science labs. Sports offered range from cricket and rugby to gymnastics and rounders, and there is a good selection of clubs including chess, debate, coding, and Model UN. For families considering SEND support, no specific provisions are listed in the data, but the school’s size and range of facilities suggest it can accommodate a broad intake. Given its oversubscription and Good Ofsted rating, Stanborough is likely to suit families who want a large, well-equipped state secondary with a strong academic core and a wide choice of extracurricular activities, particularly those who value the EBacc route and a full sixth form on site.

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