Forest Hall School vs Birchwood High School
Side-by-side comparison of key school data
Forest Hall School
Stansted Mountfitchet
Birchwood High School
Bishop's Stortford
Overview
Phase
Secondary
Secondary
Type
Academy sponsor led
Academy converter
Age Range
11–16
11–18
Gender
Mixed
Mixed
Religious Character
Does not apply
None
Admissions
Non-selective
Non-selective
Local Authority
Essex
Hertfordshire
Pupils & Capacity
Pupils
506
1417
Capacity
648
1500
Occupancy
78%
94%
FSM %
30.7%
18.2%
Nursery
Sixth Form
Boarding
Ofsted
Overall Rating
-
-
Quality of Education
Requires Improvement
Good
Behaviour & Attitudes
Inadequate
Good
Personal Development
Good
Good
Leadership & Management
Requires Improvement
Good
Last Inspected
Feb 2026
Jan 2025
Performance (2026)
Progress 8
-
-
Attainment 8
42.8
45.5
GCSE Eng+Maths 5+
41.8%
44.2%
KS2 Reading
-
-
KS2 Maths
-
-
KS2 Writing
-
-
A-Level Performance (2024/25)
Average Grade
-
C+
Points Per Entry
-
32.1
Best 3 A-Levels
-
B-
AAB+ %
-
10%
Value Added
-
Average
A-Level Students
-
79
Retention
-
95%
University Destinations (2022/23 cohort)
Top-third university
-
13%
Degree course
-
57%
Any L4+ destination
-
63%
Apprenticeships
-
4%
Cohort size
-
104
A-Level Subjects
Subjects offered
0
15
Top subjects
Mathematics (58)
Sociology (58)
Sociology (56)
Geography (40)
Economics (36)
Mathematics (36)
Physics (30)
Psychology (28)