Princes Risborough School

Princes Risborough School is performing well, achieving a 'Good' rating in all areas of evaluation, including the quality of education, behavior and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision. The school is a calm and orderly environment where pupils feel supported and motivated, thanks to high expectations set by the school's leaders. It is noteworthy that this was the school's first inspection under section 5 of the Education Act, and the inspection team acknowledged the context of leadership ambitions and the early identification of needs for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Despite the overall positive outcomes, the report highlights areas needing improvement, particularly regarding attendance rates, which, while improving, still show some pupils missing school too frequently, especially in the sixth form. Additionally, the report points out that the curriculum is not uniformly strong across all subjects, which affects the overall achievement of pupils, particularly in relation to English Baccalaureate subjects. Nevertheless, the school's commitment to continuous improvement and the supportive environment leads to many pupils achieving strongly and developing well.

Strengths

• High expectations from leaders motivate pupils and contribute to a positive school culture.
• Strong support structures for pupils' well-being and success.
• Effective career education and guidance for pupils.
• High-quality training for staff enhances teaching expertise.
• Pupils with SEND receive appropriate support and adaptations.
• Strong relationships foster a respectful and inclusive environment.

Areas for Improvement

• Persistent absence rates remain relatively high among some pupils.
• Achievement disparities exist across different curriculum areas, particularly for the English Baccalaureate.

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 Princes Risborough School attended 87.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 32.4% 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, 10.5% of pupils at Princes Risborough 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 Princes Risborough School had 14.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.6% 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, 11.3% of pupils at Princes Risborough School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 20 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 Princes Risborough School received £8,220 and spent £8,013 for each of its 1,101 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £284,000 (£258 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of Insignis Academy Trust, income was £7,747 and spending £7,907 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 Princes Risborough · Buckinghamshire local authority: places and applications

Princes Risborough School is part of Insignis Academy Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• The Mandeville School Aylesbury
• Ashmead Combined School Aylesbury
• Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School Aylesbury
• Sir William Ramsay School High Wycombe
• The Kingsbrook School Aylesbury

What is Princes Risborough School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Princes Risborough School is Good, from an inspection in December 2022.

When was Princes Risborough School last inspected by Ofsted?

Princes Risborough School was last inspected in December 2022.

How many pupils does Princes Risborough School have?

Princes Risborough School has 1,083 pupils on roll.

What age range does Princes Risborough School cover?

Princes Risborough School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Princes Risborough School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 43.8, and 44% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Princes Risborough School?

Princes Risborough School is at Merton Road, Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire, HP27 0DR.