Birchwood High School
Secondary · Academy converter · Ages 11–18 · Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
Birchwood High School is a secondary school in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire for ages 11–18 (academy converter). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Not judged, from the inspection on 21 January 2025. Hertfordshire has published a last distance offered for this school for Year 7 2015 to 2026 entry.
Open on the map Unlock with a pass · £9.99
Key facts
- Address
- Parsonage Lane, Bishop's Stortford, CM23 5BD
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–18
- Sector
- See recorded establishment type
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Council
- Hertfordshire
- Pupils on roll
- 1,417 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 15.8% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 15.4
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Not judged Inspected 21 January 2025
Strengths
- “Pupils at Birchwood High School know they are valued for who they are.”
- “Pupils accept that everyone is different.”
- “This diversity is celebrated in a warm, inclusive community.”
To improve
- “However, recent changes to the way staff support and manage pupils’ behaviour are not yet fully embedded.”
- “This makes it difficult for some pupils to understand how to meet the school’s high expectations.”
- “Consequently, while most learning happens in a calm, focused environment, some pupils’ learning is interrupted by the behaviour of others.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 21 March 2025 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| GCSE English and maths, grade 5 or above (2024/25) | 42% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 46.1 | 46 |
| A level average grade (2024/25) | C+ | B- |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Year 7 entry: 96 first-preference applications, 174 offers in total, 96 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Last distance offered and catchment
A one-off £9.99 pass, no subscription, unlocks for 3 months:
- Last distance offered for Year 7 2015 to 2026, as Hertfordshire published it, drawn on the map
- The council’s catchment or priority area for this school on the map
- Earlier years of applications and offers
- Earlier years of exam results
- Where pupils go after they leave
- Crime, sold prices, broadband and transport around the school
A last distance offered describes one past year and is not a catchment or a promise of a place. Check with the council before you apply.
Nearby secondary schools
Straight-line distance, in Hertfordshire.
- Hockerill Anglo-European College 0.5 mi Good Last distance published
- The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College 0.7 mi Outstanding Last distance published
- St Mary's Catholic School 1.2 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Avanti Grange Secondary School 1.5 mi Not judged Last distance published
- The Bishop's Stortford High School 2.1 mi School remains Outstanding Last distance published
- Leventhorpe 4.0 mi Good Last distance published
- Presdales School 10.3 mi Outstanding Last distance published
- Freman College 10.4 mi School remains Good