Ashlyns School
Foundation school · sixth form · 1,561 pupils
94% stayed in education · Attainment 8 57.9
Academy sponsor led
Samuel Ryder Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 1,577of 1,520 places
- Free school meals
- 19.8%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 185
- Ofsted
- Report card, 21 April 2026Read the Ofsted report
Curriculum and teaching Strong standardAchievement Expected standardAttendance and behaviour Strong standardPersonal development and wellbeing Strong standardInclusion Strong standardLeadership and governance Strong standardPost-16 provision Expected standardSafeguarding Met
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Francis Bacon School (URN 117574, until 1 September 2012).
What the data says
Of the 160 pupils who finished Year 11 at Samuel Ryder Academy in 2023, 58% stayed on in Samuel Ryder Academy’s own sixth form (Hertfordshire average 58%), 33% went to a further education college and 2% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 73 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 66% went to university (Hertfordshire 42%, England 37%), and 13% 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 56.5 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%).
Media Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 39% of the year group took it, against 4% 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 | Samuel Ryder Academy | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 160 | 14,400 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 94% | 95% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 92% | 92% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 58% | 58% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | 2% | 13% |
| — further education college | 33% | 31% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 1% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 2% | 3% |
| Employment | 1% | 2% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 3% | 3% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 3% | 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 | Samuel Ryder Academy | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 73 | 14,189 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 89% | 82% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 66% | 42% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 13% | 24% | 19% |
| Further education | 3% | 5% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 6% | 7% |
| Employment | 18% | 28% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 8% | 13% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Samuel Ryder Academy | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 56.5 | 50.6 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 70% | 53% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 82% | 72% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 40% | 47% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.96 | 4.56 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 15% | 18% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 43.5 | 34.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 58.8 | 54.1 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 16% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 185 | 100% | 88% | 31% | 22% | 85% |
| English Language | 185 | 100% | 89% | 30% | 20% | 79% |
| English Literature | 182 | 98% | 86% | 30% | 21% | 86% |
| Combined Science | 134 | 72% | 65% | 10% | 9% | 72% |
| History | 91 | 49% | 41% | 48% | 26% | 87% |
| Business Studies | 84 | 45% | 18% | 30% | 20% | 85% |
| Spanish | 78 | 42% | 19% | 31% | 27% | 69% |
| Media Studies | 73 | 39% | 4% | 33% | 20% | 92% |
| Geography | 65 | 35% | 41% | 40% | 25% | 77% |
| Biology | 51 | 28% | 23% | 55% | 45% | 96% |
| Physics | 49 | 26% | 23% | 71% | 46% | 100% |
| Chemistry | 49 | 26% | 23% | 69% | 47% | 100% |
| Design and Technology | 44 | 24% | 11% | 16% | 23% | 84% |
| Physical Education | 43 | 23% | 11% | 26% | 24% | 86% |
| Religious Studies | 39 | 21% | 31% | 56% | 32% | 90% |
| Computer Science | 37 | 20% | 13% | 24% | 30% | 70% |
| Art and Design | 35 | 19% | 7% | 31% | 24% | 100% |
| Graphic Communication | 28 | 15% | 1% | 21% | 23% | 82% |
| French | 27 | 15% | 18% | 33% | 29% | 67% |
| Drama | 25 | 14% | 7% | 32% | 27% | 72% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 17 | 9% | 8% | 35% | 21% | 71% |
| Dance | 14 | 8% | 1% | 29% | 27% | 71% |
| Music | 7 | 4% | 5% | 29% | 33% | 86% |
| Chinese | 5 | 3% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
| Modern Greek | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 33% | — |
| Russian | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tourism | 11 | 15% | — |
| Health Studies | 9 | 13% | — |
| Childcare Skills | 1 | 1% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Samuel Ryder Academy | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 170 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 71 | 8,082 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B- | B- | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 35.38 | 36.82 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B- | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 10% | 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 | 26 | 37% | 31% |
| Media Studies | 16 | 23% | 4% |
| Sociology | 14 | 20% | 13% |
| Business Studies | 13 | 18% | 13% |
| Religious Studies | 12 | 17% | 4% |
| History | 11 | 15% | 13% |
| Product Design | 11 | 15% | 2% |
| Politics | 10 | 14% | 6% |
| Psychology | 10 | 14% | 23% |
| English Language | 8 | 11% | 4% |
| English Literature | 7 | 10% | 11% |
| Geography | 7 | 10% | 10% |
| Physics | 6 | 8% | 12% |
| Economics | 6 | 8% | 13% |
| Computer Science | 6 | 8% | 5% |
| Physical Education | 6 | 8% | 3% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
| Art and Design | — | — | 1% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
| Biology | — | — | 20% |
| Chemistry | — | — | 17% |
| Drama | — | — | 2% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| Japanese | — | — | 0% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Modern Greek | — | — | 0% |
| Music | — | — | 0% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 9 | 13% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 9 | 13% | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | 8 | 11% | — |
| Multimedia | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Hertfordshire
Barclay Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 1,044 pupils
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.