Desborough College

Desborough College continues to perform well as a good school, maintaining its status since its last inspection. The school has broadened its curriculum and reshaped its pastoral programs to support students' academic success and personal development. Most students achieve well, with particularly strong performance in mathematics and science. The sixth-form study center has been revamped to encourage independent learning, and there are many extracurricular opportunities for students. While the overall behavior of pupils is generally good, there are concerns regarding the behavior of a minority of students during lesson transitions and in certain classes.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well in most subjects, including disadvantaged learners.
• Strong performance in mathematics and science with results above national averages.
• Carefully planned and well-delivered curriculum enhances knowledge retention.
• Effective support and feedback provided to sixth-form students.
• Culture of reading fosters improvement in reading fluency and comprehension.
• Wide range of extracurricular activities enhances student engagement.
• Extensive careers guidance prepares pupils for post-16 education or training.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent adaptation of teaching for pupils with SEND.
• Minority of pupils display poor behavior in some lessons.
• Variations in implementation of the tutor time reading program.
• Some areas of the curriculum lack well-developed leadership.

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 Desborough College attended 92.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 26.8% 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, 2.4% of pupils at Desborough College were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No 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 Desborough College had 18.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 36.1% 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, 13.0% of pupils at Desborough College were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.5% 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 Desborough College received £10,013 and spent £9,647 for each of its 580 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £715,000 (£1,233 per pupil).

Across all 4 schools of Pioneer Educational Trust, income was £7,787 and spending £7,594 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 Maidenhead · Windsor and Maidenhead local authority: places and applications

Desborough College is part of Pioneer Educational Trust, which runs 4 schools. The nearest others:

• Trevelyan Middle School Windsor
• Upton Court Grammar School Slough
• Foxborough Primary School Slough

What is Desborough College's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Desborough College is Good, from an inspection in July 2024.

When was Desborough College last inspected by Ofsted?

Desborough College was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does Desborough College have?

Desborough College has 539 pupils on roll.

What age range does Desborough College cover?

Desborough College for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Desborough College's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 44.6, and 40% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Desborough College?

Desborough College is at Shoppenhangers Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 2QB.