The Boston Grammar School

About The Boston Grammar School

The Boston Grammar School sits within the Lincolnshire local authority, a selective boys' secondary with a sixth form that draws families from across the Boston area. In the local rankings for Progress 8, it places 3rd out of 5 schools in the Boston district, though when measured against all 57 state secondaries in the wider Lincolnshire authority, it ranks 40th. The top-performing peers in the county are The King's School, Grantham, Grantham College, and Bourne Grammar School, each with significantly higher Progress 8 scores. The school's own Progress 8 score of -0.43 places it in the bottom 50 nationally, and below the Lincolnshire average of -0.06. Headteacher John McHenry leads a school of 874 pupils, just shy of its 910 capacity, and the school is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 201 applications for 130 places, with 129 of those going to first-preference applicants.

Academically, the school's results present a mixed picture. At Key Stage 4, the Attainment 8 score stands at 51.3, and 62.2% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths. The EBacc average point score is 4.69, with 54.8% of pupils entering the EBacc combination and 20% achieving a grade 5 or above in it. However, Progress 8 is below average at -0.43, meaning pupils typically achieve nearly half a grade less per subject than similar students nationally. The picture is similar at A-level: the value added score is -0.35, also below average, and the average points per entry is 26.03, equivalent to a C- grade. Just 11.2% of entries achieved AAB or higher. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2021, the school was rated Good across all categories, a notable improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2018, when leadership and management and sixth form provision were both graded as Requires Improvement.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including science labs, music rooms, art studios, an astro turf pitch, and a dedicated sixth form centre. Sports provision covers cricket, rugby, swimming, basketball, badminton, and football, while extracurricular clubs include Eco Club, Model UN, Young Enterprise, and a gardening club. The school has a broad SEND offer, with provisions for autistic spectrum disorder, dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, speech and language needs, and social and emotional mental health support. With 13.8% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a reasonably diverse intake for a selective setting. Given its oversubscription and strong local reputation, this school will suit families who value a traditional boys' grammar environment and are comfortable with academic results that, while solid, sit below the strongest Lincolnshire grammars. The sixth form is a clear asset for those looking to stay on post-16.

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