Grove Academy, Slough

Ofsted's report card from its 14 April 2026 inspection grades Grove Academy on 7 areas: 4 expected standard and 3 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Early years - Expected standard. "Leaders ensure that children make a positive start to their education in the early years."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders have effective systems in place to identify any additional barriers to learning and/or wellbeing that pupils may have."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders, at all levels, have a clear understanding of the school's context, its strengths and priorities for further improvement."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Pupils are well supported in their personal development."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Pupils do not achieve as securely as they should in national tests and examinations."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Attendance is not as high as it should be across the school."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "The quality of teaching in the school is variable."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that assessment is consistently and effectively used to understand where pupils have misconceptions or gaps in their knowledge. Leaders should ensure that staff have the expertise to address knowledge gaps swiftly so that pupils achieve more securely"; "Leaders should ensure that they have a consistent approach to developing the accuracy and fluency of pupils' writing"; "Leaders should embed their approaches to improving attendance so that absence rates are reduced".

In its own words: "Grove Academy is a school where every child can feel Successful, Welcome and Included. We pride ourselves on knowing our children well and forming good relationships which support positive outcomes and personal achievments for each of our young people. In our classrooms we are committed to five pillars, coherent across every classroom."

From the headteacher's welcome: "For us, that means unlocking the potential within every child, developing them into happy, confident and capable young adults ready for the world ahead. We pride ourselves on knowing all of our children and building strong partnerships with our parents and carers."

In 2026, pupils at Grove Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 34.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 54.3 in Slough and 47 across England.

24% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 59% in Slough and 47% in England.

That is down from 41.1 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.06: 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 33.8, against 35.4 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 1.6 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 18 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and Spanish.

For September 2026 entry, 17 families put Grove Academy as their first choice and 93 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Grove Academy are Slough and Eton Church of England Business and Enterprise College (0.3 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 46.1); Eden Girls' School, Slough (0.6 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 62.2); Herschel Grammar School (0.9 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 76.3); and The Westgate School (1 mile, Outstanding, Attainment 8 42.5).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Grove Academy.

Grove Academy is one of 7 schools run by The Slough and East Berkshire C of E Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.

Of the 77 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 86% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 52% to a further education college and 3% to an apprenticeship.

34% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 72.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are Asian (39%), Black (15%) and other ethnic groups (11%).

Grove Academy had 48 teachers in 2026, one for every 23 pupils: fewer teachers per pupil than a typical secondary school, at about one for every 17.

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

6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Grove Academy (e-bound), 140 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Grove Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, Grove Academy issued 77 suspensions, 7.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 8 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Grove Academy are Montem Academy (0.3 miles), Eton Wick CofE First School (1.1 miles), St Mary's Church of England Primary School (1.1 miles) and James Elliman Academy (1.1 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.