Highdown School and Sixth Form CentreMaiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge

Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Reading.

Summary of the comparison

Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre and Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge are secondary schools in Reading.

  • Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre scores 62 out of 100 (grade C, average) and Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge scores 51 out of 100 (grade D, below average). Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre is ahead on our composite score.

  • Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre was judged Good and Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge was judged Good.

  • On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 50.4 for Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre and 44.3 for Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge.

  • GCSE Attainment 8 has held broadly level at Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre (51.9 in 2021-22, 50.4 in 2024-25) and has fallen at Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge (49.4 in 2021-22, 44.3 in 2024-25).

Side-by-side comparison

Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre versus Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge compared on inspection, results, pupils and attendance.
Measure ReadingHighdown School and Sixth Form CentreReadingMaiden Erlegh Chiltern EdgeEngland average
Overview
Our scoreC62/100Stronger figureD51/100
Local ranking4th of 10 in Reading 32nd of 41 in Oxfordshire
InspectionOfsted: GoodOfsted: Good
School typeAcademy converter Academy sponsor led
PhaseSecondary Secondary
Age range11-18 11-16
GenderMixed Mixed
Pupils on roll1,545 421
Capacity1,440 934
LocationReading, RG4 8LR Reading, RG4 9LN
GCSE results
Attainment 850.4 Stronger figure44.3 46.0
Grade 5+ in English & maths57.3% Stronger figure44.8% 45.4%
Grade 4+ in English & maths74.6% Stronger figure62.7% 64.8%
Entering EBacc39.1% 40.3% Stronger figure40.5%
EBacc average point score4.61 Stronger figure4.02 4.09
Cohort248 67
A-level results
A-level entries141 Not reported
A-level average points34.4 Not reported35.0
A-level average gradeC+ Not reported
Best 3 A-levels points34.7 Not reported35.8
AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects16.8% Not reported17.5%
Pupils
Pupils in the census1,545 421
Free school meals (ever 6)11.1% 24.7%
English as an additional language16.1% 9.3%
SEN support11.6% 29.4%
SEN with an EHC plan1.7% 6.4%
Attendance
Overall absence8.3% Stronger figure11.3% 6.2%
Persistent absence21.0% Stronger figure29.1% 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

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.

Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre

Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge

Full profiles: Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre · Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge