The Costello School

Academy converter·Secondary school Basingstoke, Hampshire·RG21 4AL
Composite score
59.1
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#1,302
National rank
#210
In South East
#27
In Hampshire
Top 41%
Nationally

Performance (KS4 GCSE)

Attainment 8 score
47.3
National avg ≈ 46
Progress 8 score
—
% achieving 9–5 in English & Maths
50%
% achieving 9–4 in English & Maths
69%
% EBacc grade 5+
30%
EBacc average points score
4.49

Ofsted judgements

New framework · Last inspection: 10/02/2026 · Read full report ↗

Achievement
Expected standard
Leadership and governance
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing
Expected standard
Inclusion
Expected standard
Safeguarding standards
Met

Getting a place

Offered a place after putting it first
86%
187 first choices, 211 places
First choices per place
0.89
fewer first choices than places
Applications naming the school
497
any preference, for 211 places
Last place offered lived
1.53 mi
straight line, 2026 intake · 2462 m
First preferences per place, last five years▲ 0.24
00.511.5
1 per place
0.9620221.0420230.8220240.6520250.892026

Red dashed line = one first choice per place. How to read this

The cut-off distance is how far the last child offered a place lived, not a catchment boundary: it moves every year with the number of applicants. Published by the council in its 2026 allocation figures, and checked against that document before we show it.

Application figures: DfE, school level applications and offers (2026 intake).

School profile

Age range
11–16
Pupils on roll
1,222
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-Selective

Pupil background

% FSM ever-6
16.6%
Typical secondary: 27.5%
% EAL
14.8%
Typical secondary: 12.0%

Special educational needs

% SEN support
14.2%
Typical secondary: 13.7%
% with an EHC plan
3.1%
Typical secondary: 2.9%

Attendance

Overall absence
8.9%
Typical secondary: 8.9%
Persistently absent
24.6%
Typical secondary: 25.7%

Staffing & funding

Pupils per teacher
18.9
Typical secondary: 16.7
Spend per pupil
£6,719
Typical secondary: £7,815

“Typical” = the median secondary school in England. What this means

What pupils do next

The share of this school's Year 11 leavers in education, training or employment for at least two terms afterwards.

In education, training or work
94%
224 pupils tracked
Stayed in education
89%
Apprenticeship
4%
Employment
1%

DfE, KS4 destination measures.

Nearby secondary schools

Location

About The Costello School

The Costello School is a secondary school in Basingstoke, Hampshire, classified by the DfE as a converter academy. Around 1,222 pupils aged 11 to 16 attend the school. The school holds a 'Good' judgement from Ofsted (February 2026). The school's average Attainment 8 score in the latest GCSE results was 47.3 — broadly in line with the national average (national average: 46). Its Attainment 8 score has risen by 1.0 points year on year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the top 41% of secondary schools nationally.

50% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, above the national average of about 45%. 69% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. 86% of the families who made The Costello School their first choice were offered a Year 7 place for September 2026, even though the school made at least as many offers as it had first choices - the rest withdrew, moved or fell outside a priority group. In 2026 the furthest child offered a place lived 1.53 miles from the school in a straight line, according to the council's published allocation figures; the distance changes every year with demand. After Year 11, 94% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 8.9%. There are about 18.9 pupils per teacher. When comparing schools, it is still worth visiting in person to see whether the atmosphere and approach suit your child. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.

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