Ashlyns School
Foundation school · sixth form · 1,561 pupils
94% stayed in education · Attainment 8 57.9
Academy converter
Watford Grammar School for Boys
- Pupils on roll
- 1,590of 1,496 places
- Free school meals
- 6.5%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 222
- Ofsted
- Report card, 14 April 2026Read the Ofsted report
Curriculum and teaching ExceptionalAchievement ExceptionalAttendance and behaviour Strong standardPersonal development and wellbeing ExceptionalInclusion ExceptionalLeadership and governance ExceptionalPost-16 provision ExceptionalSafeguarding Met
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Watford Grammar School for Boys (URN 117573, until 1 September 2010).
What the data says
Of the 227 pupils who finished Year 11 at Watford Grammar School for Boys in 2023, 84% stayed on in Watford Grammar School for Boys’ own sixth form (Hertfordshire average 58%), 10% went to a further education college and 1% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 218 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 77% went to university (Hertfordshire 42%, England 37%), and 56% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were well above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 68.9 against 46.1 across England and 50.6 in Hertfordshire, with 83% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
German is unusually popular at GCSE: 28% of the year group took it, against 5% of pupils across England.
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Hertfordshire and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 227 | 14,400 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 99% | 95% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 97% | 92% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 84% | 58% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 3% | 2% | 13% |
| — further education college | 10% | 31% | 37% |
| — other education | — | 1% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 2% | 3% |
| Employment | — | 2% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 1% | 3% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | — | 2% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 218 | 14,189 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 89% | 82% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 77% | 42% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 56% | 24% | 19% |
| Further education | 0% | 5% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 6% | 7% |
| Employment | 9% | 28% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 13% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 68.9 | 50.6 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 83% | 53% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 91% | 72% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 96% | 47% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 6.80 | 4.56 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 10% | 18% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 52.3 | 34.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 70.8 | 54.1 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 25% | 16% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 220 | 99% | 89% | 55% | 20% | 90% |
| Mathematics | 220 | 99% | 88% | 69% | 22% | 96% |
| English Literature | 219 | 99% | 86% | 55% | 21% | 92% |
| Geography | 180 | 81% | 41% | 65% | 25% | 88% |
| Physics | 173 | 78% | 23% | 77% | 46% | 99% |
| Biology | 173 | 78% | 23% | 75% | 45% | 99% |
| Chemistry | 173 | 78% | 23% | 75% | 47% | 98% |
| History | 107 | 48% | 41% | 70% | 26% | 91% |
| Computer Science | 96 | 43% | 13% | 53% | 30% | 86% |
| Spanish | 85 | 38% | 19% | 53% | 27% | 89% |
| French | 73 | 33% | 18% | 59% | 29% | 86% |
| German | 63 | 28% | 5% | 46% | 33% | 89% |
| Physical Education | 61 | 27% | 11% | 28% | 24% | 74% |
| Design and Technology | 55 | 25% | 11% | 51% | 23% | 91% |
| Combined Science | 47 | 21% | 65% | 9% | 9% | 60% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 47 | 21% | 8% | 32% | 21% | 81% |
| Religious Studies | 42 | 19% | 31% | 55% | 32% | 90% |
| Music | 28 | 13% | 5% | 64% | 33% | 93% |
| Classical Civilisation | 16 | 7% | 1% | 50% | 40% | 81% |
| Art and Design | 15 | 7% | 7% | 20% | 24% | 73% |
| Latin | 5 | 2% | 1% | — | 74% | — |
| Arabic | 3 | 1% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Polish | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Economics | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 34% | — |
| Portuguese | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Chinese | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Music performance: Group | 3 | 1% | — |
| Music performance: Group | 3 | 1% | — |
| Music performance: Group | 1 | 0% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 489 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 245 | 8,082 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B | B- | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 39.56 | 36.82 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 27% | 19% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 182 | 74% | 31% |
| Economics | 110 | 45% | 13% |
| Physics | 73 | 30% | 12% |
| Chemistry | 63 | 26% | 17% |
| Further Mathematics | 52 | 21% | 5% |
| Psychology | 48 | 20% | 23% |
| Computer Science | 48 | 20% | 5% |
| Biology | 45 | 18% | 20% |
| History | 32 | 13% | 13% |
| Geography | 32 | 13% | 10% |
| Politics | 28 | 11% | 6% |
| English Literature | 11 | 4% | 11% |
| Religious Studies | 9 | 4% | 4% |
| Product Design | 9 | 4% | 2% |
| Music | 8 | 3% | 0% |
| French | 6 | 2% | 1% |
| Film Studies | 6 | 2% | 2% |
| Art and Design | — | — | 1% |
| Ancient History | — | — | 0% |
| English Language and Literature | — | — | 2% |
| German | — | — | 0% |
| Latin | — | — | 0% |
| Modern Greek | — | — | 0% |
| Physical Education | — | — | 3% |
| Russian | — | — | 0% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
| Turkish | — | — | 0% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 30 | 12% | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | 28 | 11% | — |
| German | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| German | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Hertfordshire
Barclay Academy
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91% stayed in education · Attainment 8 49.5
Barnwell School
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88% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.5
Beaumont School
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Birchwood High School
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85% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.1
Bishop's Hatfield Girls' School
Academy converter · sixth form · 942 pupils
97% stayed in education · Attainment 8 51.9
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.