Falconer School, Bushey
Falconer School is a special school for boys aged 11 to 16 in Bushey. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2016. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2016)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Falconer School in detail
Falconer School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "At Falconer, we cater for boys aged 11- 16 years with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) who have been identified with complex and co-occuring needs. This means they have a number of barriers to learning including Autism, Speech and Language Needs, Sensory needs and Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) challenges."
On phones, the school says: "Mobile Phones Home News & Events Mobile Phones Students in Key Stage 3 Phones must be handed in to the form tutor during registration; if your son arrives after registration he will be able to leave it in the main office when he signs in."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Falconer School are Meadow Wood School (0.8 miles, Good); Nisai Virtual Academy Ltd (1.4 miles); Colnbrook School (1.6 miles, Outstanding); and Kingsley High School (2.9 miles, Outstanding).
Meadow Wood SchoolNisai Virtual Academy LtdColnbrook SchoolKingsley High School
What parents say
12 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Falconer School (as of September 2025): 8% would recommend the school, 8% say their child is happy there and 11% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school supports their child's wider development (25%); the weakest, that their child is happy at the school (8%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 22 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 68% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 46% to a further education college.
Who goes there
74.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 5.6% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (80%) and Mixed (15%).
Almost every pupil at Falconer School has an education, health and care plan (54 of 54 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
Falconer School provides for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Bushey Rail Station, about 1120 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Grange Academy (near), 180 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Falconer School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Falconer School issued 154 suspensions, 233.3 for every 100 pupils, and 3 permanent exclusions.
Sources: 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from June 2016, 10 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Some aspects are not as strong as at the last graded inspection.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Falconer School excels at welcoming pupils who have faced educational disruption and helping them re-engage with learning. The school offers excellent vocational programmes and off-site activities that build confidence and independence. Staff develop trusted relationships with pupils and provide strong support for their social skills and future aspirations.
Key Strengths
- Well-resourced vocational programmes (motor vehicle maintenance, construction, design and technology) that engage pupils effectively
- Strong personal development focus on social interaction, communication skills, and life preparation
- Robust systems for managing education, health and care plans with on-site occupational therapist and speech and language support
- Improved behaviour expectations and positive relationships between pupils and staff
- Improved reading engagement and confidence among pupils
Areas for Improvement
- Work set for pupils often lacks sufficient ambition or fails to target specific knowledge gaps, particularly in writing
- Phonics programme not being followed consistently, meaning struggling readers are not catching up quickly enough
- Too many pupils not attending school regularly or full-time, limiting their learning opportunities
- Early stage curriculum improvements need further embedding
- Some pupils still finding it difficult to adapt to being in school
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Vocational programmes in motor vehicle maintenance, construction, design and technology; off-site visits to bowling, swimming, climbing, local cafe; work experience; careers advice
Falconer School provides a lifeline back into learning for pupils who have experienced significant educational disruption, with a strong commitment to improving their life chances. While the school has successfully navigated recent turbulence and built an ambitious curriculum, some improvements remain in early stages.
About
Falconer School is a secondary school catering to students with special needs. Falconer is situated in Hertfordshire and provides day education for pupils that attend.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
74.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
SEMH
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
12 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Falconer School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Falconer School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Falconer School is in Hertfordshire; for families living there:
- Hertfordshire's school travel policy: Read the home to school transport policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 16
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 16 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 12 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 2 on a bicycle.
4 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 Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
56%
Available places
54 pupils
97 places
43 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Bushey
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bushey
Across Hertfordshire council
Places available
15,222
Applications
13,456
Got 1st preference
77.5%
Got preferred school
94.9%
All secondary applications across Hertfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(12)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
54
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Falconer School provides for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
54
Total Pupils
54
Boys
0
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
23
Teachers
2.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£56,886
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
43.2%
Overall absence
82.9%
Persistent absence
70
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
Falconer School
Showing 10 of 12 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Falconer School
What are GCSE results like at Falconer School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Falconer School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 7. 0% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Falconer School's Ofsted rating?
Falconer School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2016, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Falconer School?
No fixed boundary. When Falconer School is oversubscribed, Hertfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Falconer School?
Falconer School has around 54 pupils on roll. 74% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Falconer School have specialist SEN provision?
Falconer School provides for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.
What is attendance like at Falconer School?
43.2% of sessions were missed at Falconer School in 2024/25. 82.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Falconer School?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Falconer School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Falconer School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 16 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 12 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 2 on a bicycle. 4 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 Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Falconer School?
Falconer School is at Falconer Road, Bushey, Hertfordshire, WD23 3AT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)