Alderwood School, Aldershot
Alderwood School is an all-through school for pupils aged 4 to 16 in Aldershot. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2020. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 50th-highest of the 69 schools in Hampshire with published results, and 2,483rd of 3,298 across England. It was full in 2025, at 102% of capacity.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2020)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
- Progress (2024)
- Well below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Hampshire (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Hampshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Alderwood School in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Alderwood School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 41.1, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.6 in Hampshire and 47 across England.
35% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in Hampshire and 47% in England.
That is down from 42.2 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.59: pupils made well below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 36.5, against 43.3 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 6.8 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 24 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Geography.
Getting a place at Alderwood School
For September 2026 entry, 65 families put Alderwood School as their first choice and 167 named it as one of their preferences, for 117 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Alderwood School are Ash Manor School (0.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 51.8); All Hallows Catholic School (1.6 miles, Attainment 8 55.6); The Wavell School (1.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.7); and Farnham Heath End (2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 51.1).
Each of them had higher 2026 results than Alderwood School.
Ash Manor SchoolAll Hallows Catholic SchoolThe Wavell SchoolFarnham Heath End
What parents say
160 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Alderwood School (as of September 2025): 84% would recommend the school, 89% say their child is happy there and 58% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (89%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (58%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 154 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 84% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 52% to a further education college and 3% into work.
Who goes there
27.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (60%), Asian (17%) and Black (7%).
In 2026, 240 pupils (16.3%) received SEN support and 98 (6.7%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Aldershot Rail Station, about 1120 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Belle Vue Road (adjacent), 180 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 271 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Hampshire (72), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Alderwood School issued 139 suspensions, 9.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Alderwood School are St Michael's Church of England Controlled Junior School (0.7 miles), Stanhope Primary School (0.7 miles), Talavera Infant School (0.8 miles) and Talavera Junior School (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
St Michael's Church of England Controlled Junior SchoolStanhope Primary SchoolTalavera Infant SchoolTalavera Junior School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from January 2020, 6 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils enjoy coming to Alderwood School. There is a strong sense of community here, and one that is fully inclusive of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils across the age ranges know how to treat each other with kindness, and relationships between staff and pupils are positive and warm. Pupils behave well and bullying is rare. Where it does occur, pupils are confident in staff's ability to deal with it swiftly.
Pupils relish the leadership opportunities available to them, including being representatives on the school council, acting as prefects, 'new arrival ambassadors' and 'buddies' for younger readers. They are proud to hold these responsibilities and contribute to the life of their school.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Across the school, a thoughtfully planned curriculum builds from the early years upwards. Staff subject knowledge is strong, and most pupils benefit from clear explanations. Across the primary phase, including in the Reception year, staff check carefully on what pupils have understood, or where further support is needed. Adaptations are then made rapidly, so that misunderstandings do not persist. However, this same practice is not as precise in the senior phase. Here, gaps in learning are not identified as rapidly, meaning that staff do not have the same accurate overview of what pupils have understood. As a result, some misunderstandings persist, and pupils move on to new learning before key building blocks are secure. While the school has worked to develop the curriculum, older pupils are not consistently supported well to remember intended learning longer term. While pupils in the primary phase are well prepared, secondary age pupils are not yet sufficiently well prepared for their next stages in learning.
From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its January 2020 inspection - down from Outstanding.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
30.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
160 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has improved from -1.05 to -0.59 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 38.4 to 41.1 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 31% to 35% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 41.1 | 35.4% |
| Disadvantaged(53) | - | 36.5 | 22.6% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(108) | - | 43.3 | 41.7% |
| Boys(92) | - | 39.6 | 39.1% |
| Girls(69) | - | 43.1 | 30.4% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(47) | - | 45.1 | 42.6% |
| Non mobile(153) | - | 42.0 | 36.6% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 4 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 154 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
0
Permanent exclusions
0.00%
Exclusion rate
139
Suspensions
9.18%
Suspension rate
66 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,514 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 2 nearby all-through schools
Keep up with Alderwood School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Alderwood School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Alderwood School is in Hampshire; for families living there:
Apply to Hampshire for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 13
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 6
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 12 slight.
6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Hampshire is 9 (the median across 617 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Alderwood School
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Your home postcode, set against Alderwood School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Alderwood School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Alderwood School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Hampshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Alderwood School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Hampshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
102%
Over capacity
1,510 pupils
1,480 places
30 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Aldershot
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Aldershot
Across Hampshire council
Places available
15,392
Applications
13,874
Got 1st preference
90.1%
Got preferred school
97.6%
All secondary applications across Hampshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
240
SEN Support
98
EHC Plans
23.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,471
Total Pupils
783
Boys
688
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
105
Teachers
14.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,852
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,489
Per pupil
£10682k
Total funding
£548k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.1%
Overall absence
18.2%
Persistent absence
1,491
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Alderwood School
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Alderwood School
What are GCSE results like at Alderwood School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Alderwood School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 41.1. 35% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Alderwood School's Ofsted rating?
Alderwood School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2020, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Alderwood School?
No fixed boundary. When Alderwood School is oversubscribed, Hampshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Alderwood School?
Alderwood School was full in 2025, at 102% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Alderwood School?
Classes at Alderwood School average 23.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Alderwood School?
Alderwood School has around 1471 pupils on roll. 30% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Alderwood School?
7.1% of sessions were missed at Alderwood School in 2024/25. 18.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Alderwood School?
Apply through Hampshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Alderwood School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Alderwood School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 12 slight. 6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Hampshire is 9 (the median across 617 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Alderwood School?
Alderwood School is at Belle Vue Road, Aldershot, Hampshire, GU12 4RZ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)