Henlow Church of England Academy
Church Road, Henlow, SG16 6AN
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 9 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- POPPY HILL CHURCH OF ENGLAND MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Miss Naomi Chalkley
- Diocese
- Diocese of St Albans
- Sponsor
- Henlow Church of England Academy
- Constituency
- Hitchin
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 900
- Pupils on roll
- 599
- URN
- 138027
- Local authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01462813733
About this school
Henlow Church of England Academy is a Church of England secondary academy in Henlow. It teaches children aged 9 to 16 and has 599 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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
Ofsted did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. 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 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 |
|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 77 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 57% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 75% |
| Expected standard in maths | 62% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 66% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 101.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.50 |
| Writing progress | -2.60 |
| Maths progress | -3.70 |
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 92 | 86 |
| Attainment 8 score | 43.5 | 42.7 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.23 -0.54 to +0.07 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 40.2% | 36% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 65.2% | 62.8% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 9.8% | 18.6% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.5 | 3.5 |
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 Henlow Church of England Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Central Bedfordshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | — | 41.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 43.5 | 38.9 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 42.7 | 42.7 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 569 |
| 2023/24 | 583 |
| 2024/25 | 617 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Henlow Church of England Academy compares
Henlow Church of England Academy ranked 10th of 14 secondary schools in Central Bedfordshire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 48% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 15% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 42.7 | 8.4% | 18.5% | 599 | — |
| Samuel Whitbread Academy | 46.7 | 10.6% | 12.6% | 1,657 | 1.6 miles |
| Stratton School | 38.9 | 10.2% | 21.4% | 917 | 4.0 miles |
| Fearnhill School | 38.9 | 10.9% | 39.3% | 597 | 4.2 miles |
| Edward Peake CofE VC School | — | 7% | 26.3% | 359 | 4.6 miles |
| The Highfield School | 41.7 | 10% | 27.8% | 937 | 4.7 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)
- 18.48%
- English as an additional language
- 5%
- Overall absence
- 8.35%
- Persistent absence
- 22.12%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Samuel Whitbread Academy1.6 miles
Secondary · Shefford
-
Stratton School4.0 miles
Secondary · Biggleswade
-
Fearnhill School4.2 miles
Secondary · Letchworth
-
Edward Peake CofE VC School4.6 miles
Secondary · Biggleswade
-
The Highfield School4.7 miles
Secondary · Letchworth Garden City
Other schools in Henlow
- Derwent Primary School Primary
- Raynsford Church of England Academy Primary
- Stondon Lower School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Henlow Church of England Academy teach?
- Henlow Church of England Academy teaches children aged 9 to 16. It is a secondary school in Henlow.
- Who is the headteacher of Henlow Church of England Academy?
- The headteacher of Henlow Church of England Academy is Miss Naomi Chalkley, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Henlow Church of England Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Henlow Church of England Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Henlow Church of England Academy?
- Henlow Church of England Academy has 599 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 9 to 16.
- Is Henlow Church of England Academy full?
- Henlow Church of England Academy has capacity for 900 pupils and 599 on roll (67%), so it has space against 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 Henlow Church of England Academy a faith school?
- Yes. Henlow Church of England Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of St Albans.
- Who runs Henlow Church of England Academy?
- Henlow Church of England Academy is part of POPPY HILL CHURCH OF ENGLAND MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How does Henlow Church of England Academy rank locally?
- Henlow Church of England Academy ranked 10th of 14 secondary schools in Central Bedfordshire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 48% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 15% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Henlow Church of England Academy's absence rate?
- Henlow Church of England Academy's overall absence rate is 8.4% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Henlow Church of England Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Henlow Church of England Academy'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.