Freman College
Bowling Green Lane, Buntingford, SG9 9BT
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 13 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- FREMAN COLLEGE
- Headteacher
- Ms Lisa Jones
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Constituency
- North East Hertfordshire
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 903
- Pupils on roll
- 1,049
- URN
- 137002
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01763271818
About this school
Freman College is a secondary academy in Buntingford. It teaches children aged 13 to 18 and has 1,049 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Freman College, 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 12 June 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 213 | 230 | 259 |
| Attainment 8 score | 50.4 | 53.6 | 53.1 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.36 +0.17 to +0.55 | +0.58 +0.40 to +0.77 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 52% | 59.1% | 52.5% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 72% | 80.4% | 75.7% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 38% | 30.4% | 27.4% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.6 |
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 Freman College 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 | 50.4 | 44.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 53.6 | 44.2 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 53.1 | 44.1 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 991 |
| 2023/24 | 996 |
| 2024/25 | 1,022 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Freman College compares
Freman College ranked 31st of 78 secondary schools in Hertfordshire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 84% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 22% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 53.1 | 7.3% | 12.1% | 1,049 | — |
| The Nobel School | 50.2 | 7.3% | 19.9% | 1,475 | 6.6 miles |
| Marriotts School | 42.4 | 9.4% | 32.9% | 1,415 | 7.1 miles |
| The Knights Templar School | 48.5 | 6.5% | 20.7% | 1,375 | 7.4 miles |
| Barnwell School | 41.5 | 10.9% | 30.1% | 1,270 | 7.5 miles |
| Barclay Academy | 49.5 | 8.6% | 26% | 1,044 | 7.9 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)
- 12.14%
- English as an additional language
- 2.8%
- Overall absence
- 7.3%
- Persistent absence
- 20.57%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Nobel School6.6 miles
Secondary · Stevenage
-
Marriotts School7.1 miles
Secondary · Stevenage
-
The Knights Templar School7.4 miles
Secondary · Baldock
-
Barnwell School7.5 miles
Secondary · Stevenage
-
Barclay Academy7.9 miles
Secondary · Stevenage
Other schools in Buntingford
- Anstey First School Primary
- Buntingford First School Primary
- Hormead Church of England (VA) First School Primary
- Layston Church of England First School Primary
- Millfield First and Nursery School Primary
- Edwinstree Church of England Middle School Middle deemed secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Freman College teach?
- Freman College teaches children aged 13 to 18. It is a secondary school in Buntingford.
- Who is the headteacher of Freman College?
- The headteacher of Freman College is Ms Lisa Jones, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Freman College been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Freman College, 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 Freman College?
- Freman College has 1,049 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 13 to 18.
- Is Freman College full?
- Freman College has capacity for 903 pupils and 1,049 on roll (116%), 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 Freman College a faith school?
- No. Freman College has no designated religious character.
- Is Freman College a selective school?
- No. Freman College is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Freman College part of an academy trust?
- Freman College is part of FREMAN COLLEGE. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Freman College's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 50.4 in 2022/23 and 53.1 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Freman College compare with other schools in Hertfordshire?
- Freman College ranked 31st of 78 secondary schools in Hertfordshire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 84% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 22% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Freman College's absence rate?
- Freman College's overall absence rate is 7.3% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Freman College's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Freman College'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.