Fearnhill SchoolThe Highfield School

Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side.

Summary of the comparison

Fearnhill School and The Highfield School are secondary schools.

  • Fearnhill School scores 53 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and The Highfield School scores 59 out of 100 (grade C, average). The Highfield School is ahead on our composite score.

  • Fearnhill School was judged the expected standard and The Highfield School was judged Good.

  • On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 38.9 for Fearnhill School and 41.7 for The Highfield School.

  • GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at Fearnhill School (48.6 in 2021-22, 38.9 in 2024-25).

Side-by-side comparison

Fearnhill School versus The Highfield School compared on inspection, results, pupils and attendance.
Measure LetchworthFearnhill SchoolLetchworth Garden CityThe Highfield SchoolEngland average
Overview
Our scoreD53/100C59/100Stronger figure
Local ranking65th of 81 in Hertfordshire Stronger figure77th of 81 in Hertfordshire
InspectionOfsted: ExpectedOfsted: Good
School typeFoundation school Academy converter
PhaseSecondary Secondary
Age range11-18 11-18
GenderMixed Mixed
Pupils on roll601 978
Capacity1,055 1,068
LocationLetchworth, SG6 4BA Letchworth Garden City, SG6 3QA
GCSE results
Attainment 838.9 41.7 Stronger figure46.0
Grade 5+ in English & maths26.7% 40.4% Stronger figure45.4%
Grade 4+ in English & maths53.3% 55.0% Stronger figure64.8%
Entering EBacc39.0% Stronger figure22.8% 40.5%
EBacc average point score3.56 Stronger figure3.55 4.09
Cohort105 171
A-level results
A-level entries19 74
A-level average points24.7 32.4 Stronger figure35.0
A-level average gradeD+ C+
Best 3 A-levels points25.5 32.3 Stronger figure35.8
AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects0.0% 16.9% Stronger figure17.5%
Pupils
Pupils in the census601 978
Free school meals (ever 6)39.3% 27.8%
English as an additional language10.5% 9.4%
SEN support12.2% 25.6%
SEN with an EHC plan4.0% 3.5%
Attendance
Overall absence10.9% 10.0% Stronger figure6.2%
Persistent absence31.0% 28.9% Stronger figure15.8%

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

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.

Fearnhill School

The Highfield School

Full profiles: Fearnhill School · The Highfield School