Ashlyns School
Foundation school · sixth form · 1,561 pupils
94% stayed in education · Attainment 8 57.9
Academy converter
Birchwood High School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,417of 1,500 places
- Free school meals
- 18.2%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 243
- Ofsted
- Inspected, 21 January 2025Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Birchwood High School (URN 117549, until 1 November 2011).
What the data says
Of the 230 pupils who finished Year 11 at Birchwood High School in 2023, 45% stayed on in Birchwood High School’s own sixth form (Hertfordshire average 58%), 38% went to a further education college and 4% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 105 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 47% went to university (Hertfordshire 42%, England 37%), and 14% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Design and Technology is unusually popular at GCSE: 30% of the year group took it, against 11% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were in line with the national picture: Attainment 8 of 46.1 against 46.1 across England and 50.6 in Hertfordshire, with 42% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
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 | Birchwood High School | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 230 | 14,400 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 93% | 95% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 85% | 92% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 45% | 58% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 1% | 2% | 13% |
| — further education college | 38% | 31% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 1% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 2% | 3% |
| Employment | 3% | 2% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 6% | 3% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 2% | 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 | Birchwood High School | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 105 | 14,189 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 93% | 82% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 47% | 42% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 14% | 24% | 19% |
| Further education | 3% | 5% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 10% | 6% | 7% |
| Employment | 33% | 28% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 6% | 13% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Birchwood High School | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 46.1 | 50.6 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 42% | 53% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 64% | 72% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 36% | 47% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.02 | 4.56 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 16% | 18% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 37.7 | 34.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 47.7 | 54.1 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 11% | 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 | 240 | 99% | 89% | 13% | 20% | 68% |
| Mathematics | 240 | 99% | 88% | 20% | 22% | 72% |
| English Literature | 234 | 96% | 86% | 9% | 21% | 68% |
| Combined Science | 174 | 72% | 65% | 6% | 9% | 50% |
| Geography | 154 | 63% | 41% | 15% | 25% | 58% |
| History | 120 | 49% | 41% | 18% | 26% | 57% |
| Design and Technology | 74 | 30% | 11% | 15% | 23% | 59% |
| Physics | 65 | 27% | 23% | 42% | 46% | 89% |
| Chemistry | 64 | 26% | 23% | 38% | 47% | 88% |
| Biology | 64 | 26% | 23% | 36% | 45% | 88% |
| Physical Education | 49 | 20% | 11% | 16% | 24% | 71% |
| French | 48 | 20% | 18% | 33% | 29% | 71% |
| Fine Art | 46 | 19% | 9% | 13% | 28% | 91% |
| Spanish | 43 | 18% | 19% | 40% | 27% | 77% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 43 | 18% | 8% | 23% | 21% | 65% |
| Computer Science | 35 | 14% | 13% | 34% | 30% | 86% |
| Drama | 24 | 10% | 7% | 0% | 27% | 67% |
| Statistics | 21 | 9% | 5% | 81% | 20% | 100% |
| Music | 19 | 8% | 5% | 42% | 33% | 84% |
| Media Studies | 19 | 8% | 4% | 16% | 20% | 74% |
| Film Studies | 19 | 8% | 1% | 11% | 20% | 63% |
| Religious Studies | 15 | 6% | 31% | 27% | 32% | 73% |
| German | 11 | 5% | 5% | 27% | 33% | 82% |
| Dance | 8 | 3% | 1% | 25% | 27% | 63% |
| Portuguese | 6 | 2% | 0% | 83% | 50% | 100% |
| Russian | 3 | 1% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Chinese | 3 | 1% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
| Arabic | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Turkish | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 71% | — |
| Polish | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Business Management | 90 | 100% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 23 | 29% | — |
| Sports / Movement Science | 12 | 15% | — |
| Additional Mathematics FSMQ | 1 | 1% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Birchwood High School | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 240 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 79 | 8,082 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C+ | B- | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 32.07 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sociology | 29 | 37% | 13% |
| Mathematics | 18 | 23% | 31% |
| Computer Science | 13 | 16% | 5% |
| Psychology | 12 | 15% | 23% |
| Physics | 12 | 15% | 12% |
| Economics | 11 | 14% | 13% |
| Geography | 9 | 11% | 10% |
| Film Studies | 7 | 9% | 2% |
| Product Design | 7 | 9% | 2% |
| English Literature | 7 | 9% | 11% |
| History | 7 | 9% | 13% |
| Biology | 6 | 8% | 20% |
| German | — | — | 0% |
| Politics | — | — | 6% |
| Chemistry | — | — | 17% |
| English Language | — | — | 4% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Music | — | — | 0% |
| Religious Studies | — | — | 4% |
| Turkish | — | — | 0% |
| Drama | — | — | 2% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 27 | 34% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 22 | 28% | — |
| Finance / Accounting (General) | VRQ Level 3 | 21 | 27% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 14 | 18% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 9 | 11% | — |
| Speech and Drama | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 8 | 10% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 6 | 8% | — |
| Biology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Biology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
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
Bishop's Hatfield Girls' School
Academy converter · sixth form · 942 pupils
97% stayed in education · Attainment 8 51.9
Bushey Meads School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,200 pupils
95% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.6
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.