Herschel Grammar School
Northampton Avenue, Slough, SL1 3BW
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- THE SCHELWOOD TRUST
- Headteacher
- Ms Joanne Rockall
- Admissions policy
- Selective
- Constituency
- Slough
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 900
- Pupils on roll
- 1,062
- URN
- 137726
- Local authority
- Slough
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01753520950
About this school
Herschel Grammar School is a secondary academy in Slough. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,062 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Herschel 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. 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 | 152 | 154 | 150 |
| Attainment 8 score | 76.2 | 75.4 | 75.8 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.74 +0.51 to +0.98 | +0.76 +0.53 to +0.99 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 99% | 99.4% | 98.7% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 99% | 100% | 100% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 82% | 82.5% | 78% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 7.3 | 7.2 | 7.3 |
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 Herschel 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 | Slough average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 76.2 | 53.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 75.4 | 55.5 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 75.8 | 55.1 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,068 |
| 2023/24 | 1,057 |
| 2024/25 | 1,056 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Herschel Grammar School compares
Herschel Grammar School ranked 4th of 15 secondary schools in Slough for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 99% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 45% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 75.8 | 5.7% | 7.9% | 1,062 | — |
| Baylis Court School | 51.7 | 7.9% | 31.5% | 921 | 0.4 miles |
| Eden Girls' School, Slough | 59.4 | 5.4% | 26.7% | 613 | 0.5 miles |
| The Westgate School | 40.6 | 10% | 25.4% | 1,273 | 0.8 miles |
| Lynch Hill Enterprise Academy | 38.3 | 7.8% | 40.3% | 863 | 1.0 miles |
| St Joseph's Catholic High School | 50.1 | 4.8% | 12.2% | 988 | 1.1 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)
- 7.87%
- English as an additional language
- 40%
- Overall absence
- 5.68%
- Persistent absence
- 18.78%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Baylis Court School0.4 miles
Secondary · Slough
-
Eden Girls' School, Slough0.5 miles
Secondary · Slough
-
The Westgate School0.8 miles
Secondary · Slough
-
Lynch Hill Enterprise Academy1.0 miles
Secondary · Slough
-
St Joseph's Catholic High School1.1 miles
Secondary · Slough
Other schools in Slough
Herschel Grammar School ranks 3rd of the 16 ranked secondary schools in Slough.
- Baylis Court School Secondary
- Beechwood School Secondary
- Burnham Grammar School Secondary
- Churchmead Church of England (VA) School Secondary
- Ditton Park Academy Secondary
- Eden Girls' School, Slough Secondary
- Lynch Hill Enterprise Academy Secondary
- Slough and Eton Church of England Business and Enterprise College Secondary
- St Bernard's Catholic Grammar School Secondary
- St Joseph's Catholic High School Secondary
- The Langley Academy Secondary
- The Westgate School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Herschel Grammar School teach?
- Herschel Grammar School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Slough.
- Who is the headteacher of Herschel Grammar School?
- The headteacher of Herschel Grammar School is Ms Joanne Rockall, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Herschel Grammar School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Herschel 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 Herschel Grammar School?
- Herschel Grammar School has 1,062 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Herschel Grammar School full?
- Herschel Grammar School has capacity for 900 pupils and 1,062 on roll (118%), 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 Herschel Grammar School a faith school?
- No. Herschel Grammar School has no designated religious character.
- Is Herschel Grammar School a selective school?
- Yes. Herschel Grammar School is recorded as Selective in the schools register, so entry involves selection.
- Is Herschel Grammar School part of an academy trust?
- Herschel Grammar School is part of THE SCHELWOOD TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Herschel Grammar School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 76.2 in 2022/23 and 75.8 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Herschel Grammar School compare with other schools in Slough?
- Herschel Grammar School ranked 4th of 15 secondary schools in Slough for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 99% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 45% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Herschel Grammar School's absence rate?
- Herschel Grammar School's overall absence rate is 5.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Herschel Grammar School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Herschel 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.