James Marks Academy
The Commons, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 4RZ
- Phase
- Free Schools
- School type
- Free schools special
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- JAMES MARKS ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Scott Martin
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious ethos
- None
- Constituency
- Welwyn Hatfield
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 60
- Pupils on roll
- 62
- URN
- 149736
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
About this school
James Marks Academy is a special academy in Welwyn Garden City. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 62 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected James Marks Academy, 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
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Strong standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Strong standard
- Achievement
- Strong standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Strong standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Strong standard
- Leadership and governance
- Strong standard
- Post-16 provision
- Strong standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2023/24 |
|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 2 |
| Attainment 8 score | - |
| Progress 8 score | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | - |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | - |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | - |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | - |
Trends over time
How James Marks 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | — | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 32% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 24.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 23 |
| 2024/25 | 51 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 24.39%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 24.33%
- Persistent absence
- 65.12%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Lakeside School2.0 miles
Special schools · Welwyn Garden City
-
Southfield School2.6 miles
Special schools · Hatfield
-
Knightsfield School2.9 miles
Academies · Welwyn Garden City
-
Links Hatfield Academy3.1 miles
Academies · Hatfield
-
Sherrardswood School3.3 miles
Independent schools · Welwyn
Other schools in Welwyn Garden City
- Knightsfield School Academies
- Lakeside School Special schools
- Ludwick Nursery School Nursery
- Applecroft School Primary
- Commonswood Primary & Nursery School Primary
- Creswick Academy Primary
- Harwood Hill Junior Mixed Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Holwell Primary School Primary
- Homerswood Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Our Lady Catholic Primary School Primary
- Panshanger Primary School Primary
- Peartree Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does James Marks Academy teach?
- James Marks Academy teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a special school in Welwyn Garden City.
- Who is the headteacher of James Marks Academy?
- The headteacher of James Marks Academy is Mr Scott Martin, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has James Marks Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected James Marks 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 many pupils are at James Marks Academy?
- James Marks Academy has 62 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is James Marks Academy full?
- James Marks Academy has capacity for 60 pupils and 62 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 James Marks Academy a faith school?
- No. James Marks Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is James Marks Academy a selective school?
- No. James Marks Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is James Marks Academy part of an academy trust?
- James Marks Academy is part of JAMES MARKS ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is James Marks Academy's absence rate?
- James Marks Academy's overall absence rate is 24.3% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are James Marks Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, James Marks 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 13 August 2026.