Simon Balle All-Through School

Simon Balle All-Through School continues to perform at an outstanding level, demonstrating a strong commitment to both academic excellence and personal development of its pupils. The school fosters a positive environment where students thrive, exhibiting values of compassion, kindness, and respect. There is an ambitious curriculum that is effectively implemented, supported by well-trained staff who meet individual pupils' needs, including those with SEND. Significant efforts are made to provide a rich array of extracurricular activities that further enhance students' learning experiences and social skills.

Strengths

• Strong positive ethos that promotes compassion and respect among pupils.
• Ambitious and well-designed curriculum effectively implemented by expert teachers.
• Excellent support for pupils facing challenges, ensuring they re-engage with learning.
• Exceptional enrichment and extracurricular activities that enhance learning and personal development.
• Well-developed careers provision preparing pupils for future opportunities.
• High expectations for pupil behaviour, resulting in exceptional conduct.

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 Simon Balle All-Through School attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 10.8% 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, 1.1% of pupils at Simon Balle All-Through School 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 Simon Balle All-Through School had 16.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 4.0% 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, 12.1% of pupils at Simon Balle All-Through School 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 Simon Balle All-Through School received £6,783 and spent £7,866 for each of its 1,561 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £115,000 (-£74 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 Hertford · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

Simon Balle All-Through School is part of The Laurel Education Trust, which runs 2 schools. The nearest others:

• Mill Mead Primary Academy Hertford

What is Simon Balle All-Through School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Simon Balle All-Through School is Outstanding, from an inspection in July 2024.

When was Simon Balle All-Through School last inspected by Ofsted?

Simon Balle All-Through School was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does Simon Balle All-Through School have?

Simon Balle All-Through School has 1,617 pupils on roll.

What age range does Simon Balle All-Through School cover?

Simon Balle All-Through School for pupils aged 4 to 18.

What are Simon Balle All-Through School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 52.9, and 57% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

What are Simon Balle All-Through School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 84% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Simon Balle All-Through School?

Simon Balle All-Through School is at Mangrove Road, Hertford, Hertfordshire, SG13 8AJ.