Icknield High School
Riddy Lane, Luton, LU3 2AH
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- ICKNIELD HIGH SCHOOL
- Headteacher
- Mr Kamran Ahmed
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- SEN provision
- HI - Hearing Impairment
- Constituency
- Luton North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,445
- Pupils on roll
- 1,452
- URN
- 137679
- Local authority
- Luton
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01582576561
About this school
Icknield High School is a secondary academy in Luton. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 1,452 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Icknield High 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
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 290 | 277 | 281 |
| Attainment 8 score | 48.0 | 50.6 | 49.4 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.37 +0.21 to +0.54 | +0.54 +0.38 to +0.71 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 52% | 59.9% | 57.7% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 71% | 74.7% | 74% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 49% | 52.3% | 37.4% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.4 |
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 Icknield High 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 | Luton average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 48 | 41.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 50.6 | 42.9 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 49.4 | 43.3 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,461 |
| 2023/24 | 1,453 |
| 2024/25 | 1,446 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Icknield High School compares
Icknield High School ranked 5th of 13 secondary schools in Luton for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 74% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 20% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 49.4 | 7.6% | 26.3% | 1,452 | — |
| Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College | 50 | 6.6% | 18.8% | 1,655 | 1.0 miles |
| Stopsley High School | 42.3 | 8% | 31% | 1,046 | 1.0 miles |
| Denbigh High School | 52.6 | 5.9% | 31.3% | 1,130 | 1.1 miles |
| Lea Manor High School | 36.3 | 9.5% | 43.7% | 916 | 1.3 miles |
| Challney High School for Girls | 50.1 | 6.3% | 30.3% | 1,062 | 1.8 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
- 14 February 2024
-
Ungraded inspection report24 November 2021
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 26.28%
- English as an additional language
- 32%
- Overall absence
- 7.58%
- Persistent absence
- 21.21%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College1.0 miles
Secondary · Luton
-
Stopsley High School1.0 miles
Secondary · Luton
-
Denbigh High School1.1 miles
Secondary · Luton
-
Lea Manor High School1.3 miles
Secondary · Luton
-
Challney High School for Girls1.8 miles
Secondary · Luton
Other schools in Luton
Icknield High School ranks 5th of the 14 ranked secondary schools in Luton.
- Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College Secondary
- Challney High School for Boys Secondary
- Challney High School for Girls Secondary
- Chiltern Academy Secondary
- Denbigh High School Secondary
- Lea Manor High School Secondary
- Lealands High School Secondary
- Manshead Church of England Academy Secondary
- Putteridge High School Secondary
- Queen Elizabeth School Secondary
- Stopsley High School Secondary
- The Chalk Hills Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Icknield High School teach?
- Icknield High School teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Luton.
- Who is the headteacher of Icknield High School?
- The headteacher of Icknield High School is Mr Kamran Ahmed, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Icknield High School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Icknield High 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 Icknield High School?
- Icknield High School has 1,452 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Icknield High School full?
- Icknield High School has capacity for 1,445 pupils and 1,452 on roll (100%), 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 Icknield High School a faith school?
- No. Icknield High School has no designated religious character.
- Is Icknield High School a selective school?
- No. Icknield High School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Icknield High School part of an academy trust?
- Icknield High School is part of ICKNIELD HIGH SCHOOL. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Icknield High School have?
- The schools register lists Icknield High School's special educational needs provision as: HI - Hearing Impairment. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Icknield High School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 48 in 2022/23 and 49.4 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Icknield High School compare with other schools in Luton?
- Icknield High School ranked 5th of 13 secondary schools in Luton for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 74% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 20% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Icknield High School's absence rate?
- Icknield High School's overall absence rate is 7.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Icknield High School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Icknield High 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.