Croxley Danes School, Rickmansworth

Ofsted's report card from its 24 February 2026 inspection grades Croxley Danes School on 7 areas: 3 strong standard and 4 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Leaders ensure that pupils attend regularly and have a robust approach to identifying and removing barriers to attendance."

Inclusion - Strong standard. "The school fosters a highly inclusive environment where all pupils feel welcomed and valued."

Leadership and governance - Strong standard. "Since the previous inspection, leadership has undergone significant change, including the appointment of a new headteacher and a restructured leadership team."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils progress securely across the curriculum."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have established an ambitious curriculum that is taught well across year groups."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "The school's personal development programme is well designed and provides pupils with knowledge across a wide range of relevant topics."

Post 16 provision - Expected standard. "Leaders have developed an appropriate 16-to-19 study programme that meets students' needs well."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure pupils are well supported to respond to feedback so they can improve their work, deepen their understanding and make consistently sustained progress from their various starting points"; "Leaders should more closely analyse the impact of the personal development programme, including in the sixth form, to ensure it builds pupils' knowledge effectively over time and prepares them well for their next steps".

In its own words: "Croxley Danes School is an all-ability, co-educational state secondary school serving South West Hertfordshire which opened in September 2017. Providing a high quality education to over 1200 students aged 11-18, Croxley Danes provides a safe, happy environment where excellence and aspiration are encouraged and where an ethos of mutual trust allows students to celebrate one another's achievements."

In 2026, pupils at Croxley Danes School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 51.6, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 50.6 in Hertfordshire and 47 across England.

61% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 53% in Hertfordshire and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 51.3.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.1: pupils made about 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 39.7, against 53.9 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 14.2 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 22 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Business Studies and Geography.

For September 2026 entry, 130 families put Croxley Danes School as their first choice and 769 named it as one of their preferences, for 165 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 23 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Croxley Danes School are Watford Grammar School for Boys (0.8 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 66.3); Westfield Academy (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.5); Rickmansworth School (1.1 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 63.7); and Watford Grammar School for Girls (1.5 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 65.5).

Croxley Danes School's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.

Croxley Danes School is one of 13 schools run by Danes Educational Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 50.6 in 2024/25.

211 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Croxley Danes School (as of April 2026): 93% would recommend the school, 88% say their child is happy there and 75% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (93%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (75%).

Of the 173 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 93% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 39% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

Of the 89 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 60% went on to university or other higher education, 3% to apprenticeships and 15% into work.

14.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 27.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (47%), Asian (24%) and Mixed (9%).

In 2026, 105 pupils (10%) received SEN support and 55 (5.2%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.

The nearest Underground station is Croxley Underground Station, about 880 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).

10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Winton Drive (opposite), 80 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Croxley Danes School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, Croxley Danes School issued 81 suspensions, 7.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Croxley Danes School are Malvern Way Infant and Nursery School (0.4 miles), Ascot Road Primary School (0.5 miles), St Anthony's Catholic Primary School (0.6 miles) and Little Green Junior School (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.