Birchwood High School

Secondary · Academy converter · Ages 11–18 · Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire

Last distance offered · Year 7 2026

Every applicant was offered a place

From Hertfordshire County Council · offers on 2 March 2026

Year 7 last distance offered, 2019–2026 (miles)

All

2019202020222023202420252026

All: every applicant was offered a place.

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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.

Birchwood High School catchment area: last distance offered

Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.

Entry	Last distance offered
Year 7 2026	Every applicant was offered a place
Year 7 2025	Every applicant was offered a place
Year 7 2024	Every applicant was offered a place
Year 7 2023	Every applicant was offered a place
Year 7 2022	Every applicant was offered a place
Year 7 2021	Not published
Year 7 2020	Every applicant was offered a place
Year 7 2019	Every applicant was offered a place
Year 7 2018	Not published
Year 7 2017	Not published
Year 7 2016	Not published
Year 7 2015	Not published

What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment

What the figures show

For Year 7 in 2026 there were 96 first-choice applications for 174 offers, and every first-choice family was offered a place.
314 of the 606 applications (52%) for Year 7 in 2026 came from families living outside Hertfordshire; 112 offers went to them.
Every applicant was offered a Year 7 place in 2026, as at 28 of the 74 other Hertfordshire secondary schools with a published Year 7 2026 outcome.
In 2024/25, 42% of pupils got grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths (England 45%), and the Attainment 8 score was 46.1 (England 46).

Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Hertfordshire schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.

Key facts

Address: Parsonage Lane, Bishop's Stortford, CM23 5BD
Type: Academy converter
Phase: Secondary
Ages: 11–18
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.

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