School Chooser

St Margaret's School

Independent · ages 2-18MixedIndependent799 pupilsSixth formNurseryBusheyHertfordshire
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
Strong pass in English and maths73%England 46%
Places51 spare799 pupils, 850 places
Average A level gradeB2024/25
Pupils on roll799Census January 2024

St Margaret's School is an independent school in Bushey for boys and girls aged 2 to 18. It has 799 pupils and room for 850.

Merry Hill Road, Bushey, WD23 1DT020 8416 4400stmargarets-school.org.ukMrs Lara Pechard headmistressAll details

Inspection

This private school is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, not Ofsted. Its reports are at isi.net.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

60 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE score56.3
England 46.8
Official name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and maths73%
England 46%
Official name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and maths85%
England 66%
Official name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Trend
Average GCSE score
2018 to 2025
2018: 58.358.320182019: 58.658.620192022: 50.650.620222023: 51.451.420232024: 55.655.620242025: 56.356.32025
Since 2018: -2.0
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018HertfordshireEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11606782525346
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 856.355.651.450.658.658.350.946.8
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths73%63%71%73%74%78%53%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths85%75%80%79%87%85%72%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score4.884.964.314.235.305.334.584.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry32%31%0%0%0%0%47%41%

Subjects

Results came out for 19 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

Design & Technology100%grades 9 to 5, England 50%
Combined Science74%grades 9 to 5, England 36%
English Literature92%grades 9 to 5, England 58%
Geography83%grades 9 to 5, England 51%
What is taught hereOffers triple science, 3 languages, computer science, classics.

The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.

Every subject against England, 2025
Mathematics59 entries
80%England 53%
86%England 54%
92%England 58%
74%England 36%
Business25 entries
80%England 51%
Biology21 entries
100%England 82%
Chemistry21 entries
95%England 81%
Physics21 entries
95%England 82%
Art and Design20 entries
75%England 58%
History18 entries
83%England 52%
Geography18 entries
83%England 51%
100%England 50%
73%England 56%
French11 entries
91%England 60%
91%England 60%
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
Mathematics5936%80%90%53%
English Language5632%86%89%54%
English Literature4840%92%100%58%
Combined Science3412%74%94%36%
Business2524%80%96%51%
Biology2176%100%100%82%
Chemistry2171%95%100%81%
Physics2162%95%100%82%
Art and Design2055%75%85%58%
History1856%83%94%52%
Geography1861%83%89%51%
Design & Technology1580%100%100%50%
Computer Science1146%73%82%56%
French1173%91%100%60%
Religious Studies1127%91%91%60%
Physical Education813%50%88%56%
Other Modern Languages80%0%0%49%
Latin875%100%100%82%
Spanish786%86%100%54%

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

44 students finished sixth-form courses.

Average A level gradeB39.2 points per entry
A level progress+0.18Against students elsewhere with the same GCSE grades. 0 is average.
AAB or better17%with two subjects universities favour
All sixth-form measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018
Students443328295857
Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry39.1741.7539.7642.0938.1036.38
Average A level gradeBB+BB+B-B-
Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS40.0042.2639.5141.9541.2736.79
AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects17%23%19%21%29%21%
A level progressA level value added+0.18+0.35+0.27+0.03

A level subjects

12 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

English Literature82%A* to B, England 52% · 11 entries
Government and Politics80%A* to B, England 55% · 10 entries
A levels taught hereThe small number is how many students sat each one in 2025.
SubjectsPsychology21English Literature11Government and Politics10Business Studies9Physical Education / Sports Studies8Mathematics7History7Fine Art7Biology7Religious Studies7Classical Civilisation6Photography5
Every A level subject against England, 2025
Psychology21 entries · 10% A* or A · 100% passed
33%England 46%
English Literature11 entries · 55% A* or A · 100% passed
82%England 52%
Government and Politics10 entries · 30% A* or A · 100% passed
80%England 55%
Business Studies9 entries · 22% A* or A · 100% passed
78%England 47%
Physical Education / Sports Studies8 entries · 50% A* or A · 100% passed
63%England 41%
Mathematics7 entries · 14% A* or A · 100% passed
57%England 60%
History7 entries · 71% A* or A · 100% passed
71%England 55%
Fine Art7 entries · 57% A* or A · 100% passed
86%England 65%
Biology7 entries · 86% A* or A · 100% passed
86%England 49%
Religious Studies7 entries · 14% A* or A · 100% passed
29%England 50%
Classical Civilisation6 entries · 17% A* or A · 100% passed
67%England 55%
Photography5 entries · 0% A* or A · 0% passed
0%England 58%

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

Average GCSE scoreBoys vs girls
51.858.7
Gap 6.9England 3.0
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

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

Admissions policy not published.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Hertfordshire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll799Census January 2024
Places85094% full
Pupils from low-income familiesGet free school meals
Pupils getting extra support24%193 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan1%11 pupils with a plan
Boys and girls358 / 441
How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll799806743654531458
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals0%0%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support19%21%15%36%19%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans1%1%1%0%0%

What pupils do next

After sixth form

Where the 28 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training86%and stayed there for at least six months
Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers
Still in education, work or training86%72%91%
Education82%59%91%
Apprenticeship4%7%0%
Work0%7%0%
Not in education, work or training0%7%5%

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m6512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate61 per 1,000 people34% lower than the England average
Typical house price£540,000Hertsmere
Nearest bus stop390 mSteeplands, 4 stops within 500 m

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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Ashfield Junior SchoolVoluntary350 m219Good 202359Compare
Merry Hill Infant School and NurseryCouncil450 m166Good 202340Compare
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School and NurseryRoman Catholic900 m346Good 202389Compare
The Grange AcademyAcademy0.6 miles928No overall grade 202426Compare
Falconer SchoolCouncil0.6 miles54Not inspectedCompare
Little Reddings Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles312Good 202314Compare
Bournehall Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles205No overall grade 202476Compare
Bushey Manor Junior SchoolCouncil0.8 miles235Good 202375Compare

Questions parents ask

Is St Margaret's School a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score St Margaret's School yet.

How good are St Margaret's School's GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 73% 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 56.3, against 46.8 for England.

How many pupils does St Margaret's School have?

799 pupils aged 2 to 18 were on the roll in January 2024. It has 850 places, so it is 94% full.

Does St Margaret's School have a sixth form?

Yes. The average A level grade in 2025 was B. 12 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
Merry Hill Road, Bushey, WD23 1DT
Telephone
020 8416 4400
Website
www.stmargarets-school.org.uk
Headmistress
Mrs Lara Pechard
Type of school
Independent school (Other independent school, independent schools)
Phase
Independent school, ages 2-18, with nursery, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Local authority
Hertfordshire
Ward
Bushey Park
Constituency
Hertsmere
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 January 1918
URN
117606 · LAESTAB 9196012 · UKPRN 10008516

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from