The Mountbatten School
102%
Capacity
1,458
Pupils
2.0x
Demand
About The Mountbatten School
The Mountbatten School sits within the Hampshire local authority and ranks 2nd out of 5 secondary schools in the Test Valley borough, placing it in the top 40% of its immediate area. Among its top-performing peers in the wider county are Sparsholt College Hampshire, Lift Winton, and Thornden School, which all achieve higher ranking scores. The school is a large, non-selective, mixed state secondary for pupils aged 11 to 16, with no sixth form. It is oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 academic year, it received 575 applications for 291 places, with 286 first-preference offers made from 313 first-preference applications, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.98. The headteacher is Christopher Cox, and the school does not have a religious character. With 13% of pupils eligible for free school meals, it serves a broadly representative local community.
Academically, the school performs well above the Hampshire average. Its Progress 8 score of 0.17 is significantly higher than the local authority average of -0.17, meaning pupils make stronger progress than their peers across the county. The Attainment 8 score stands at 53.7, and 80.4% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths, with 54.9% reaching grade 5 or above. The EBacc average point score is 4.65, and 22.4% of pupils entered the EBacc, with 17.8% achieving a strong pass. In its most recent graded inspection in 2015, the school was rated Good overall, and an ungraded inspection in January 2024 confirmed it remains Good, with leadership and management also rated Good. The school has held a Good rating across both its recent inspections, with the previous inspection in 2009 also rating overall effectiveness as Good.
The school offers a wide range of facilities including a swimming pool, gymnasium, sports hall, science labs, ICT suite, theatre, and a chapel. Sports on offer include cricket, basketball, dance, rugby, football, rowing, and swimming, while clubs cover debate, orchestra, film club, coding, and Model UN. SEND provisions are comprehensive, covering specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. This makes the school well-suited to families seeking a large, inclusive secondary with strong academic outcomes relative to the local area, a clear oversubscription pattern, and a broad extracurricular offer. Its lack of a sixth form means pupils will need to plan for post-16 options elsewhere.
Key Details
| School Type | Secondary (State) |
| Age Range | 11 to 16 years |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Religious Character | Does not apply |
| Address | Whitenap Lane, Romsey, Test Valley, SO51 5SY |
| Headteacher | Christopher Cox |
| Local Authority | Hampshire |
| Number of Pupils | 1,458 |
| Free School Meals (FSM) | 13.0% |
| School Capacity | 1,458 / 1,424 (102% full) |
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
24 Jan 2024Overall Effectiveness
Good
Latest inspection (24 Jan 2024): School remains Good
Source: Ofsted, 27 Apr 2015. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
League Table Position
Based on Progress 8 (+0.17)
1146th of 3,141
Nationally
181st of 461
In South East
2nd of 5
In Test Valley
Source: Classpot analysis of DfE Progress 8 data
GCSE Results
2023/24Progress 8 Score
Students make more progress than similar students nationally
Attainment 8 (vs national avg)
Students achieve significantly higher grades than the national average
Source: Department for Education, 2023/24. Progress 8 compares to students with similar Key Stage 2 results.
Where GCSE leavers go
2022/232%
of GCSE leavers stay on for sixth form at this school (cohort: 270 pupils).
- Sixth form college57%
- FE college26%
- Employment6%
- Apprenticeship5%
- Not sustained4%
- School sixth form (stay)2%
96% of leavers had a sustained destination 6 months on.
Source: DfE Compare School & College Performance, KS4 pupil destinations 2022/23 (revised). Only state-funded schools are required to report.
SEND Support
Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
Facilities
8Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
12Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
Admissions
2025/26Oversubscribed291
575
Good Demand
Popular school with more applications than places
313 families put this school as their 1st choice (54% of all applications)
Source: Department for Education, 2025/26. Data reflects national offer day applications and offers.
Class profile
2024/25Better than 75% of schools in England.
Better than half of schools in England.
Lower is generally better — fewer pupils per teacher or per class means more individual attention. Sources: DfE School Workforce Census & Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Pupils & demographics
2024/25Below the national average (25%).
Lower than the national median (10%) — mostly English as first language.
Ethnic background
- White British75.7%
- Mixed11.8%
- White (other)7.4%
- Asian2.2%
Source: DfE Schools, pupils and their characteristics (2024/25). Percentages may not sum to 100% — pupils classified as “unclassified”, “refused” or minor categories are not shown.
Attendance & Behaviour
2024/2575% of schools in England do better than this.
Half of schools in England do better than this.
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
A pupil temporarily sent home for behaviour.
Like most schools in England, no pupils were permanently excluded this year.
Ranks vs all state-funded schools in England. Source: DfE Pupil absence in schools & Suspensions and permanent exclusions.
Catchment & Local Competition
No catchment data published for this school
The dashed grey ring is a generic 1-mile reference area — it's not an admission boundary. Real catchment depends on year, demand, and council criteria. We currently have real data for about 6% of UK schools and are actively expanding the database.
⚠ This school is oversubscribed — without published cutoff data we can't show how far places reach. Check your council's admissions page.
Schools within 1 mile (reference area)
1 mile is a fixed reference, not this school's catchment.
2
Total schools
2
Oversubscribed
1
Primary
Don’t use the dashed grey ring as a catchment boundary — it’s a reference area for counting nearby schools only. Real admission boundaries depend on year-by-year demand and council criteria; ask the school or council for authoritative info.
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Frequently Asked Questions About The Mountbatten School
Helpful Guides for Parents
Ofsted Ratings Explained
Understand the 4 Ofsted ratings and what they mean
Understanding Progress 8
Learn how Progress 8 measures pupil progress from primary to GCSE
SEN & EHCP: A Parent's Guide
Understanding SEN support, EHC Plans and your legal rights
Understanding School Catchment Areas
How admission distances work and tips for maximising your choices
Contact Information
Whitenap Lane, Romsey
Test Valley, SO51 5SY
Journey to School
Journey times are estimates based on current conditions. Actual times may vary.
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