The Mandeville School

The Mandeville School requires significant improvement. Inspectors found that the quality of education is inadequate: curriculum review and development in key stages 3 and 4 are incomplete, pupils have gaps in knowledge and skills, and many—particularly disadvantaged pupils—leave Year 11 without the qualifications needed for the next stage. A long period of leadership and staffing turbulence has hindered progress, but recent appointments and improved trust communication are beginning to bring about change, and leaders have an accurate understanding of the school's priorities. Pupils' behaviour and personal development are stronger areas. Most pupils behave positively, feel happy and safe, and say they are cared for; the new behaviour approach is applied consistently, and personal development is good, with a coherent PSHE curriculum, the Mandeville Mindset, suitable careers education and a growing range of enrichment. The small sixth form has strong staff-student relationships, strong attendance and a carefully designed BTEC sport programme, though sixth-form PSHE expertise and work experience are not yet consistently strong. Key concerns include weak achievement and poor progress, especially for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND; ineffective checks on learning; inconsistent adaptation for SEND; limited reading support for some older pupils; and high persistent absence, including among disadvantaged pupils, with some remaining in-school truancy. Safeguarding is effective. This was the school's first routine inspection since the pandemic, and its predecessor was previously judged to require improvement.

Strengths

• Most pupils behave positively and feel happy and safe at school.
• The new behaviour management approach is applied consistently and is appreciated by pupils.
• Personal development provision is strong, including a coherent PSHE curriculum and the Mandeville Mindset.
• Pupils engage enthusiastically in a growing range of opportunities to develop their talents and interests.
• Careers education is suitable and helps pupils make informed choices about their future.
• Sixth-form students build strong, positive relationships with staff and achieve more strongly by Year 13.
• Sixth-form attendance is strong and students make the most of learning opportunities.
• The sixth-form BTEC sport programme at a local rugby club is carefully designed and effectively supported.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Recent leadership changes and improved trust communication indicate the school has the capacity to improve.
• The school has an accurate understanding of its weaknesses and priorities.
• Recent improvements to reading support are helping younger pupils catch up and embed good reading habits.
• In-school truancy actions have been largely successful, so pupils are typically in lessons on time and ready to learn.

Areas for Improvement

• The quality of education is inadequate, with curriculum review still incomplete in some subjects.
• Pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils, make poor progress and achieve significantly below the national average by the end of Year 11.
• Many pupils leave school without the qualifications needed for future education, training or employment.
• Some subjects do not clearly identify the crucial knowledge pupils need or the order in which content should be taught.
• Pupils' gaps in knowledge, skills and understanding are not consistently addressed.
• Teachers' checks on learning are ineffective, so teaching is not adapted well enough to fill gaps.
• Pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should because staff do not consistently adapt teaching to meet their needs.
• Some older pupils do not receive enough support to read with confidence and fluency.
• Persistent absence remains high, particularly among disadvantaged pupils.
• A small number of pupils still truant lessons.
• Sixth-form PSHE is not consistently well taught because instructors' subject expertise is variable.
• Sixth-form students do not currently have coherent work experience opportunities.
• The trust previously did not give the local governing body enough information to challenge and secure rapid improvement.
• Behaviour and attitudes require improvement despite recent positive changes.
• Leadership and management require improvement, and past turbulence has slowed progress.

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 Mandeville School attended 88.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 33.8% 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, 10.7% of pupils at The Mandeville School 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 Mandeville School had 16.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.3% 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, 15.9% of pupils at The Mandeville School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.9% 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 Mandeville School received £8,027 and spent £8,228 for each of its 998 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £257,000 (£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 Aylesbury · Buckinghamshire local authority: places and applications

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

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

What is The Mandeville School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Mandeville School is Inadequate, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was The Mandeville School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Mandeville School was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does The Mandeville School have?

The Mandeville School has 966 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Mandeville School cover?

The Mandeville School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Mandeville School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 38.7, and 29% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Mandeville School?

The Mandeville School is at Ellen Road, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP21 8ES.