St Mary's Church of England High School (VA)
Lieutenant Ellis Way, Cheshunt, Waltham Cross, EN7 5FB
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- ST MARY'S CE ACADEMY, CHESHUNT
- Headteacher
- Mr Richard Vaughan
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of St Albans
- Constituency
- Broxbourne
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,400
- Pupils on roll
- 911
- URN
- 138360
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01992629124
About this school
St Mary's Church of England High School (VA) is a Church of England secondary academy in Waltham Cross. It teaches children aged 11 to 19 and has 911 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Mary's Church of England High School (VA), 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
- 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 | 216 | 190 |
| Attainment 8 score | 41.1 | 44.3 | 45.0 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.24 -0.45 to -0.03 | -0.07 -0.26 to +0.12 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 36% | 38.4% | 40.5% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 63% | 61.6% | 65.3% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 48% | 54.2% | 50.5% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
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 St Mary's Church of England High School (VA) 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 | 41.1 | 44.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 44.3 | 44.2 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 45 | 44.1 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,092 |
| 2023/24 | 1,037 |
| 2024/25 | 982 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Mary's Church of England High School (VA) compares
St Mary's Church of England High School (VA) ranked 54th of 78 secondary schools in Hertfordshire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 57% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 13% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 45 | 8.6% | 37.6% | 911 | — |
| Goffs - Churchgate Academy | 42.6 | 9.2% | 33.9% | 582 | 0.6 miles |
| Goffs Academy | 49.1 | 6.9% | 18.7% | 1,574 | 0.7 miles |
| The Lea Valley Academy | 33.3 | 11% | 55% | 830 | 1.2 miles |
| St Ignatius College | 54.8 | 6.3% | 31.5% | 972 | 1.6 miles |
| Haileybury Turnford | 43.3 | 7.5% | 33.3% | 1,021 | 1.7 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)
- 37.61%
- English as an additional language
- 30.9%
- Overall absence
- 8.57%
- Persistent absence
- 25.26%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Goffs - Churchgate Academy0.6 miles
Secondary · Waltham Cross
-
Goffs Academy0.7 miles
Secondary · Waltham Cross
-
The Lea Valley Academy1.2 miles
Secondary · Enfield
-
St Ignatius College1.6 miles
Secondary · Enfield
-
Haileybury Turnford1.7 miles
Secondary · Waltham Cross
Other schools in Waltham Cross
- Goffs - Churchgate Academy Secondary
- Goffs Academy Secondary
- Haileybury Turnford Secondary
- Arlesdene Nursery School and Pre-School Nursery
- Greenfield Nursery School Nursery
- Bonneygrove Primary School Primary
- Brookland Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Brookland Junior School Primary
- Burleigh Primary School Primary
- Churchfield Church of England Academy Primary
- Dewhurst St Mary CofE Primary School Primary
- Downfield Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St Mary's Church of England High School (VA) teach?
- St Mary's Church of England High School (VA) teaches children aged 11 to 19. It is a secondary school in Waltham Cross.
- Who is the headteacher of St Mary's Church of England High School (VA)?
- The headteacher of St Mary's Church of England High School (VA) is Mr Richard Vaughan, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Mary's Church of England High School (VA) been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Mary's Church of England High School (VA), 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 St Mary's Church of England High School (VA)?
- St Mary's Church of England High School (VA) has 911 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 19.
- Is St Mary's Church of England High School (VA) full?
- St Mary's Church of England High School (VA) has capacity for 1,400 pupils and 911 on roll (65%), 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 St Mary's Church of England High School (VA) a faith school?
- Yes. St Mary's Church of England High School (VA) is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of St Albans.
- Is St Mary's Church of England High School (VA) a selective school?
- No. St Mary's Church of England High School (VA) is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is St Mary's Church of England High School (VA) part of an academy trust?
- St Mary's Church of England High School (VA) is part of ST MARY'S CE ACADEMY, CHESHUNT. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Mary's Church of England High School (VA)'s results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 41.1 in 2022/23 and 45 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Mary's Church of England High School (VA) compare with other schools in Hertfordshire?
- St Mary's Church of England High School (VA) ranked 54th of 78 secondary schools in Hertfordshire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 57% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 13% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Mary's Church of England High School (VA)'s absence rate?
- St Mary's Church of England High School (VA)'s overall absence rate is 8.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Mary's Church of England High School (VA)'s exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Mary's Church of England High School (VA)'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.