Merchant Taylors' School
Sandy Lodge, Northwood, Northwood, HA6 2HT
- Phase
- Independent schools
- School type
- Other independent school
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Boys
- Religious character
- None
- Headteacher
- Mr Simon Everson
- Admissions policy
- Selective
- Religious ethos
- Church of England
- Constituency
- South West Hertfordshire
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,175
- Pupils on roll
- 1,051
- URN
- 117616
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01923820644
About this school
Merchant Taylors' School is a boys' independent school in Northwood. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,051 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has not yet inspected Merchant Taylors' School under its current framework. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Merchant Taylors' School has not been inspected by Ofsted yet. It opened in its current form in January 1927, and new or converted schools usually wait a few years for their first inspection.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 173 | 163 | 171 |
| Attainment 8 score | 39.9 | 42.7 | 21.7 |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 2.2 | 2.3 | 1.2 |
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 Merchant Taylors' 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 | 39.9 | 44.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 42.7 | 44.2 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 21.7 | 44.1 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 945 |
| 2023/24 | 963 |
| 2024/25 | 959 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 0%
- Pupils with an EHC plan
- 3
- Pupils on SEN support
- 220
Location
Nearby schools
-
Merchant Taylors' Prep School0.6 miles
Independent schools · Rickmansworth
-
Chessbrook Education Support Centre1.0 miles
Local authority maintained schools · Watford
-
St Martin's School1.3 miles
Independent schools · Northwood
-
Colnbrook School1.4 miles
Special schools · Watford
-
St Helen's School1.4 miles
Independent schools · Northwood
Other schools in Northwood
- Northwood College for Girls GDST Independent schools
- St Helen's School Independent schools
- St Martin's School Independent schools
- Eastbury Farm Primary School Primary
- Frithwood Primary School Primary
- Hillside Infant School Primary
- Hillside Junior School Primary
- Northwood School Secondary
- UTC Heathrow Secondary
- London School of Theology Other types
Common questions
- What year groups does Merchant Taylors' School teach?
- Merchant Taylors' School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is an independent school in Northwood.
- Who is the headteacher of Merchant Taylors' School?
- The headteacher of Merchant Taylors' School is Mr Simon Everson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Merchant Taylors' School been inspected?
- Ofsted has not inspected Merchant Taylors' School under its current framework, so no current judgement is shown. That is common for newer schools and is not a mark against a school.
- How big is Merchant Taylors' School?
- Merchant Taylors' School has 1,051 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Merchant Taylors' School full?
- Merchant Taylors' School has capacity for 1,175 pupils and 1,051 on roll (89%), so it has space against 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 Merchant Taylors' School a faith school?
- No. Merchant Taylors' School has no designated religious character.
- Is Merchant Taylors' School a selective school?
- Yes. Merchant Taylors' School is recorded as Selective in the schools register, so entry involves selection.
- How have Merchant Taylors' School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 39.9 in 2022/23 and 21.7 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What are Merchant Taylors' School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Merchant Taylors' 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 24 July 2026.