The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science CollegeSt Mary's Catholic School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Bishop's Stortford.
Summary of the comparison
The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College and St Mary's Catholic School are secondary schools in Bishop's Stortford.
The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College scores 77 out of 100 (grade B, strong) and St Mary's Catholic School scores 70 out of 100 (grade B, strong). The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College is ahead on our composite score.
The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College was judged Outstanding and St Mary's Catholic School was judged strong.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 63.6 for The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College and 57.6 for St Mary's Catholic School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College (65.9 in 2021-22, 63.6 in 2024-25) and has held broadly level at St Mary's Catholic School (57.5 in 2021-22, 57.6 in 2024-25).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | Bishop's StortfordThe Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College | Bishop's StortfordSt Mary's Catholic School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | B77/100Stronger figure | B70/100 | |
| Local ranking | 13th of 81 in Hertfordshire Stronger figure | 28th of 81 in Hertfordshire | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: OutstandingStronger figure | Ofsted: Strong | |
| School type | Academy converter | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-18 | 11-18 | |
| Gender | Girls | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,450 | 1,121 | |
| Capacity | 1,360 | 1,029 | |
| Location | Bishop's Stortford, CM23 5NJ | Bishop's Stortford, CM23 2NQ | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 63.6 Stronger figure | 57.6 | 46.0 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 75.7% Stronger figure | 65.9% | 45.4% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 93.5% Stronger figure | 89.2% | 64.8% |
| Entering EBacc | 61.1% | 67.6% Stronger figure | 40.5% |
| EBacc average point score | 5.83 Stronger figure | 5.33 | 4.09 |
| Cohort | 185 | 185 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | 243 | 86 | |
| A-level average points | 41.0 Stronger figure | 29.3 | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | B | C | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | 40.7 Stronger figure | 29.4 | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | 22.9% Stronger figure | 9.4% | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,450 | 1,121 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 5.6% | 10.4% | |
| English as an additional language | 15.1% | 25.1% | |
| SEN support | 7.1% | 7.8% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 1.1% | 1.0% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 7.5% | 5.9% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 27.3% | 14.7% 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.
The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College
St Mary's Catholic School
Full profiles: The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College · St Mary's Catholic School