Stopsley High School

About Stopsley High School

Stopsley High School in Luton was rated Good by Ofsted in its most recent inspection in 2022, a clear improvement from its previous Requires Improvement grade in 2018. The school’s Progress 8 score, which measures how much pupils progress between the end of primary school and their GCSEs compared with the national average, stands at -0.33. That places the school in the ‘Below average’ banding nationally and ranks it 9th out of 11 secondary schools in Luton. For context, the local authority average Progress 8 score is 0.03, so Stopsley’s result is below the typical progress made by pupils across Luton. The school’s Attainment 8 score, which reflects average GCSE performance across eight subjects, is 41.5. In terms of the basics measure, 63.7% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in both English and maths, though this drops to 42.2% when looking at grade 5 or above.

Looking more closely at the breakdown, Stopsley’s Progress 8 scores vary by subject area. Pupils made slightly positive progress in maths, with a score of 0.07, while English progress was broadly in line with the national average at -0.02. The weakest area was the EBacc subjects, where progress was -0.68. Only 19.1% of pupils entered the EBacc combination of subjects, and just 8.8% achieved a grade 4 or above across all five EBacc components. The school’s EBacc average point score is 3.44. In Luton, three schools are rated Outstanding by Ofsted, with the nearest being Icknield High School, 1.7 km away. Stopsley’s own Ofsted report rated all inspected categories as Good, including behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

Stopsley is a non-selective, mixed secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16, with no sixth form. It has 1,074 pupils on roll against a capacity of 1,350, and 29.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals. The school is oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 academic year, it received 449 applications for 221 places, with 128 first-preference offers made. Facilities include science labs, a theatre, a swimming pool, sports hall, tennis courts, and playing fields. Sports offered include football, rugby, rowing, cricket, and martial arts, while clubs range from gardening and choir to Model UN and coding. The school has a broad range of SEND provisions, including support for autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, and social, emotional and mental health needs, as well as a resourced provision. This is a school that has made solid progress in its Ofsted rating and offers a wide range of activities, but its academic outcomes are below the local average, which families prioritising high Progress 8 scores may want to weigh carefully.

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