Denefield School
Long Lane, Tilehurst, Reading, RG31 6XY
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- DENEFIELD SCHOOL
- Headteacher
- Mr Edwin Towill
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Constituency
- Reading West and Mid Berkshire
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,137
- Pupils on roll
- 1,171
- URN
- 137777
- Local authority
- West Berkshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01189413458
About this school
Denefield School is a secondary academy in Reading. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,171 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Denefield 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
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 180 | 189 | 183 |
| Attainment 8 score | 52.2 | 49.3 | 47.0 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.44 +0.24 to +0.65 | +0.16 -0.04 to +0.37 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 56% | 53.4% | 49.7% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 76% | 72.5% | 69.9% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 34% | 35.4% | 37.7% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.1 |
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 Denefield 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 | West Berkshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 52.2 | 41 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 49.3 | 40.6 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 47 | 38.5 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,112 |
| 2023/24 | 1,120 |
| 2024/25 | 1,142 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Denefield School compares
Denefield School ranked 5th of 9 secondary schools in West Berkshire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 66% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 12% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 47 | 8.9% | 17.5% | 1,171 | — |
| Little Heath School | 48.2 | 7.2% | 19.3% | 1,682 | 1.1 miles |
| King's Academy Prospect | 36.8 | 9.5% | 39.7% | 1,157 | 2.3 miles |
| Theale Green School | 38.5 | 10.4% | 25.6% | 803 | 2.7 miles |
| Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School | 46 | 7.5% | 21.3% | 1,082 | 2.9 miles |
| The WREN School | 44.8 | 8.3% | 29.1% | 931 | 2.9 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)
- 17.49%
- English as an additional language
- 4.9%
- Overall absence
- 8.94%
- Persistent absence
- 24.44%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Little Heath School1.1 miles
Secondary · Reading
-
King's Academy Prospect2.3 miles
Secondary · Reading
-
Theale Green School2.7 miles
Secondary · Reading
-
Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School2.9 miles
Secondary · Reading
-
The WREN School2.9 miles
Secondary · Reading
Other schools in Reading
Denefield School ranks 12th of the 19 ranked secondary schools in Reading.
- Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School Secondary
- Hartland High School Secondary
- Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre Secondary
- Kendrick School Secondary
- King's Academy Prospect Secondary
- Langtree School Secondary
- Little Heath School Secondary
- Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge Secondary
- Maiden Erlegh School Secondary
- Maiden Erlegh School in Reading Secondary
- Oakbank School Secondary
- Reading Girls' School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Denefield School teach?
- Denefield School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Reading.
- Who is the headteacher of Denefield School?
- The headteacher of Denefield School is Mr Edwin Towill, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Denefield School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Denefield 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 Denefield School?
- Denefield School has 1,171 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Denefield School full?
- Denefield School has capacity for 1,137 pupils and 1,171 on roll (103%), 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 Denefield School a faith school?
- No. Denefield School has no designated religious character.
- Is Denefield School a selective school?
- No. Denefield School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Denefield School part of an academy trust?
- Denefield School is part of DENEFIELD SCHOOL. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Denefield School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 52.2 in 2022/23 and 47 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Denefield School compare with other schools in West Berkshire?
- Denefield School ranked 5th of 9 secondary schools in West Berkshire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 66% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 12% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Denefield School's absence rate?
- Denefield School's overall absence rate is 8.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Denefield School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Denefield 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.