The Marlborough Science Academy

The Marlborough Science Academy has been rated as good overall, with some outstanding features, particularly in behavior, attitudes, personal development, leadership, and management. The school has established a supportive environment where pupils feel safe, respected, and engaged in their learning. The curriculum is ambitious and caters well to the needs of all students, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Almost all students in the sixth form progress to further education or employment, indicating effective preparation for their future.

Strengths

• Pupils exhibit exemplary behavior and positive attitudes towards learning.
• Strong relationships exist between staff and pupils fostering a supportive school environment.
• The curriculum is well-designed and ambitious, enabling pupils to build on prior knowledge.
• Staff are skilled in identifying and addressing gaps in pupils' learning.
• Pupils have many opportunities to develop leadership skills and take on responsibilities.
• High-quality extra-curricular activities are offered, enhancing pupils' development.
• Outstanding support provided for pupils' personal development and well-being.

Areas for Improvement

• In a few instances, some teachers do not check pupils' understanding well enough before presenting new knowledge.

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 Marlborough Science Academy attended 90.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 30.1% 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, 4.0% of pupils at The Marlborough Science 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 Marlborough Science Academy had 16.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 21.2% 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, 15.7% of pupils at The Marlborough Science Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.2% 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 Marlborough Science Academy received £8,104 and spent £7,924 for each of its 1,335 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £987,000 (£739 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 St Albans · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is The Marlborough Science Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Marlborough Science Academy is Good, from an inspection in January 2024.

When was The Marlborough Science Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Marlborough Science Academy was last inspected in January 2024.

How many pupils does The Marlborough Science Academy have?

The Marlborough Science Academy has 1,337 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Marlborough Science Academy cover?

The Marlborough Science Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Marlborough Science Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 42.6, and 29% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Marlborough Science Academy?

The Marlborough Science Academy is at Watling Street, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 2QA.