The Astley Cooper School

The Astley Cooper School is a 947-pupil secondary school serving a disadvantaged area of Hemel Hempstead, with free school meals eligibility at 36.77% and SEN support at 25.03%—both far above national averages. The school is judged to be performing at the 'expected standard' for inclusion and post-16 provision, but 'needs attention' in achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, leadership and governance, and personal development. Leaders demonstrate a clear moral purpose and an accurate understanding of priorities, and relationships between pupils and staff are a genuine strength. The provision for vulnerable pupils and those with SEND is thoughtfully planned and well led, and the small, highly inclusive post-16 provision is a model of strategic intent. Safeguarding standards are met.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility
• Inclusion is at the heart of the school's ethos, with provision for vulnerable pupils thoughtfully planned and well led
• Leaders use pupil premium funding effectively to tackle financial and academic barriers
• Pupils with SEND receive effective support, including laptops, one-to-one help and pastoral provision
• The Pathway Centre and alternative provision successfully support pupils with behaviour and engagement needs
• The small, highly inclusive post-16 provision ensures students with SEND can continue in a familiar, supportive environment with high retention
• Students benefit from a structured personal development offer, careers programmes and sustained successful destinations
• Behaviour across the school is calm and generally positive, with purposeful classrooms and clear routines
• Leaders have introduced a taught behaviour curriculum and restorative approaches that have reduced low-level disruption
• Staff benefit from a supportive, collaborative working environment with a strong focus on wellbeing
• Governance has recently strengthened, with greater strategic focus and improving capacity to support and challenge leaders
• Enrichment opportunities are broad and increasingly inclusive, with rising participation rates
• The school provides a comprehensive careers programme, including work experience in Years 10 and 12
• Pupils describe the school as safe and supportive and feel well cared for by trusted adults
• Almost all pupils move on to appropriate destinations, reflecting the school's focus on suitable pathways
• Targeted interventions in reading and mathematics are beginning to have a positive impact

Areas for Improvement

• Outcomes for pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils, remain below national averages across key measures
• Disadvantaged pupils' Progress 8 was -1.05 in 2023/24, well below the national non-disadvantaged score of 0.16
• Only 15.1% of disadvantaged pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths in 2024/25, compared with 53.1% nationally for non-disadvantaged pupils
• Attendance remains a significant barrier, with overall absence at 13.7% and persistent absence at 39.2%, both well above national averages
• Attendance rates for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND are still significantly below national averages
• The curriculum is appropriate in intent but implementation and impact are not yet consistently high enough
• Teachers sometimes do not use assessment information well enough to identify pupil gaps or adapt learning during lessons
• Staffing instability, pupil mobility and inconsistent attendance affect continuity in learning
• Variability in classroom practice remains too high, and improvement work is not yet consistently embedded
• Several initiatives, including sharing effective classroom practice, are at an early stage and have not secured consistent impact
• Governance improvements, while evident, require continued development to consistently raise standards
• Pupils' recall of fundamental British values and protected characteristics is weaker than in other topics
• Some derogatory language remains, indicating that the personal development programme is not yet fully promoting equality and respect
• Some pupils report variability in how bullying and derogatory language are addressed, with inconsistent follow-up
• Leaders' monitoring and quality assurance are not yet rigorous and precise across all areas of the school's work

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at The Astley Cooper School attended 86.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 39.2% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 16.7% of pupils at The Astley Cooper School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 8 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 The Astley Cooper School had 13.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.4% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 28.1% of pupils at The Astley Cooper School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 The Astley Cooper School received £9,130 and spent £9,626 for each of its 914 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,170,000 (£1,280 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Hemel Hempstead · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is The Astley Cooper School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Astley Cooper School is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was The Astley Cooper School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Astley Cooper School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does The Astley Cooper School have?

The Astley Cooper School has 914 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Astley Cooper School cover?

The Astley Cooper School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Astley Cooper School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 33.5, and 21% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Astley Cooper School?

The Astley Cooper School is at St Agnell's Lane, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 7HL.