Watford Grammar School for Girls
Lady's Close, Watford, WD18 0AE
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Girls
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- WATFORD GRAMMAR SCHOOL FOR GIRLS
- Headmistress
- Miss Sylvia Tai
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese is not trustees
- Constituency
- Watford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,310
- Pupils on roll
- 1,427
- URN
- 136289
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01923223403
About this school
Watford Grammar School for Girls is a Church of England girls' secondary academy in Watford. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,427 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Watford Grammar School for Girls, 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
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- 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 | 208 | 209 | 208 |
| Attainment 8 score | 67.6 | 66.9 | 68.2 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.70 +0.50 to +0.90 | +0.74 +0.54 to +0.95 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 86% | 81.3% | 83.2% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 95% | 91.9% | 91.3% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 78% | 75.1% | 75.5% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 6.4 | 6.3 | 6.4 |
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 Girls 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 | 67.6 | 44.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 66.9 | 44.2 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 68.2 | 44.1 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,451 |
| 2023/24 | 1,451 |
| 2024/25 | 1,429 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Watford Grammar School for Girls compares
Watford Grammar School for Girls ranked 3rd 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 29% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 68.2 | 6.7% | 7.2% | 1,427 | — |
| Watford Grammar School for Boys | 68.9 | 7.1% | 7.3% | 1,590 | 0.7 miles |
| Westfield Academy | 41.4 | 10.4% | 27.8% | 1,331 | 0.9 miles |
| The Grange Academy | 41.3 | 10.2% | 31.6% | 928 | 1.3 miles |
| Queens' School | 57.5 | 5.6% | 11.4% | 1,697 | 1.3 miles |
| Croxley Danes School | 51.3 | 8.8% | 15.5% | 1,049 | 1.5 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)
- 7.18%
- English as an additional language
- 31.1%
- Overall absence
- 6.68%
- Persistent absence
- 19.17%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Watford Grammar School for Boys0.7 miles
Secondary · Watford
-
Westfield Academy0.9 miles
Secondary · Watford
-
The Grange Academy1.3 miles
Secondary · Bushey
-
Queens' School1.3 miles
Secondary · Bushey
-
Croxley Danes School1.5 miles
Secondary · Rickmansworth
Other schools in Watford
Watford Grammar School for Girls ranks 2nd 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 Boys 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 ages does Watford Grammar School for Girls teach?
- Watford Grammar School for Girls teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Watford.
- Who is the headmistress of Watford Grammar School for Girls?
- The headmistress of Watford Grammar School for Girls is Miss Sylvia Tai, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Watford Grammar School for Girls been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Watford Grammar School for Girls, 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 Watford Grammar School for Girls?
- Watford Grammar School for Girls has 1,427 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Watford Grammar School for Girls full?
- Watford Grammar School for Girls has capacity for 1,310 pupils and 1,427 on roll (109%), 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 Girls a faith school?
- Yes. Watford Grammar School for Girls is designated Church of England, in the Diocese is not trustees.
- Is Watford Grammar School for Girls a selective school?
- No. Watford Grammar School for Girls is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Watford Grammar School for Girls part of an academy trust?
- Watford Grammar School for Girls is part of WATFORD GRAMMAR SCHOOL FOR GIRLS. 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 Girls's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 67.6 in 2022/23 and 68.2 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 Girls compare with other schools in Hertfordshire?
- Watford Grammar School for Girls ranked 3rd 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 29% 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 Girls's absence rate?
- Watford Grammar School for Girls's overall absence rate is 6.7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Watford Grammar School for Girls's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Watford Grammar School for Girls'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 1 July 2026.