Watford Grammar School for Boys
Rickmansworth Road, Watford, WD18 7JF
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Boys
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- WATFORD GRAMMAR SCHOOL FOR BOYS
- Headmaster
- Mr Ian Cooksey
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese is not trustees
- Sponsor
- Watford Grammar School for Boys
- Constituency
- Watford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,496
- Pupils on roll
- 1,590
- URN
- 136276
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01923208900
About this school
Watford Grammar School for Boys is a Church of England boys' secondary academy in Watford. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,590 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. 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
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Exceptional
- Curriculum and teaching
- Exceptional
- Achievement
- Exceptional
- Attendance and behaviour
- Strong standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Exceptional
- Leadership and governance
- Exceptional
- Post-16 provision
- Exceptional
- Safeguarding
- Met
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 227 | 222 | 222 |
| Attainment 8 score | 68.8 | 66.5 | 68.9 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.75 +0.55 to +0.94 | +0.72 +0.53 to +0.91 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 91% | 84.7% | 83.3% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 96% | 91.9% | 90.5% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 96% | 95.9% | 95.9% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 6.8 | 6.5 | 6.8 |
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 Watford Grammar School for Boys 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 | 68.8 | 44.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 66.5 | 44.2 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 68.9 | 44.1 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,533 |
| 2023/24 | 1,557 |
| 2024/25 | 1,610 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Watford Grammar School for Boys compares
Watford Grammar School for Boys ranked 2nd of 78 secondary schools in Hertfordshire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 97% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 68.9 | 7.1% | 7.3% | 1,590 | — |
| Westfield Academy | 41.4 | 10.4% | 27.8% | 1,331 | 0.5 miles |
| Watford Grammar School for Girls | 68.2 | 6.7% | 7.2% | 1,427 | 0.7 miles |
| Croxley Danes School | 51.3 | 8.8% | 15.5% | 1,049 | 0.8 miles |
| Rickmansworth School | 61.2 | 5.1% | 7.2% | 1,575 | 1.9 miles |
| Queens' School | 57.5 | 5.6% | 11.4% | 1,697 | 2.0 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.
Inspection history
-
Graded inspection report14 April 2026
- 13 October 2021
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 7.31%
- English as an additional language
- 21.8%
- Overall absence
- 7.06%
- Persistent absence
- 21.46%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Westfield Academy0.5 miles
Secondary · Watford
-
Watford Grammar School for Girls0.7 miles
Secondary · Watford
-
Croxley Danes School0.8 miles
Secondary · Rickmansworth
-
Rickmansworth School1.9 miles
Secondary · Rickmansworth
-
Queens' School2.0 miles
Secondary · Bushey
Other schools in Watford
Watford Grammar School for Boys ranks 1st of the 6 ranked secondary schools in Watford.
- Future Academies Watford Secondary
- Parmiter's School Secondary
- Saint Michael's Catholic High School Secondary
- Watford Grammar School for Girls Secondary
- Westfield Academy Secondary
- Kingswood Nursery School Nursery
- Oxhey Nursery School Nursery
- Alban Wood Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Ascot Road Primary School Primary
- Beechfield School Primary
- Bromet Primary School Primary
- Cassiobury Infant and Nursery School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Watford Grammar School for Boys teach?
- Watford Grammar School for Boys teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Watford.
- Who is the headmaster of Watford Grammar School for Boys?
- The headmaster of Watford Grammar School for Boys is Mr Ian Cooksey, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Watford Grammar School for Boys last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Watford Grammar School for Boys, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Watford Grammar School for Boys?
- Watford Grammar School for Boys has 1,590 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Watford Grammar School for Boys full?
- Watford Grammar School for Boys has capacity for 1,496 pupils and 1,590 on roll (106%), 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 Watford Grammar School for Boys a faith school?
- Yes. Watford Grammar School for Boys is designated Church of England, in the Diocese is not trustees.
- Is Watford Grammar School for Boys a selective school?
- No. Watford Grammar School for Boys is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs Watford Grammar School for Boys?
- Watford Grammar School for Boys is part of WATFORD GRAMMAR SCHOOL FOR BOYS. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Watford Grammar School for Boys's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 68.8 in 2022/23 and 68.9 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Watford Grammar School for Boys rank locally?
- Watford Grammar School for Boys ranked 2nd of 78 secondary schools in Hertfordshire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 97% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Watford Grammar School for Boys's absence rate?
- Watford Grammar School for Boys's overall absence rate is 7.1% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Watford Grammar School for Boys's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Watford Grammar School for Boys'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 15 July 2026.