Herschel Grammar School, Slough

In 2026, pupils at Herschel Grammar School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 76.3, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 54.3 in Slough and 47 across England.

98% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 59% in Slough and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 75.8.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.76: pupils made well above 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 77.8, against 76.2 for other pupils at the school.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 20 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Physics, Chemistry and Biology.

Herschel Grammar School is a grammar school: places go to children who reach the required standard in its entrance test, and only then are the oversubscription criteria applied.

For September 2026 entry, 119 families put Herschel Grammar School as their first choice and 1066 named it as one of their preferences, for 149 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 78 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

Herschel Grammar School admits pupils through an entrance test, usually called the 11-plus. Children have to be registered for it in advance, normally in the spring or summer of Year 5; the test itself is usually sat in September of Year 6, and results come out in October, before the 31 October deadline for naming secondary schools.

Passing the test makes a child eligible rather than guaranteeing a place: when more children pass than there are places, Herschel Grammar School ranks them by the criteria in its admissions policy, which can include test score and distance. Check Slough's admissions pages and the school's own policy for this year's registration deadline - a child who is not registered in time cannot sit the test.

Slough has 4 state grammar schools in all, so a child who passes may have several selective schools to choose between.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Herschel Grammar School are Baylis Court School (0.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 52.2); Eden Girls' School, Slough (0.5 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 62.2); The Westgate School (0.8 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 42.5); and Grove Academy (0.9 miles, Attainment 8 34.9).

Herschel Grammar School's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.

Herschel Grammar School is one of 2 schools run by The Schelwood Trust, an academy trust.

Of the 154 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 97% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 3% to a further education college and 1% to an apprenticeship.

Of the 154 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 72% went on to university or other higher education, 8% to apprenticeships and 6% into work. 41% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

7.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 38.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are Asian (77%) and Mixed (13%).

In 2026, 8 pupils (0.8%) received SEN support and 4 (0.4%) 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 Slough Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.

6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Buckingham Avenue Centre (outside), 260 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 524 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and vehicle crime. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Slough (290), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Herschel Grammar School issued 12 suspensions, 1.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Herschel Grammar School are The Godolphin Junior Academy (0.3 miles), Phoenix Infant Academy (0.3 miles), James Elliman Academy (0.7 miles) and Penn Wood Primary and Nursery School (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.