Elstree Screen Arts Academy, Borehamwood

From the headteacher's welcome: "I love this place and I believe in what we are up to here... I wish this kind of school had existed when I was 14. Alas, my era of education had not yet had a ‘creativity’ movement, ‘cultural learning’ was not yet ‘a thing’ and dedicated arts schools didn’t exist (at least not free and inclusive ones)."

Coming up: an open evening on Thursday 12 November 2026, an open day on Thursday 12 November 2026, an open day on Thursday 26 November 2026 and an open evening on Thursday 26 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at Elstree Screen Arts Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 33.2, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 50.6 in Hertfordshire and 47 across England.

16% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 53% in Hertfordshire and 47% in England.

That is down from 39.1 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.79: 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 28.4, against 35.3 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 6.9 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 15 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Art and Design, Combined Science and Hair and Beauty Studies.

Across Hertfordshire, 77% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 95% were offered one of the schools they named.

In 2026, families in Hertfordshire lodged 722 appeals against secondary school offers; 515 reached a hearing and 92 succeeded (17.9% of those heard).

The nearest other state secondary schools to Elstree Screen Arts Academy are Hertswood Academy (0.5 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 35.4); Yavneh College (0.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 59.5); Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet (2.1 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 87.1); and Mill Hill County High School (2.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 60.8).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Elstree Screen Arts Academy.

Elstree Screen Arts Academy 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.

100 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Elstree Screen Arts Academy (as of September 2025): 98% would recommend the school, 96% say their child is happy there and 78% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (98%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (78%).

Of the 105 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 88% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 50% to a further education college and 3% into work.

Of the 139 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 38% went on to university or other higher education and 25% into work. 2% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

5.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (74%) and Mixed (12%).

In 2026, 29 pupils (5.5%) received SEN support and 45 (8.6%) 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 autism.

The nearest railway station is Elstree & Borehamwood Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.

10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Bergman Court (opposite), 60 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 298 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other theft. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Hertfordshire (138), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Elstree Screen Arts Academy issued 40 suspensions, 8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Elstree Screen Arts Academy are St Teresa Catholic Primary School (0.4 miles), Monksmead School (0.4 miles), Kenilworth Primary School (0.4 miles) and Yavneh Primary School (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.