The Matthew Arnold School
Secondary · Academy converter · Ages 11–16 · Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey
Last distance offered · Year 7 2026
1.39 miles
Published by Surrey County Council · offers on 2 March 2026
Year 7 last distance offered, 2024–2026 (miles)
The Matthew Arnold School is a secondary school in Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey for ages 11–16 (academy converter). Its latest Ofsted outcome is School remains Good, from the inspection on 7 February 2024. Surrey has published a last distance offered for this school for Year 7 2024 to 2026 entry.
The Matthew Arnold 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 | 1.39 mi |
| Year 7 2025 | 1.18 mi |
| Year 7 2024 | 1.11 mi |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- In 2024/25, 47% of pupils got grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths (England 45%), with an Attainment 8 score of 49 (England 46).
- The last child offered a Year 7 place in 2026 lived 1.39 miles away, and the 2026 figure was the longest of the 3 years with a published distance.
- For Year 7 in 2026 there were 246 first-choice applications for 192 offers; 174 went to first-choice families, and 72 first-choice families (29%) were not offered a place.
- Free school meal eligibility stands at 21% of pupils; the middle figure across the 8 nearest secondary schools in Surrey is 17.1%.
Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Surrey schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.
Key facts
- Address
- Kingston Road, Staines-upon-Thames, TW18 1PF
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–16
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Council
- Surrey
- Pupils on roll
- 947 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 21% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 16.9
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
School remains Good Inspected 7 February 2024
Strengths
- “This is a school where pupils and staff are aspirational.”
- “Pupils know that the caring and attentive staff want the very best for them.”
- “They appreciate the improvements that the new headteacher and leadership team have introduced.”
To improve
- “However, where there have been recent revisions, in some subjects, what pupils will learn and when is still being developed.”
- “However, some teachers do not always break down new information into manageable chunks or choose the most appropriate activities.”
- “This makes it harder for pupils to build understanding.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 18 March 2024 (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) | 47% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 49 | 46 |
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: 246 first-preference applications, 192 offers in total, 174 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 Surrey.
- Thomas Knyvett College 1.1 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- The Magna Carta School 1.5 mi Not judged Last distance published
- The Bishop Wand Church of England School 2.9 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Sunbury Manor School 3.0 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Thamesmead School 3.0 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Chertsey High School 3.0 mi Good Last distance published
- St Paul's Catholic College 3.3 mi School remains Outstanding Last distance published
- Salesian School, Chertsey 3.4 mi Not judged Last distance published