Hertswood Academy

Hertswood Academy is a mixed secondary school and sixth form within the Hertswood Academy Trust. The February and March 2025 inspection found the school performing well across its key judgements, including sixth-form provision, with effective safeguarding. This marks a clear improvement from the previous requires-improvement grade after a period of significant change and curriculum adaptation. Pupils feel safe and happy, trust staff and behave well, so learning is rarely disrupted. Leaders have high expectations, the curriculum is sequenced, pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported effectively, and literacy and reading support help pupils catch up. Attendance is improving, permanent exclusions have reduced, and personal development, extracurricular opportunities and trustee support are notable strengths. The main areas to improve are classroom discussion and checking of understanding. Some pupils, including sixth-form students, have limited opportunities to debate and express their ideas confidently, and in some subjects teaching moves on before pupils have secure foundations. Sixth-form personal development is secure but does not always build well on learning in Years 7 to 11. The school has begun work on communication skills, but its impact is not yet evident.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe, happy and trusted by staff
• High expectations foster an ambitious culture and good pupil achievement
• Pupils are polite, courteous and behave well, with little disruption to learning
• Innovative strategies help pupils who struggle with behaviour and emotions
• SEND is identified quickly and lessons are adapted effectively
• Literacy and reading support help pupils catch up quickly
• Attendance is improving and permanent exclusions have reduced
• Personal development is well structured, including online safety and healthy relationships
• Trips, extracurricular activities and leadership roles enrich pupils’ experience
• Pupils develop a strong understanding of diversity, cultures and religions
• Trustees provide dedicated support and challenge with relevant expertise
• Staff well-being is considered when changes are implemented
• Sixth-form teachers use strong subject knowledge to deliver the curriculum effectively
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Opportunities for pupils to discuss and debate their learning are sometimes limited
• Some pupils, including sixth-form students, lack confidence in expressing their understanding
• Teaching does not always check pupils’ understanding well enough
• In some subjects, pupils are moved on to new content before foundations are secure
• Sixth-form personal development does not always build well on learning in Years 7 to 11
• Strategies to improve pupils’ communication skills are too early to show impact

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 Hertswood Academy attended 88.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 36.3% 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, 12.0% of pupils at Hertswood Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 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 Hertswood Academy had 16.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.6% 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, 10.5% of pupils at Hertswood Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.5% 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 Hertswood Academy received £8,259 and spent £8,654 for each of its 1,173 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £166,000 (-£142 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 Borehamwood · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Hertswood Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hertswood Academy is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Hertswood Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Hertswood Academy was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Hertswood Academy have?

Hertswood Academy has 1,144 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hertswood Academy cover?

Hertswood Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Hertswood Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 35.4, and 29% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Hertswood Academy?

Hertswood Academy is at Cowley Hill, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, WD6 5LG.