Ashlyns School
Chesham Road, Berkhamsted, HP4 3AH
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Foundation school
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Headteacher
- Mr James Shapland
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Constituency
- Harpenden and Berkhamsted
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,557
- Pupils on roll
- 1,561
- URN
- 117578
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01442863605
About this school
Ashlyns School is a foundation secondary school in Berkhamsted. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,561 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Ashlyns School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 234 | 242 | 239 |
| Attainment 8 score | 52.0 | 53.8 | 57.9 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.28 +0.09 to +0.46 | +0.36 +0.18 to +0.54 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 60% | 61.6% | 70.7% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 80% | 78.9% | 86.2% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 38% | 27.3% | 37.7% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.5 | 4.7 | 5.2 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Ashlyns School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 52 | 44.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 53.8 | 44.2 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 57.9 | 44.1 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,506 |
| 2023/24 | 1,546 |
| 2024/25 | 1,535 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Ashlyns School compares
Ashlyns School ranked 19th of 78 secondary schools in Hertfordshire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 91% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 13% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 57.9 | 8.8% | 11.8% | 1,561 | — |
| John F Kennedy Catholic School | 47.9 | 7.1% | 15.1% | 1,073 | 2.8 miles |
| Chesham Grammar School | 74 | 5.7% | 2.1% | 1,331 | 3.4 miles |
| Laureate Academy | 41.7 | 13.8% | 38% | 703 | 3.5 miles |
| The Hemel Hempstead School | 49.9 | 7.5% | 18.3% | 1,287 | 3.7 miles |
| Chiltern Hills Academy | 40.3 | 10.5% | 22.4% | 1,047 | 3.9 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 11.8%
- English as an additional language
- 5.5%
- Overall absence
- 8.75%
- Persistent absence
- 18.35%
Location
Nearby schools
-
John F Kennedy Catholic School2.8 miles
Secondary · Hemel Hempstead
-
Chesham Grammar School3.4 miles
Secondary · Chesham
-
Laureate Academy3.5 miles
Secondary · Hemel Hempstead
-
The Hemel Hempstead School3.7 miles
Secondary · Hemel Hempstead
-
Chiltern Hills Academy3.9 miles
Secondary · Chesham
Other schools in Berkhamsted
- Bridgewater Primary School Primary
- Greenway Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Little Gaddesden Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Potten End CofE Primary School Primary
- St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch Primary
- St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Primary
- Swing Gate Infant School and Nursery Primary
- The Thomas Coram Church of England School Primary
- Victoria Church of England Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Westfield Primary School Primary
- Berkhamsted Prep and Pre-Prep School Independent schools
- Berkhamsted School Independent schools
Common questions
- What ages does Ashlyns School teach?
- Ashlyns School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Berkhamsted.
- Who is the headteacher of Ashlyns School?
- The headteacher of Ashlyns School is Mr James Shapland, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Ashlyns School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Ashlyns School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Ashlyns School?
- Ashlyns School has 1,561 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Ashlyns School full?
- Ashlyns School has capacity for 1,557 pupils and 1,561 on roll (100%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Ashlyns School a faith school?
- No. Ashlyns School has no designated religious character.
- Is Ashlyns School a selective school?
- No. Ashlyns School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- How have Ashlyns School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 52 in 2022/23 and 57.9 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Ashlyns School compare with other schools in Hertfordshire?
- Ashlyns School ranked 19th of 78 secondary schools in Hertfordshire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 91% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 13% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Ashlyns School's absence rate?
- Ashlyns School's overall absence rate is 8.8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Ashlyns School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Ashlyns School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 30 June 2026.