Henlow Church of England Academy, Henlow

Good
Secondary
Academy converter
Mixed
Church of England
Ages 916

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~1.5km)Possible (~2.1km)Unlikely (~2.7km)Confidence: medium

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Miss Naomi Chalkley
Pupils:599 / 900 capacity
LA:Central Bedfordshire
Phone:01462813733
Address:Church Road, Henlow, SG16 6AN
Trust:POPPY HILL CHURCH OF ENGLAND MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 April 2012

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Good

Quality of Education

Good

Behaviour & Attitudes

Good

Personal Development

Good

Leadership & Management

Inspected 29 April 2025View full report
URN:138027
UKPRN:10037005
Diocese:Diocese of St Albans
Constituency:Hitchin
Urban/Rural:Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

The school creates a friendly, inclusive environment where pupils are proud to be part of the community through leadership roles like being prefects and pupil librarians. Teachers have strong subject knowledge and use it to spot gaps in learning quickly. The school is successfully helping all pupils achieve well, with its first Year 11 cohort performing broadly in line with national standards.

Key Strengths

  • Well-designed curriculum that is logically sequenced and builds pupils' knowledge over time
  • Strong promotion of reading with effective catch-up support for pupils who need it
  • Effective support for pupils with special educational needs, including personalized settling-in programs
  • Pupils feel safe and supported, with rare bullying that is dealt with appropriately
  • Good careers education helping pupils make informed choices for their next stage

Areas for Improvement

  • Teachers don't always use all available information to adapt learning activities precisely to pupils' different abilities, meaning some pupils could progress faster
  • PSHE program delivery is inconsistent among staff, leading to pupils missing important connections in their personal development learning
  • Some staff lack confidence delivering the full PSHE program content

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created a positive culture where pupils feel safe and know they can seek help from staff.

Extracurricular Activities

Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme, school clubs, educational visits

Henlow Church of England Academy is a secondary school with a Good overall rating across all areas inspected. Pupils benefit from a friendly, inclusive culture with high expectations for achievement and behavior.

At a Glance

20.3%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

134 responses
Would recommend80%
Child is happy82%
Well taught81%
Good progress76%
Feels safe81%
Well behaved72%
Bullying dealt with26%
Kept informed74%
Handles concerns55%
Wider development72%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Class Sizes

26.3

Avg class size

27

Total classes

5 classes with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

War Memorial (adj)
305m · 5 min walk
The Five Bells (opp)
363m · 6 min walk
Park Lane (opp)
373m · 6 min walk
The Crown - North (o/s)
572m · 9 min walk
Newtown (S-bound)
584m · 9 min walk
Can you get into this school?
Enter your postcode to find out

Commute Calculator

Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply

Sign up free to see your commute to this school

What are my chances?

Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.

Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

67%

Available places

599 pupils

900 capacity

301 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Henlow

Low pressure
New homes approved:310
Projected new pupils:56

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Henlow

Admissions Demand - Central Bedfordshire

Low demand0.93x oversubscription

Places available

1,796

Applications

1,679

Got 1st preference

94.6%

Got preferred school

98.7%

Secondary admissions across Central Bedfordshire (2025/26)

Inspection History(5)

29 April 2025
Quality of EducationGood
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementGood
11 September 2019
Quality of EducationGood
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementGood
5 July 2018

House Prices

Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost

Sign up free to see house prices near this school

SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

Sign up free to see special needs support at this school

Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

Sign up free to see who goes to this school

Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

Sign up free to see teacher and staff data

School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

Sign up free to see how this school is funded

Pupil Absence
2024/25

8.35454%

Overall absence

22.12042%

Persistent absence

764

Enrolments

Authorised5.96629%
Unauthorised2.38825%
Persistent (10%+)22.12042%
Severe (50%+)5.2356%

Absence trend

4.53687%
18/19
3.91187%
20/21
7.26014%
21/22
7.46039%
22/23
8.5114%
23/24
8.35454%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

Reviews

No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.

Leave a Review

You need to be signed in to leave a review.

Feeder Primary Schools

Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity

Nearby Schools

Do you work at this school?

Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.