The Highcrest Academy

The Highcrest Academy is a kind and welcoming school with supportive parents and proud staff. While there is a sharp focus on personal development and a broad, ambitious curriculum, the evidence gathered during this recent ungraded inspection indicates that some aspects of the school's performance might not be as strong as at the last inspection in February 2020. The school has identified weaknesses in exam outcomes and is actively working to improve curriculum practices, yet it is still in the early stages of implementing effective teaching strategies across all subjects. The school is well-managed by a dedicated board of trustees who prioritize safeguarding and staff wellbeing.

Strengths

• Positive school environment that promotes kindness and respect.
• High academic ambitions with a broad and balanced curriculum.
• Effective pastoral care and support for pupils.
• Strong careers education with engagement from employers and training providers.
• Rigorous systems for identifying pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent clarity on expectations for strong examination results.
• Not all teaching approaches are effective or consistently applied.
• Reading strategy for weaker readers is not yet fully embedded.

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 Highcrest Academy attended 90.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 27.1% 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, 7.9% of pupils at The Highcrest Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 Highcrest Academy had 14.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.1% 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, 14.4% of pupils at The Highcrest Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.2% 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 2024–25 The Highcrest Academy received £8,263 and spent £8,102 for each of its 1,073 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £2,717,000 (£2,532 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in High Wycombe · Buckinghamshire local authority: places and applications

What is The Highcrest Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Highcrest Academy is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was The Highcrest Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Highcrest Academy was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does The Highcrest Academy have?

The Highcrest Academy has 1,045 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Highcrest Academy cover?

The Highcrest Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Highcrest Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 42.0, and 43% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Highcrest Academy?

The Highcrest Academy is at Hatters Lane, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP13 7NQ.