Rodborough

Rodborough is a secondary school in the Weydon Multi Academy Trust. In this full inspection, inspectors found the school meeting the expected standard across all areas, with safeguarding requirements met. Pupils achieve well overall: key stage 4 outcomes are above national averages, attendance has improved, behaviour is positive, and the school is noticeably inclusive. The Cullum Centre provides specialist support for pupils with autism, and leaders support disadvantaged pupils, pupils with SEND, young carers, and children known to social care effectively. Strengths include a broad and ambitious curriculum, secure teaching, strong pastoral care, and a coherent personal development programme with rich enrichment opportunities. Trust oversight is effective and staff morale is high. However, some improvement work is not yet consistently embedded across all subjects. A few pupils have reading gaps because their precise needs have not been identified, and the systematic phonics programme is not fully embedded. Some disadvantaged pupils still do not achieve as well as they should, and attendance for disadvantaged pupils needs continued focus. Overall, this is an improving, well-led school with clear next steps.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve very well overall, with outcomes above national averages by the end of key stage 4.
• Disadvantaged pupils' outcomes have improved over time, with gaps narrowing.
• Pupils recall prior knowledge well and apply it to new content across subjects.
• Pupils use vocabulary confidently and accurately when discussing their learning.
• Attendance has been improved tenaciously and is now slightly above national averages.
• Persistent absence has decreased year on year and is below national levels.
• Leaders have established a very positive culture of behaviour with rare low-level disruption.
• Suspensions for pupils with SEND have reduced to be in line with national averages.
• The curriculum is typically broad and ambitious, with careful sequencing and embedded practice.
• Teachers demonstrate secure subject knowledge and explain new learning clearly.
• Assessment is generally used appropriately to identify gaps and support catch-up.
• Leaders identify pupils' needs quickly and accurately, starting from Year 5 where possible.
• The school has strong relationships with feeder primary schools that support positive transition.
• Disadvantaged pupils, pupils with SEND, children known to social care, and young carers receive timely, well-targeted support.
• The Cullum Centre provides structured support for pupils with autism and their families, using therapeutic approaches.
• Leaders use additional funding thoughtfully and liaise effectively with external agencies.
• Trust and school leaders know the school well and have secured sustained improvement since the previous inspection.
• Staff are positive, value high-quality professional learning, and report that leaders are mindful of workload.
• The personal development and wellbeing programme is coherent, well sequenced, and responsive to emerging issues.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of enrichment opportunities, including clubs, leadership roles, residentials, and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award.
• Pastoral provision is effective, with pupils feeling safe, supported, and able to ask for help.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching improvements are not yet consistently embedded across the curriculum, so implementation varies.
• Some pupils have gaps in their reading knowledge because the school has not identified precisely what pupils know and can do.
• A systematic phonics programme is not yet fully embedded for the few pupils who require phonics teaching.
• Some disadvantaged pupils do not achieve as well as they should, and the disadvantage gap remains substantial.
• Attendance for disadvantaged pupils still needs to become consistently high.
• Leaders recognise that curriculum implementation is not yet consistently strong.

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 Rodborough attended 91.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.6% 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, 6.3% of pupils at Rodborough 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 Rodborough had 16.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.9% 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, 13.2% of pupils at Rodborough were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 6.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 19 pupils.

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 Rodborough received £9,156 and spent £8,956 for each of its 880 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £652,000 (£741 per pupil).

Across all 16 schools of Weydon Multi Academy Trust, income was £8,210 and spending £8,089 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 Godalming · Surrey local authority: places and applications

Rodborough is part of Weydon Multi Academy Trust, which runs 18 schools. The nearest others:

• Beacon Hill Primary School Hindhead
• Woolmer Hill School Haslemere
• The Abbey School Farnham
• The Ridgeway School Farnham
• William Cobbett Primary School Farnham
• Farnham Heath End Farnham
• Weydon School Farnham
• St Mark's Church of England Primary School Farnborough
• Crondall Primary School Farnham
• Frimley CofE School Camberley

What is Rodborough's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Rodborough is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Rodborough last inspected by Ofsted?

Rodborough was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Rodborough have?

Rodborough has 882 pupils on roll.

What age range does Rodborough cover?

Rodborough for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Rodborough's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 54.7, and 65% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Rodborough?

Rodborough is at Rake Lane, Milford, Godalming, Surrey, GU8 5BZ.