Robert Barclay Academy

Academy sponsor led·Secondary school Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire·EN11 8JY
Composite score
55.2
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#1,866
National rank
#208
In East of England
#52
In Hertfordshire
Top 59%
Nationally

Performance (KS4 GCSE)

Attainment 8 score
44.2
National avg ≈ 46
Progress 8 score
—
% achieving 9–5 in English & Maths
39%
% achieving 9–4 in English & Maths
57%
% EBacc grade 5+
12%
EBacc average points score
3.68

Ofsted judgements

Legacy framework · Read full report ↗

Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Safeguarding effective?
Yes
Sixth form provision
Good

Getting a place

Offered a place after putting it first
92%
127 first choices, 145 places
First choices per place
0.88
fewer first choices than places
Applications naming the school
399
any preference, for 145 places
Last place offered lived
1.85 mi
straight line, 2026 intake · 2978 m
Applications from another council area
13%
First preferences per place, last five years▼ 0.24
00.511.5
1 per place
1.0820221.2120231.2220241.1220250.882026

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
11–18
Pupils on roll
792
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None

Pupil background

% FSM ever-6
24.6%
Typical secondary: 27.5%
% EAL
8.3%
Typical secondary: 12.0%

Special educational needs

% SEN support
12.4%
Typical secondary: 13.7%
% with an EHC plan
6.6%
Typical secondary: 2.9%

Attendance

Overall absence
6.9%
Typical secondary: 8.9%
Persistently absent
22.1%
Typical secondary: 25.7%

Staffing & funding

Pupils per teacher
16.1
Typical secondary: 16.7
Spend per pupil
£7,593
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
97%
108 pupils tracked
Stayed in education
94%
Apprenticeship
2%
Employment
1%

DfE, KS4 destination measures.

Nearby secondary schools

Location

School overview

Robert Barclay Academy is a secondary school serving Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, classified by the DfE as a sponsor-led academy. It has 792 pupils aged 11 to 18 on roll. At its most recent graded inspection, Ofsted rated Robert Barclay Academy 'Good'. The school's average Attainment 8 score in the latest GCSE results was 44.2 — broadly in line with the national average (national average: 46). Its Attainment 8 score has risen by 1.5 points year on year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the lower half of secondary schools nationally.

39% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, below the national average of about 45%. 57% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. 92% of the families who made Robert Barclay Academy 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 1.85 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, 97% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 6.9%. There are about 16.1 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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