The Highcrest Academy, High Wycombe
The Highcrest Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 18 in High Wycombe. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2016. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 7th-highest of the 8 schools in High Wycombe with published results, and 2,333rd of 3,298 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2016)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Buckinghamshire (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Highcrest Academy in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at The Highcrest Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 42, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 55 in Buckinghamshire and 47 across England.
43% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 61% in Buckinghamshire and 47% in England.
That is up from 38.5 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.39: pupils made below 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 32.5, against 47.4 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 14.9 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 29 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and Business Studies.
Getting a place at The Highcrest Academy
For September 2026 entry, 187 families put The Highcrest Academy as their first choice and 463 named it as one of their preferences, for 172 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 64 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at The Highcrest Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to The Highcrest Academy are The Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe (1 mile, Good, selective, Attainment 8 71.9); Sir William Ramsay School (1.4 miles, Attainment 8 35.1); St Michael's Catholic School (1.5 miles, Attainment 8 48.7); and Wycombe High School (1.7 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 74.2).
The Highcrest Academy's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
The Royal Grammar School, High WycombeSir William Ramsay SchoolSt Michael's Catholic SchoolWycombe High School
What parents say
124 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Highcrest Academy (as of September 2025): 85% would recommend the school, 85% say their child is happy there and 65% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (89%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (65%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 182 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 84% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 31% to a further education college, 1% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.
Of the 66 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 52% went on to university or other higher education, 5% to apprenticeships and 15% into work. 4% went to one of the most selective third of universities.
Who goes there
34.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is High Wycombe Rail Station, about 0.7 miles away in a straight line.
19 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Quadrangle (opposite), 170 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 193 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other theft. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Buckinghamshire (44), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Highcrest Academy issued 159 suspensions, 14.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to The Highcrest Academy are Hannah Ball Academy (0.3 miles), Kings Wood School and Nursery (0.4 miles), Beechview Academy (0.4 miles) and Ash Hill Primary School (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Hannah Ball AcademyKings Wood School and NurseryBeechview AcademyAsh Hill Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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
Location
Buckinghamshire published that the last place for 2021 entry went to a family 3.05 miles away (straight line). The cut-off moves every year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from March 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 December 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The Highcrest Academy creates a caring, inclusive environment where your child will feel supported and valued. The school has high academic ambitions and offers a broad, balanced curriculum with strong careers guidance. Staff work hard to provide enriching experiences that develop your child's talents and interests alongside their academic learning.
Key Strengths
- Excellent pastoral care and support - pupils feel trusted and valued by staff
- Strong focus on personal development with trips, clubs, leadership roles and enrichment activities
- Rigorous systems to identify and support pupils with SEND using tailored programmes
- Effective behaviour management with quiet, purposeful classrooms
- Strong careers guidance helping pupils make informed choices about their futures
Areas for Improvement
- Reading strategy not fully embedded - some weaker readers are not catching up quickly enough
- Checks on pupils' learning are inconsistent, so some pupils don't achieve strong enough standards
- Teaching approaches not yet consistently matched to pupils' needs across all subjects
- Examination results have not been strong enough recently
- Quality assurance processes not applied consistently by all staff
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with robust oversight maintained by trustees.
Extracurricular Activities
Trips, clubs, pupil leadership roles, languages picnic, county lines education, online safety programmes
The Highcrest Academy is a kind, happy and welcoming secondary school where pupils behave well and staff are proud to work. However, evidence suggests some aspects of the school's work may not be as strong as at the previous inspection, and a graded inspection will follow.
About
The Highcrest Academy, formerly known as Highcrest Community School and before that as Hatters Lane School, is situated on Hatters Lane Hill in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The headteacher is Mr G Burke; the previous headteacher was Shena Moynihan.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
34.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
124 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has remained stable at around -0.39 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 37.3 to 42.0 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 28% to 43% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 42.0 | 42.5% |
| Disadvantaged(64) | - | 32.5 | 28.1% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(110) | - | 47.4 | 50.9% |
| Boys(84) | - | 39.3 | 38.1% |
| Girls(90) | - | 44.5 | 46.7% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(57) | - | 43.8 | 45.6% |
| Non mobile(168) | - | 41.8 | 42.3% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 9 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 182 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
1
Permanent exclusions
0.09%
Exclusion rate
159
Suspensions
14.83%
Suspension rate
85 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,072 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with The Highcrest Academy
Term dates
The Highcrest Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Buckinghamshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Highcrest Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Highcrest Academy is in Buckinghamshire; for families living there:
- Buckinghamshire's school travel policy: Home to School Transport Policy (0 to 25 Year Olds)
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 11
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 9 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
6 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 Buckinghamshire is 4 (the median across 274 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
Your chances of a place at The Highcrest Academy
Will you get a place at The Highcrest Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Highcrest Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Highcrest Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Highcrest Academy.
- Last distance offered for 2019 and 2021 entry, from Buckinghamshire's own figures, and how your distance compares each year.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Highcrest Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Buckinghamshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
99%
Near capacity
1,064 pupils
1,067 places
3 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - High Wycombe
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for High Wycombe
Across Buckinghamshire council
Places available
6,847
Applications
6,535
Got 1st preference
76.7%
Got preferred school
93.9%
All secondary applications across Buckinghamshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
150
SEN Support
54
EHC Plans
19.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,045
Total Pupils
511
Boys
534
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
74
Teachers
14.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,407
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,480
Per pupil
£7190k
Total funding
£338k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.9%
Overall absence
27.1%
Persistent absence
922
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
The Highcrest Academy
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about The Highcrest Academy
What are GCSE results like at The Highcrest Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at The Highcrest Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 42. 43% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is The Highcrest Academy's Ofsted rating?
The Highcrest Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2016, it was rated Good.
How close to The Highcrest Academy do you need to live?
Buckinghamshire publishes how far the last offered place was, in miles: 1.391 for 2019 entry, then 3.05 for 2021 entry. The cut-off has loosened over that period, so places have been reaching further out. These are the authority's own figures, not a fixed boundary - the cut-off moves with the number of applications each year.
Is it hard to get a place at The Highcrest Academy?
The Highcrest Academy was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at The Highcrest Academy?
Classes at The Highcrest Academy average 18.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Highcrest Academy?
The Highcrest Academy has around 1045 pupils on roll. 35% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Highcrest Academy?
9.9% of sessions were missed at The Highcrest Academy in 2024/25. 27.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Highcrest Academy?
Apply through Buckinghamshire's coordinated admissions process, naming The Highcrest Academy on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near The Highcrest Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 9 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 6 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 Buckinghamshire is 4 (the median across 274 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Highcrest Academy?
The Highcrest Academy is at Hatters Lane, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP13 7NQ.
Sources: Buckinghamshire admissions booklets; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)