Great Marlow School

Great Marlow School continues to perform well, maintaining its good status since its last inspection in 2017. The school emphasizes a holistic approach to education, focusing on both academic success and the well-being of its students. Pupils engage enthusiastically in a broad curriculum and take part in various clubs, sports, and activities. Notably, they benefit from a strong sense of inclusivity, particularly for students from diverse backgrounds, including recent Ukrainian arrivals. Staff are dedicated to fostering a supportive environment, ensuring that all pupils, including those with special educational needs, are well supported in their learning.

Strengths

• Strong emphasis on academic success and pupil well-being.
• High levels of pupil engagement and responsibility for their learning.
• Good support and inclusion for pupils with SEND.
• Broad and ambitious key stage 3 curriculum.
• Effective promotion of reading and literature appreciation.
• Active encouragement of pupils as confident citizens.
• Well-led school with strong support for staff.

Areas for Improvement

• Low take-up of modern foreign languages affecting English Baccalaureate attainment.
• Insufficient clarity in PSHE curriculum impacting pupil understanding.

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 Great Marlow School attended 91.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.3% 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, 4.2% of pupils at Great Marlow School 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 Great Marlow School had 15.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.0% 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, 11.1% of pupils at Great Marlow School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.9% 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 2023–24 Great Marlow School received £7,136 and spent £7,293 for each of its 1,446 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,314,000 (£909 per pupil).

Across all 3 schools of Marlow Education Trust, income was £6,964 and spending £7,286 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 Marlow · Buckinghamshire local authority: places and applications

Great Marlow School is part of Marlow Education Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Marlow Church of England Infant School Marlow
• Burford School Marlow
• Sir William Borlase's Grammar School Marlow
• Spinfield School Marlow
• Beechview Academy High Wycombe

What is Great Marlow School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Great Marlow School is Good, from an inspection in January 2023.

When was Great Marlow School last inspected by Ofsted?

Great Marlow School was last inspected in January 2023.

How many pupils does Great Marlow School have?

Great Marlow School has 1,395 pupils on roll.

What age range does Great Marlow School cover?

Great Marlow School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Great Marlow School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 49.2, and 49% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Great Marlow School?

Great Marlow School is at Bobmore Lane, Marlow, Buckinghamshire, SL7 1JE.