The Clere School

About The Clere School

The Clere School is a mixed state secondary in Basingstoke and Deane, part of the Hampshire local authority, serving 468 pupils aged 11 to 16. It operates without a sixth form or nursery provision and has a non-religious character. In the local landscape of Basingstoke and Deane, the school ranks 5th out of 7 secondary schools when measured by Progress 8, placing it in the bottom half of its immediate area. The top-performing peers in the same local authority include Sparsholt College Hampshire, Lift Winton, and Thornden School, all of which achieve significantly higher ranking scores. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2025 resulted in an overall effectiveness rating of Not Judged, but the graded inspection gave it Requires Improvement for quality of education and personal development, and Inadequate for behaviour and attitudes and leadership and management. This marks a decline from its previous Good rating in 2019, with the headteacher Jayne McLaren now leading the school through a period of required improvement.

Academically, the school’s 2023/24 GCSE results show a Progress 8 score of -0.62, which is well below average nationally and ranks it 2753rd out of 3141 schools. This is significantly lower than the Hampshire local authority average Progress 8 of -0.17. The Attainment 8 score sits at 39.1, and the basics measure for a grade 4 or above in English and maths is 63.9%, dropping to 37.5% for a grade 5 or above. Only 11.1% of pupils achieved the EBacc at grade 4 or above, and 25% entered the EBacc suite of subjects. The school’s EBacc average point score is 3.45. In the South East region, it ranks 395th out of 461 schools, placing it in the bottom 15% regionally. The Progress 8 breakdown shows the weakest area is open subjects at -0.99, while maths is the strongest at -0.18, though still negative. The school does not offer a sixth form, so all pupils leave after Year 11.

The school has a capacity of 725 but currently houses 468 pupils, leaving significant spare capacity. It was oversubscribed for 2025/26 entry, with 153 applications for 70 places and 56 first-preference offers. Facilities include a gymnasium, science labs, sports hall, playing fields, theatre, and an ICT suite, with sports ranging from tennis and cricket to rugby and football. Clubs include debate, science club, gardening, chess, orchestra, book club, and film club. The school provides support for a wide range of SEND needs, including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social and emotional mental health, speech and language communication, hearing and visual impairments, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent View responses from 84 respondents show 52% would recommend the school, though concerns are evident: only 38% agree pupils are well behaved, and just 17% agree SEND children receive the support they need. This school may suit families prioritising a smaller, local secondary with available places, but the Ofsted and academic data suggest significant challenges in behaviour, leadership, and outcomes that should be carefully weighed.

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