Richard Hale SchoolSimon Balle All-Through School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Hertford.
Summary of the comparison
This page compares Richard Hale School and Simon Balle All-Through School in Hertford.
Richard Hale School scores 67 out of 100 (grade C, average) and Simon Balle All-Through School scores 75 out of 100 (grade B, strong). Simon Balle All-Through School is ahead on our composite score.
Richard Hale School was judged Good and Simon Balle All-Through School was judged Outstanding.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 54.0 for Richard Hale School and 52.9 for Simon Balle All-Through School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at Richard Hale School (59.2 in 2021-22, 54.0 in 2025-26) and has held broadly level at Simon Balle All-Through School (54.5 in 2021-22, 52.9 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | HertfordRichard Hale School | HertfordSimon Balle All-Through School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C67/100 | B75/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 30th of 81 in Hertfordshire | 19th of 81 in Hertfordshire Stronger figure | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: OutstandingStronger figure | |
| School type | Academy converter | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | All-through | |
| Age range | 11-18 | 4-18 | |
| Gender | Boys | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,207 | 1,617 | |
| Capacity | 1,218 | 1,037 | |
| Location | Hertford, SG13 8EN | Hertford, SG13 8AJ | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 54.0 Stronger figure | 52.9 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 60.8% Stronger figure | 57.4% | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 78.4% Stronger figure | 76.3% | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 176 | 169 | |
| Key Stage 2 (SATs) | |||
| Reading, writing & maths at expected standard | Not reported | 84.0% | 62.0% |
| At higher standard | Not reported | 33.0% | 8.0% |
| Reading average scaled score | Not reported | 110.0 | 106.0 |
| Maths average scaled score | Not reported | 110.0 | 105.0 |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | 120 | 89 | |
| A-level average points | 34.7 | 38.8 Stronger figure | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | C+ | B | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | 34.3 | 39.8 Stronger figure | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | 11.3% | 27.9% Stronger figure | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,209 | 1,561 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 9.7% | 10.7% | |
| English as an additional language | 5.0% | 6.5% | |
| SEN support | 9.1% | 10.3% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 2.1% | 3.8% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 5.4% | 5.0% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 12.0% | 10.8% 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.
Richard Hale School
Simon Balle All-Through School
Full profiles: Richard Hale School · Simon Balle All-Through School