Watford Grammar School for Boys, Watford

Ofsted's report card from its 14 April 2026 inspection grades Watford Grammar School for Boys on 7 areas: 6 exceptional and 1 strong standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Exceptional. "Pupils at this school consistently attain the highest grades in their examinations at GCSE and A level."

Curriculum and teaching - Exceptional. "Leaders have insightfully refined the curriculum over many years."

Inclusion - Exceptional. "Pupils, regardless of the barriers they have to their learning, thrive in this highly inclusive environment."

Leadership and governance - Exceptional. "There are remarkably high standards of leadership throughout the school."

Personal development and wellbeing - Exceptional. "Leaders have intelligently used educational research and their work with universities to inform the design of the school's personal development programme."

Post 16 provision - Exceptional. "On numerous fronts, the provision for sixth-form students goes above and beyond what is ordinarily on offer in schools."

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Attendance is high and has been consecutively so over several years."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should continue to refine their attendance strategy in order to sustain high rates of attendance for all pupils".

From the headteacher's welcome: "We are a leading Sixth Form in Hertfordshire, proud to have a reputation as one of the top-performing schools in the country helping students into the most competitive universities. Boys studying here are based in our dedicated Sixth Form centre and enjoy learning in a challenging intellectual environment."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, rugby, hockey, tennis, basketball, badminton, running, drama, choir and orchestra.

In 2026, pupils at Watford Grammar School for Boys averaged an Attainment 8 score of 66.3, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 50.6 in Hertfordshire and 47 across England.

84% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 53% in Hertfordshire and 47% in England.

That is down from 68.9 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.72: 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 55.7, against 66.8 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 11.1 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 22 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Biology, Physics and Chemistry.

For September 2026 entry, 396 families put Watford Grammar School for Boys as their first choice and 953 named it as one of their preferences, for 211 places offered. That is 1.9 first choices for every place. 223 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Watford Grammar School for Boys are Westfield Academy (0.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.5); Watford Grammar School for Girls (0.7 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 65.5); Croxley Danes School (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 51.6); and Rickmansworth School (1.9 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 63.7).

Watford Grammar School for Boys's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.

Of the 222 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 94% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 14% to a further education college, 1% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

Of the 189 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 78% went on to university or other higher education, 4% to apprenticeships and 6% into work. 52% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

5.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 108 pupils (6.8%) received SEN support and 61 (3.8%) 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 Underground station is Watford Underground Station, about 340 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).

7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Metropolitan Station Approach (near), 130 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 630 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Hertfordshire (138), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Watford Grammar School for Boys issued 41 suspensions, 2.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Watford Grammar School for Boys are Chater Infant School (0.3 miles), Chater Junior School (0.5 miles), Lanchester Primary School (0.5 miles) and Ascot Road Primary School (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.