The Costello School, Basingstoke

Ofsted's report card from its 10 February 2026 inspection grades The Costello School on 6 areas: 6 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils achieve well across the curriculum."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders have prioritised pupils' attendance."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have a precise understanding of the strengths of teaching and the curriculum in the school."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders have created a culture where pupils, including those who face vulnerabilities in their lives, feel well cared for."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders know the school extremely well."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders have carefully designed the programme for pupils' wider personal development."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should further strengthen the school's approach to identifying precisely what pupils, particularly those who need the most support, know and can do, to inform targeted support to address gaps in pupils' foundational knowledge of reading".

In 2026, pupils at The Costello School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 50.4, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.6 in Hampshire and 47 across England.

53% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in Hampshire and 47% in England.

That is up from 47.3 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.03: 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 38.7, against 52.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 13.9 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 28 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and History.

For September 2026 entry, 187 families put The Costello School as their first choice and 497 named it as one of their preferences, for 211 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 27 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to The Costello School are The Vyne Community School (0.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 47.1); Cranbourne (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 42.1); The Blue Coat School Basingstoke (1.7 miles, Attainment 8 35.2); and Everest Community Academy (1.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 38.1).

The Costello School's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.

The Costello School is one of 10 schools run by Bohunt Education Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 50.8 in 2024/25.

228 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Costello School (as of April 2026): 79% would recommend the school, 77% say their child is happy there and 45% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (83%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (45%).

Of the 218 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 87% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 29% to a further education college, 6% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

The nearest railway station is Basingstoke Rail Station, about 920 metres away (roughly a 12-minute walk).

3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Crossborough Hill (adjacent), 130 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 315 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Hampshire (72), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, The Costello School issued 288 suspensions, 23.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to The Costello School are Rucstall Primary School (0.4 miles), Fairfields Primary School (0.4 miles), St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School (0.8 miles) and South View Junior School (0.9 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.