Presdales School
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Presdales School is a converter academy in Ware for girls aged 11 to 18. It has 1,167 pupils, 106 more than it has places for. About 10 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 91 out of 100. That puts it well above schools like it, ahead of 79% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was outstanding, back in 2024.
Hoe Lane, Ware, SG12 9NX01920 462210presdales.herts.sch.ukMr Matthew Warren headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 6 March 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Outstanding overall.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
177 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 177 | 175 | 177 | 179 | 169 | 166 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 58.9 | 58.8 | 57.8 | 61.6 | 60.0 | 58.2 | 50.9 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | +0.61 | +0.58 | +0.58 | +0.43 | +0.54 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 70% | 71% | 68% | 73% | 72% | 69% | 53% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 90% | 93% | 87% | 88% | 93% | 92% | 72% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 5.57 | 5.54 | 5.45 | 5.81 | 5.83 | 5.67 | 4.58 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 83% | 82% | 80% | 84% | 86% | 81% | 47% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 39.6 | 49.8 | 45.8 | 42.8 | 46.2 | 45.6 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 60.8 | 59.8 | 59.0 | 63.7 | 61.2 | 59.5 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 39.8 | 39.1 | 37.9 | – | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 68.7 | 68.3 | 74.1 | 66.5 | 67.6 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 23 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Strongest subjects
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 175 | 32% | 74% | 92% | 53% | 331 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 175 | 38% | 78% | 93% | 54% | 251 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 174 | 36% | 83% | 94% | 58% | 240 of 3,202 |
| Combined Science | 113 | 18% | 61% | 80% | 36% | 218 of 3,084 |
| Geography | 90 | 30% | 70% | 84% | 51% | 431 of 3,116 |
| History | 84 | 52% | 81% | 88% | 52% | 235 of 3,126 |
| Physics | 60 | 42% | 88% | 98% | 82% | 1,203 of 2,546 |
| Biology | 60 | 60% | 98% | 98% | 82% | 421 of 2,570 |
| Art and Design | 58 | 38% | 79% | 97% | 58% | 490 of 2,818 |
| Chemistry | 57 | 58% | 90% | 98% | 81% | 1,129 of 2,537 |
| Business | 57 | 19% | 61% | 81% | 51% | 487 of 1,806 |
| Other Modern Languages | 49 | 53% | 84% | 88% | 49% | 73 of 454 |
| Physical Education | 42 | 26% | 64% | 76% | 56% | 572 of 1,559 |
| German | 41 | 39% | 63% | 78% | 63% | 295 of 571 |
| French | 41 | 46% | 73% | 81% | 60% | 604 of 1,974 |
| Spanish | 40 | 25% | 73% | 88% | 54% | 402 of 1,941 |
| Design & Technology | 37 | 27% | 81% | 92% | 50% | 159 of 1,478 |
| Social Studies | 35 | 43% | 86% | 94% | 54% | 48 of 1,043 |
| Food Preparation & Nutrition | 33 | 33% | 79% | 85% | 52% | 137 of 1,098 |
| Drama | 25 | 44% | 92% | 96% | 60% | 77 of 844 |
| Religious Studies | 19 | 47% | 84% | 95% | 60% | – |
| Music | 12 | 67% | 83% | 100% | 61% | – |
| Computer Science | 8 | 50% | 100% | 100% | 56% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
A level and sixth-form results, 2025
152 students finished sixth-form courses.
All sixth-form measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 152 | 135 | 129 | 146 | 254 | 250 |
| Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry | 37.66 | 36.94 | 40.48 | 39.60 | 36.59 | 38.48 |
| Average A level grade | B- | B- | B | B | B- | B |
| Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS | 36.85 | 36.13 | 40.05 | 38.78 | 35.60 | 38.54 |
| AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects | 11% | 13% | 16% | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| A level progressA level value added | +0.18 | +0.19 | – | – | +0.03 | +0.18 |
| Applied general courses: points per entry | 34.38 | 36.67 | – | – | – | – |
| Stayed and finishedRetained and assessed | 95% | 97% | 95% | 93% | 97% | 96% |
A level subjects
21 A level subjects had results in 2025. Each figure is the share of students who got an A* to B, next to the average for state sixth forms in England. When only a handful of students take a subject, its figures jump around from year to year.
