Brandles School
Weston Way, Baldock, SG7 6EY
- Phase
- Academies
- School type
- Academy special sponsor led
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Boys
- Trust
- BRIGHTER FUTURES EDUCATIONAL TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Paul Smith
- Sponsor
- Brighter Futures Educational Trust
- SEN provision
- ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
- Constituency
- North East Hertfordshire
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 70
- Pupils on roll
- 71
- URN
- 147679
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01462896351
About this school
Brandles School is a boys' special academy in Baldock. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 71 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Brandles 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
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 12 | 16 | 11 |
| Attainment 8 score | 5.3 | 3.9 | 2.6 |
| Progress 8 score | -2.83 -3.66 to -1.99 | -2.46 -3.20 to -1.72 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 0% | 6.3% | 0% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
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 Brandles 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 | Hertfordshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.3 | 44.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 3.9 | 44.2 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 2.6 | 44.1 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 28.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 26.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 19.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 69 |
| 2023/24 | 70 |
| 2024/25 | 70 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 70%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 19.17%
- Persistent absence
- 59.46%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Woolgrove School, Special Needs Academy0.9 miles
Academies · Letchworth Garden City
-
St Christopher School1.9 miles
Independent schools · Letchworth Garden City
-
St Francis College1.9 miles
Independent schools · Letchworth Garden City
-
North Herts Education Support Centre2.4 miles
Local authority maintained schools · Letchworth Garden City
-
Kingshott School4.3 miles
Independent schools · Hitchin
Other schools in Baldock
- Weston Way Nursery School Nursery
- Ashwell Primary School Primary
- Hartsfield Junior Mixed and Infant School Primary
- St John Roman Catholic Primary School Primary
- St Mary's Infants' School Primary
- St Mary's Junior Mixed School Primary
- The Knights Templar School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Brandles School teach?
- Brandles School teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a special school in Baldock.
- Who is the headteacher of Brandles School?
- The headteacher of Brandles School is Mr Paul Smith, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Brandles School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Brandles 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 Brandles School?
- Brandles School has 71 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Brandles School full?
- Brandles School has capacity for 70 pupils and 71 on roll (101%), 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 Brandles School a faith school?
- No. Brandles School has no designated religious character.
- Is Brandles School part of an academy trust?
- Brandles School is part of BRIGHTER FUTURES EDUCATIONAL TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Brandles School have?
- The schools register lists Brandles School's special educational needs provision as: ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Brandles School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 5.3 in 2022/23 and 2.6 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Brandles School's absence rate?
- Brandles School's overall absence rate is 19.2% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Brandles School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Brandles 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 10 July 2026.