Sir William Borlase's Grammar School
West Street, Marlow, SL7 2BR
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- MARLOW EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Ed Goodall
- Admissions policy
- Selective
- Sponsor
- Marlow Education Trust
- Constituency
- Beaconsfield
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,085
- Pupils on roll
- 1,222
- URN
- 136781
- Local authority
- Buckinghamshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01628816500
About this school
Sir William Borlase's Grammar School is a secondary academy in Marlow. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,222 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Sir William Borlase's Grammar School, and its latest judgement is set out 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
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 | 140 | 143 | 151 |
| Attainment 8 score | 76.4 | 73.8 | 72.4 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.71 +0.46 to +0.96 | +0.56 +0.30 to +0.81 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 100% | 97.9% | 96.7% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 100% | 99.3% | 99.3% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 85% | 79.7% | 80.8% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 7.3 | 7.1 | 6.9 |
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 Sir William Borlase's Grammar 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 | Buckinghamshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 76.4 | 47.7 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 73.8 | 49.4 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 72.4 | 46.7 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,165 |
| 2023/24 | 1,191 |
| 2024/25 | 1,205 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Sir William Borlase's Grammar School compares
Sir William Borlase's Grammar School ranked 11th of 36 secondary schools in Buckinghamshire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 98% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 72.4 | 5.6% | 3.1% | 1,222 | — |
| Great Marlow School | 47.9 | 8.7% | 16.8% | 1,395 | 1.0 miles |
| Furze Platt Senior School | 47.5 | 8.2% | 19.2% | 1,556 | 2.9 miles |
| Cressex Community School | 50.7 | 7.5% | 29.3% | 766 | 3.1 miles |
| John Hampden Grammar School | 72.3 | 5.7% | 4.7% | 1,281 | 3.3 miles |
| E-Act Bourne End Academy | 38 | 12.9% | 32.5% | 707 | 3.3 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)
- 3.06%
- English as an additional language
- 11.4%
- Overall absence
- 5.59%
- Persistent absence
- 14.04%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Great Marlow School1.0 miles
Secondary · Marlow
-
Furze Platt Senior School2.9 miles
Secondary · Maidenhead
-
Cressex Community School3.1 miles
Secondary · High Wycombe
-
John Hampden Grammar School3.3 miles
Secondary · High Wycombe
-
E-Act Bourne End Academy3.3 miles
Secondary · Bourne End
Other schools in Marlow
- Great Marlow School Secondary
- Bisham Church of England Academy Primary
- Burford School Primary
- Danesfield School Primary
- Foxes Piece School Primary
- Holy Trinity Church of England (Aided) School Primary
- Little Marlow CofE School Primary
- Marlow Church of England Infant School Primary
- Spinfield School Primary
- St Peter's Catholic Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Sir William Borlase's Grammar School teach?
- Sir William Borlase's Grammar School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Marlow.
- Who is the headteacher of Sir William Borlase's Grammar School?
- The headteacher of Sir William Borlase's Grammar School is Mr Ed Goodall, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Sir William Borlase's Grammar School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Sir William Borlase's Grammar 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 Sir William Borlase's Grammar School?
- Sir William Borlase's Grammar School has 1,222 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Sir William Borlase's Grammar School full?
- Sir William Borlase's Grammar School has capacity for 1,085 pupils and 1,222 on roll (113%), 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 Sir William Borlase's Grammar School a faith school?
- No. Sir William Borlase's Grammar School has no designated religious character.
- Is Sir William Borlase's Grammar School a selective school?
- Yes. Sir William Borlase's Grammar School is recorded as Selective in the schools register, so entry involves selection.
- Is Sir William Borlase's Grammar School part of an academy trust?
- Sir William Borlase's Grammar School is part of MARLOW EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Sir William Borlase's Grammar School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 76.4 in 2022/23 and 72.4 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Sir William Borlase's Grammar School compare with other schools in Buckinghamshire?
- Sir William Borlase's Grammar School ranked 11th of 36 secondary schools in Buckinghamshire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 98% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Sir William Borlase's Grammar School's absence rate?
- Sir William Borlase's Grammar School's overall absence rate is 5.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Sir William Borlase's Grammar School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Sir William Borlase's Grammar 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 1 July 2026.