Ashlyns School
Foundation school · sixth form · 1,561 pupils
94% stayed in education · Attainment 8 57.9
Academy converter
Simon Balle All-Through School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,617of 1,037 places
- Free school meals
- 9.8%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 177
- Ofsted
- School remains Outstanding, 25 April 2024Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Simon Balle School (URN 117519, until 1 November 2013).
What the data says
Of the 171 pupils who finished Year 11 at Simon Balle All-Through School in 2023, 57% stayed on in Simon Balle All-Through School’s own sixth form (Hertfordshire average 58%), 36% went to a further education college and 1% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 132 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 46% went to university (Hertfordshire 42%, England 37%), and 22% 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 55.4 against 46.1 across England and 50.6 in Hertfordshire, with 64% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Business Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 55% of the year group took it, against 18% 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 | 171 | 14,400 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 96% | 95% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 94% | 92% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 57% | 58% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | 2% | 13% |
| — further education college | 36% | 31% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 1% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 2% | 3% |
| Employment | 1% | 2% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 3% | 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 | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 132 | 14,189 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 83% | 82% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 46% | 42% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 22% | 24% | 19% |
| Further education | 3% | 5% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 9% | 6% | 7% |
| Employment | 24% | 28% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 9% | 13% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 55.4 | 50.6 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 64% | 53% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 84% | 72% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 49% | 47% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.99 | 4.56 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 12% | 18% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 48.1 | 34.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 56.3 | 54.1 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 10% | 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 | 177 | 100% | 89% | 27% | 20% | 85% |
| Mathematics | 177 | 100% | 88% | 29% | 22% | 89% |
| English Literature | 177 | 100% | 86% | 21% | 21% | 83% |
| Geography | 113 | 64% | 41% | 26% | 25% | 76% |
| Business Studies | 98 | 55% | 18% | 20% | 20% | 69% |
| Biology | 94 | 53% | 23% | 37% | 45% | 93% |
| Physics | 94 | 53% | 23% | 36% | 46% | 87% |
| Chemistry | 93 | 53% | 23% | 39% | 47% | 87% |
| Combined Science | 83 | 47% | 65% | 14% | 9% | 58% |
| History | 56 | 32% | 41% | 34% | 26% | 73% |
| Psychology | 45 | 25% | 3% | 38% | 22% | 71% |
| Spanish | 43 | 24% | 19% | 40% | 27% | 77% |
| French | 41 | 23% | 18% | 44% | 29% | 78% |
| 3D Design | 40 | 23% | 2% | 23% | 16% | 80% |
| Physical Education | 36 | 20% | 11% | 25% | 24% | 72% |
| Computer Science | 28 | 16% | 13% | 43% | 30% | 71% |
| Art and Design | 22 | 12% | 7% | 27% | 24% | 82% |
| Photography | 21 | 12% | 6% | 24% | 19% | 67% |
| Textiles | 17 | 10% | 2% | 24% | 27% | 88% |
| Music | 16 | 9% | 5% | 44% | 33% | 100% |
| Religious Studies | 13 | 7% | 31% | 54% | 32% | 77% |
| Statistics | 12 | 7% | 5% | 58% | 20% | 100% |
| Drama | 8 | 5% | 7% | 38% | 27% | 100% |
| Portuguese | 3 | 2% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Russian | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Japanese | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Italian | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Chinese | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
| Polish | 1 | 1% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Modern Greek | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 33% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Music performance: Group | 14 | 16% | — |
| Sports Studies | 10 | 11% | — |
| Music performance: Group | 3 | 3% | — |
| Music performance: Group | 1 | 1% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 215 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 89 | 8,082 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B | B- | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 38.82 | 36.82 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 28% | 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 | 29 | 33% | 31% |
| English Literature | 24 | 27% | 11% |
| Psychology | 17 | 19% | 23% |
| Chemistry | 16 | 18% | 17% |
| Business Studies | 15 | 17% | 13% |
| Economics | 14 | 16% | 13% |
| Geography | 14 | 16% | 10% |
| Biology | 13 | 15% | 20% |
| Sociology | 11 | 12% | 13% |
| Further Mathematics | 11 | 12% | 5% |
| Physics | 11 | 12% | 12% |
| Film Studies | 10 | 11% | 2% |
| Art and Design | 10 | 11% | 1% |
| History | 8 | 9% | 13% |
| Politics | 8 | 9% | 6% |
| Music | 7 | 8% | 0% |
| Religious Studies | 7 | 8% | 4% |
| 3D Design | 6 | 7% | 1% |
| Computer Science | — | — | 5% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 13 | 15% | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | 12 | 13% | — |
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 12 | 13% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 9 | 10% | — |
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma at Level 3 | 8 | 9% | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-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.