Icknield High School

Icknield High School is performing well overall, demonstrating a good quality of education, positive behavior and attitudes, personal development, and effective leadership. The school prides itself on creating a supportive environment where pupils are engaged and eager to learn, which is reflected in their positive learning outcomes and national assessments. With a focus on high expectations, pupils feel proud of their achievements and the variety of opportunities that prepare them for future educational and career paths. The school also stands out for its robust support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), showcasing effective strategies in collaboration with local authorities.

Strengths

• Strong relationships between pupils and staff.
• High standards of work and achievements in assessments.
• Robust measures for pupil safety and effective safeguarding.
• Well-designed curriculum informed by current educational research.
• Effective support and resources for pupils with SEND.
• Encouragement of a positive reading culture among pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Insufficient opportunities for pupil discussion in some lessons.
• Variable access to the PSHE programme for some key stage 4 pupils.

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 Icknield High School attended 92.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 21.2% 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, 11.2% of pupils at Icknield High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 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 Icknield High School had 18.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.4% 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, 11.4% of pupils at Icknield High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 5 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 Icknield High School received £7,801 and spent £8,001 for each of its 1,448 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,898,000 (£1,311 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.

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What is Icknield High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Icknield High School is Good, from an inspection in March 2024.

When was Icknield High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Icknield High School was last inspected in March 2024.

How many pupils does Icknield High School have?

Icknield High School has 1,452 pupils on roll.

What age range does Icknield High School cover?

Icknield High School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Icknield High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 48.3, and 56% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Icknield High School?

Icknield High School is at Riddy Lane, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU3 2AH.