The Priory SchoolThe Highfield School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side.
Summary of the comparison
The Priory School and The Highfield School are secondary schools.
The Priory School scores 59 out of 100 (grade C, average) and The Highfield School scores 59 out of 100 (grade C, average). Our score is the same for each of them on the data available.
The Priory School was judged Good and The Highfield School was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 46.5 for The Priory School and 42.0 for The Highfield School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at The Priory School (49.1 in 2021-22, 46.5 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | HitchinThe Priory School | Letchworth Garden CityThe Highfield School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C59/100 | C59/100 | |
| Local ranking | 47th of 81 in Hertfordshire Stronger figure | 76th of 81 in Hertfordshire | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Foundation school | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-18 | 11-18 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,221 | 937 | |
| Capacity | 1,300 | 1,068 | |
| Location | Hitchin, SG5 2UR | Letchworth Garden City, SG6 3QA | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 46.5 Stronger figure | 42.0 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 51.0% Stronger figure | 38.9% | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 66.2% Stronger figure | 56.8% | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 198 | 162 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | 122 | 74 | |
| A-level average points | 36.5 Stronger figure | 32.4 | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | B- | C+ | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | 38.3 Stronger figure | 32.3 | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | 26.2% Stronger figure | 16.9% | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,242 | 978 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 24.2% | 27.8% | |
| English as an additional language | 6.7% | 9.4% | |
| SEN support | 17.1% | 25.6% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 4.0% | 3.5% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 8.7% Stronger figure | 10.0% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 19.4% Stronger figure | 28.9% | 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
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 Priory School
The Highfield School
Full profiles: The Priory School · The Highfield School