Ashlyns School
Foundation school · sixth form · 1,561 pupils
94% stayed in education · Attainment 8 57.9
Academy converter
Presdales School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,167of 1,061 places
- Free school meals
- 9.5%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 177
- Ofsted
- Outstanding, 6 March 2024Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Presdales School (URN 117506, until 1 April 2012).
What the data says
Of the 177 pupils who finished Year 11 at Presdales School in 2023, 72% stayed on in Presdales School’s own sixth form (Hertfordshire average 58%), 21% went to a further education college and 1% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 128 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 75% went to university (Hertfordshire 42%, England 37%), and 36% 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 58.9 against 46.1 across England and 50.6 in Hertfordshire, with 70% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
German is unusually popular at GCSE: 23% 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 | Presdales School | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 177 | 14,400 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 98% | 95% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 96% | 92% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 72% | 58% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 1% | 2% | 13% |
| — further education college | 21% | 31% | 37% |
| — other education | 2% | 1% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 2% | 3% |
| Employment | 1% | 2% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 1% | 3% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 1% | 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 | Presdales School | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 128 | 14,189 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 95% | 82% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 75% | 42% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 36% | 24% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 5% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 6% | 7% |
| Employment | 16% | 28% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 2% | 13% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Presdales School | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 58.9 | 50.6 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 70% | 53% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 90% | 72% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 83% | 47% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 5.57 | 4.56 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 9% | 18% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 39.6 | 34.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 60.8 | 54.1 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 7% | 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 | 175 | 99% | 89% | 38% | 20% | 93% |
| Mathematics | 175 | 99% | 88% | 32% | 22% | 92% |
| English Literature | 174 | 98% | 86% | 36% | 21% | 94% |
| Combined Science | 113 | 64% | 65% | 18% | 9% | 80% |
| Geography | 90 | 51% | 41% | 30% | 25% | 84% |
| History | 84 | 47% | 41% | 52% | 26% | 88% |
| Physics | 60 | 34% | 23% | 42% | 46% | 98% |
| Biology | 60 | 34% | 23% | 60% | 45% | 98% |
| Fine Art | 57 | 32% | 9% | 39% | 28% | 98% |
| Chemistry | 57 | 32% | 23% | 58% | 47% | 98% |
| Business Studies | 57 | 32% | 18% | 19% | 20% | 81% |
| Physical Education | 42 | 24% | 11% | 26% | 24% | 76% |
| German | 41 | 23% | 5% | 39% | 33% | 78% |
| French | 41 | 23% | 18% | 46% | 29% | 80% |
| Spanish | 40 | 23% | 19% | 25% | 27% | 88% |
| Italian | 38 | 21% | 0% | 45% | 53% | 84% |
| Design and Technology | 37 | 21% | 11% | 27% | 23% | 92% |
| Sociology | 35 | 20% | 4% | 43% | 21% | 94% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 33 | 19% | 8% | 33% | 21% | 85% |
| Drama | 25 | 14% | 7% | 44% | 27% | 96% |
| Religious Studies | 19 | 11% | 31% | 47% | 32% | 95% |
| Music | 12 | 7% | 5% | 67% | 33% | 100% |
| Russian | 11 | 6% | 0% | 82% | 87% | 100% |
| Computer Science | 8 | 5% | 13% | 50% | 30% | 100% |
| Photography | 1 | 1% | 6% | — | 19% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Music performance: Group | 1 | 1% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Presdales School | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 276 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 142 | 8,082 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B- | B- | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 37.66 | 36.82 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B- | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 11% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 43 | 30% | 23% |
| Media Studies | 40 | 28% | 4% |
| Mathematics | 37 | 26% | 31% |
| Sociology | 35 | 25% | 13% |
| Politics | 33 | 23% | 6% |
| Business Studies | 32 | 23% | 13% |
| Biology | 27 | 19% | 20% |
| Economics | 18 | 13% | 13% |
| Geography | 17 | 12% | 10% |
| Religious Studies | 15 | 11% | 4% |
| History | 14 | 10% | 13% |
| Chemistry | 14 | 10% | 17% |
| English Literature | 13 | 9% | 11% |
| Fine Art | 12 | 8% | 3% |
| Product Design | 12 | 8% | 2% |
| Photography | 11 | 8% | 3% |
| Physical Education | 10 | 7% | 3% |
| English Language and Literature | 9 | 6% | 2% |
| Physics | 7 | 5% | 12% |
| Further Mathematics | 6 | 4% | 5% |
| Music | — | — | 0% |
| Italian | — | — | 0% |
| Russian | — | — | 0% |
| German | — | — | 0% |
| Drama | — | — | 2% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| D and T Textiles Technology | — | — | 0% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finance / Accounting (General) | VRQ Level 3 | 20 | 14% | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | 12 | 8% | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | 6 | 4% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Hertfordshire
Barclay Academy
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91% stayed in education · Attainment 8 49.5
Barnwell School
Foundation school · sixth form · 1,270 pupils
88% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.5
Beaumont School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,722 pupils
98% stayed in education · Attainment 8 62.6
Birchwood High School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,417 pupils
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.