Strongest A levels
Every A level subject against England, 2025
A levels only. BTECs, T levels and other courses are in the table above. Subjects with fewer than five students aren't published.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. None of the gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Open to all. There is no entrance test.
The school is full, with 17 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.
How places were given out for September 2026. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child who qualified under the catchment area rule (In Priority Area, Nearest School), so all the places were taken before distance came into it.
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (41), Autistic spectrum disorder (26), Specific learning difficulty (26), Moderate learning difficulty (8), Hearing impairment (4), language and communications needs (4).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 1,167 | 1,166 | 1,175 | 1,162 | 1,160 | 1,153 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 9% | 8% | 8% | 7% | 5% | 5% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 8% | 8% | 8% | 7% | 6% | 5% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 5% | 5% | 4% | 17% | 13% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 2% | 1% | 1% | 0% | 0% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.3% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 7.8% | 8.0% | 7.5% | 8.3% | 3.9% | 5.2% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 6.1% | 6.6% | 6.3% | 7.5% | 3.3% | 4.7% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.7% | 1.4% | 1.1% | 0.8% | 0.5% | 0.5% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 21.7% | 27.3% | 26.0% | 32.7% | 7.8% | 17.7% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 3.0 | 4.4 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 0.8 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 177 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 87%, compared with 99% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 98% | 98% | 98% | 98% |
| Education | 96% | 96% | 98% | 97% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 2% | 0% | 1% |
| Work | 1% | 1% | 0% | 0% |
| Not in education, work or training | 1% | 1% | 1% | 2% |
After sixth form
Where the 128 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 86%, compared with 96% for everyone else.
Where the ones heading for university went
Among students from low-income families, 80% went on to degree-level study or training and 10% to a top-third university.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 95% | 95% | 96% | – |
| Education | 76% | 74% | 71% | – |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 4% | 6% | 1% |
| Work | 16% | 17% | 19% | – |
| Not in education, work or training | 2% | 4% | 3% | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Chauncy School | Academy | 1.0 miles | 1,515 | Outstanding 2023 | 83 | Compare |
| Simon Balle All-Through School | Academy | 1.8 miles | 1,617 | Outstanding 2024 | 92 | Compare |
| Richard Hale School | Academy | 2.1 miles | 1,207 | Good 2024 | 81 | Compare |
| The John Warner School | Academy | 2.3 miles | 726 | Inadequate 2022 | 2 | Compare |
| The Sele School | Academy | 3.1 miles | 382 | No overall grade 2025 | 14 | Compare |
| Robert Barclay Academy | Academy | 3.4 miles | 821 | Good 2023 | 53 | Compare |
| The Broxbourne School | Academy | 4.3 miles | 1,442 | Outstanding 2024 | 87 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Presdales School with the 48 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 91 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 91% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 86 to 94. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | well above | +0.26 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 177 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | well above | +0.34 | Ofsted grade, 2.5 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | well above | +0.25 | DfE progress measure; 177 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | in line | +0.00 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | above | +0.04 | 2024/25; 905 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | in line | +0.01 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 177 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | well above | +0.06 | 177 pupils |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is Presdales School a good school?
Yes, going by the figures. Presdales School scores 91 out of 100. That is well above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 79% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 86 to 94, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Presdales School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Presdales School outstanding at its last full inspection on 6 March 2024.
How good are Presdales School's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 70% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 58.9, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished most of a grade ahead of children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Presdales School have?
1,167 pupils aged 11 to 18 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,061 places, so it is 110% full. It is a girls' school.
Is Presdales School oversubscribed?
Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 17 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.
What is attendance like at Presdales School?
Pupils were in school 92.3% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 22% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Presdales School?
The average class had 21.5 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 20% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Presdales School have a sixth form?
Yes. The average A level grade in 2025 was B-. 21 A level subjects had results in 2025; the full list is in the results section.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Hoe Lane, Ware, SG12 9NX
- Telephone
- 01920 462210
- Website
- www.presdales.herts.sch.uk
- Headteacher
- Mr Matthew Warren
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-18, with sixth form
- Gender
- Girls
- Single-academy trust
- Presdales School Academy Trust (1 schools)
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Ward
- Ware Priory
- Constituency
- Hertford and Stortford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 April 2012 (academy converter)
- URN
- 137985 · LAESTAB 9194013 · UKPRN 10036931
- Formerly
- Presdales School
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- A level subjects: DfE A level and other 16 to 18 results, subject entries and grades, 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Hertfordshire council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.