Birchwood High SchoolThe Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Bishop's Stortford.
Summary of the comparison
Birchwood High School and The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College are secondary schools in Bishop's Stortford.
Birchwood High School scores 56 out of 100 (grade C, average) and The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College scores 77 out of 100 (grade B, strong). The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College is ahead on our composite score.
Birchwood High School was judged the expected standard and The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College was judged Outstanding.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 45.5 for Birchwood High School and 62.0 for The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at Birchwood High School (48.2 in 2021-22, 45.5 in 2025-26) and has fallen at The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College (65.9 in 2021-22, 62.0 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | Bishop's StortfordBirchwood High School | Bishop's StortfordThe Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C56/100 | B77/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 59th of 81 in Hertfordshire | 12th of 81 in Hertfordshire Stronger figure | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: OutstandingStronger figure | |
| School type | Academy converter | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-18 | 11-18 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Girls | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,417 | 1,508 | |
| Capacity | 1,500 | 1,360 | |
| Location | Bishop's Stortford, CM23 5BD | Bishop's Stortford, CM23 5NJ | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 45.5 | 62.0 Stronger figure | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 44.2% | 70.4% Stronger figure | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 65.3% | 89.4% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 265 | 189 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | 79 | 243 | |
| A-level average points | 32.1 | 41.0 Stronger figure | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | C+ | B | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | 35.5 | 40.7 Stronger figure | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | 10.0% | 22.9% Stronger figure | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,454 | 1,450 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 20.1% | 5.6% | |
| English as an additional language | 12.6% | 15.1% | |
| SEN support | 9.6% | 7.1% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 3.3% | 1.1% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 10.2% | 7.5% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 29.9% | 27.3% Stronger figure | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
A-level average points
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Birchwood High School
The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College
Full profiles: Birchwood High School · The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College