The Henry Box School

About The Henry Box School

The Henry Box School is a mixed secondary and sixth form in West Oxfordshire, part of the Oxfordshire local authority. Among the 46 secondary schools in the county, it ranks 30th by Progress 8 score, placing it in the bottom half locally. The top-performing peers in the area are The Cherwell School, Didcot Girls' School, and Bartholomew School, all of which achieve significantly higher Progress 8 scores. The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 281 applications for 129 places and 125 first-preference offers, indicating strong local demand despite its middling academic ranking. Headteacher Wendy Hemmingsley leads a school with a capacity of 1,469 but currently 1,075 pupils on roll, so there is some room for growth. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is 19.3%, slightly above the national average, and the school does not have a religious character. It has a sixth form and is not a boarding school.

In its most recent graded inspection in 2017, Ofsted rated the school Good overall, with Good for leadership and management and Good for sixth form provision. An ungraded inspection in 2023 confirmed the school remains Good. At Key Stage 4, the school's Progress 8 score is -0.32, which is below the Oxfordshire average of -0.07 and places it in the bottom 50 nationally. Attainment 8 is 39.2, and 56.2% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths. Only 11.8% of pupils entered the EBacc, and 7.1% achieved it at grade 5 or above. At A-level, the school performs better: the value added score is 0.12, which is average, and pupils achieved an average of 34.6 points per entry, equivalent to a C+ grade. The best three A-levels averaged a C+ grade, and 15% of entries were graded AAB or higher.

The school offers a wide range of facilities including a swimming pool, playing fields, gymnasium, library, music rooms, sports hall, science labs, a sixth form centre, art studios, and a chapel. Sports on offer include football, rugby, cricket, basketball, badminton, gymnastics, dance, cross country, martial arts, and rounders. Clubs include gardening, drama, eco club, choir, Young Enterprise, and Model UN. The school has extensive SEND provisions covering dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health, speech language and communication, hearing impairment, visual impairment, physical disability, autistic spectrum disorder, and other difficulties. This school will suit families who value a broad curriculum and strong extracurricular offer, particularly in sports and the arts, and who are comfortable with a school that is solidly Good but not academically outstanding at GCSE level. The sixth form is a relative strength, making it a sensible option for students who may thrive later in their school career.

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