Simon Balle All-Through School

East Hertfordshire · SG13 8AJ

General information All-through School · 4-18 years Who goes here 1617 pupils, 9.8% FSM

Educational attainment Ofsted: Outstanding

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 12.1% on SEN support Behaviour 5.0% absence rate Staff 10.3% turnover Financials £7,866 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Simon Balle All-Through School

General Information

Address: Mangrove Road, Hertford, SG13 8AJ – View on map
Phone: 01992410400
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Rachel Kirk and Mike Moss
Age range: 4-18 years
Demand for places (Year 7, September 2026): 146 families put it first for 124 places – 12 for every 10 places. 84% of them were offered a place. 1 of the 124 places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 15 · 2024 11 · 2025 12 · 2026 12
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 83 families put it first for 60 places – 14 for every 10 places. 72% of them were offered a place. 1 of the 60 places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 15 · 2024 14 · 2025 18 · 2026 14
Sixth form: Yes
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

1617 pupils out of 1037 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 133
% eligible for free school meals: 9.8%
Pupil mix: 4 in 10 (similar to the East Hertfordshire average)
English as an additional language: 7% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 10.3% a year (East Hertfordshire 13%, typical in England 15.5%) Low turnover
Where they went: about 48% moved to another school, 52% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. "Low turnover" means it's among the quarter of similar schools in England where teachers are most likely to stay.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Hertfordshire: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 141 (1.5 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.7)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 1
Suspensions for bullying: 212 (2.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.9)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 86 (0.9 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.8)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state secondary schools in Hertfordshire (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 5.0%
Persistently absent pupils: 10.8%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 12.1%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 4.5%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Specific learning difficulty: 53 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 53 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 31 pupils
SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 31 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 12 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 19 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 18 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 14 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 10 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 6 pupils

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Outstanding 2024 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

SecondaryGCSE results, Year 11

Attainment 8 score: 55.4
Compared with the area: 1.1 points above the East Hertfordshire average (54.3)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Above (+5.1 points against an expected 50.3)
Grade 4+ in English and maths: 84% (East Hertfordshire 78%, England 65%) Improving
Data year: 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

GCSE results over time

This schoolEast Hertfordshire averageEngland↗ Improving Up 6.8 points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 1.1 points above the East Hertfordshire average (54.3).

About the Attainment 8 score

Attainment 8 measures a pupil's average result across 8 GCSE-equivalent qualifications (English and maths count double). It shows how pupils performed, not how much progress they made getting there - a school with a higher score doesn't necessarily add more value, since pupils often arrive with different starting points. Progress 8 is the measure designed to account for that, but it currently can't be calculated for any school for the two most recent academic years, due to a nationwide gap in the data caused by COVID-19 disruption to Key Stage 2 testing.

7th of 12 all-through schools in East Hertfordshire for Attainment 8

#5St Mary's Catholic School57.6
#6Richard Hale School56.3
#7Simon Balle All-Through School55.4
#8Freman College53.1
#9Leventhorpe49.6

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

Rank School Score

#1The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College63.6
#2Hockerill Anglo-European College61.7
#3The Bishop's Stortford High School60.2
#4Presdales School58.9
#5St Mary's Catholic School57.6
#6Richard Hale School56.3
#7Simon Balle All-Through School55.4
#8Freman College53.1
#9Leventhorpe49.6
#10The Chauncy School49.5
#11Birchwood High School46.1
#12The Sele School35.7

Leaver Destinations

In education, employment, or training a year later: 96.0%
Went into further education: 94.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About leaver destinations

This shows where a school's Year 11 leavers were recorded the following year - in a "sustained" destination means in education, an apprenticeship, or employment for at least 6 months, not just enrolled briefly. It's a different picture from exam results alone, and can highlight schools that support pupils well beyond just their GCSE grades.

GCSE Subjects Offered

English Literature
Maths (General)
English Language
Geography
Business Studies
Physics (General)
Biology
Chemistry (General)
Science Double Award
Art & Design
History
Psychology (General)
Spanish
French Language
Sports Studies
Computer Science
Photography
Music Studies (General)
Religious Studies
Statistics
Speech & Drama
Portuguese
Italian
Chinese
Japanese Language
Russian
Greek
Polish

About this subject list

This isn't the school's own description of its curriculum - it's real DfE exam entry data, showing which GCSE subjects this school's pupils were actually entered for in 2024/25. A subject not appearing here may still be taught but had no pupils entered that year, so treat this as a helpful guide rather than a complete guarantee - it's worth confirming directly with the school for the year your child would actually study.

PrimaryYear 6 SATs results

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 84% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 33% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 21 percentage points above the East Hertfordshire average (63%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well above (3-year average 81% against an expected 66%)
3-year average (expected standard): 81%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 91% · Writing 88% · Maths 95% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 92%
Average test scores: reading 110, maths 110
Based on: 64 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolEast Hertfordshire averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was 21 percentage points above the East Hertfordshire average (63%).

Year 6 SATs: 2nd of 47 junior and primary schools in the area

#1Thorley Hill Primary School87%
#2Simon Balle All-Through School84%
=3Benington Church of England Primary School82%
=3Little Hadham Primary School82%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1Thorley Hill Primary School87%
#2Simon Balle All-Through School84%
=3Benington Church of England Primary School82%
=3Little Hadham Primary School82%
=3Northgate Primary School82%
=6Manor Fields Primary School80%
=6Richard Whittington Primary School80%
#8Walkern Primary School79%
=9Hillmead Primary School77%
=9Mandeville Primary School77%
=9Reedings Junior School77%
#12Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School76%
#13Aston St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School75%
=14Hunsdon Junior Mixed and Infant School73%
=14Summercroft Primary School73%
=14Watton-at-Stone Primary and Nursery School73%
=17St Andrew's CE Primary School and Nursery70%
=17Windhill2170%
=19Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School68%
=19St Michael's Church of England Primary School68%
#21All Saints Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Datchworth67%
#22St Joseph's Catholic Primary School B/S66%
#23St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Junior School65%
=24High Wych Church of England Primary School63%
=24Widford School63%
=26All Saints Church of England Primary School and Nursery, Bishop's Stortford61%
=26Bengeo Primary School61%
=26St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School61%
#29Thorn Grove Primary School60%
#30Morgans Primary School & Nursery58%
#31St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School57%
=32Little Munden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School56%
=32Puller Memorial, Church of England, Voluntary Aided Primary School56%
=32St Catherine's Church of England Primary School56%
=32St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School56%
#36Abel Smith School55%
#37Christ Church CofE (VA) Primary School and Nursery54%
#38Spellbrook CofE Primary School53%
#39Wheatcroft Primary School51%
#40Priors Wood Primary School48%
#41Avanti Meadows Primary School47%
#42St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Hertford)46%
#43Furneux Pelham Church of England School42%
#44Hertford Heath Primary and Nursery School36%
#45Tewin Cowper Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School35%
#46Hollybush Primary School32%
#47Bayford Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School23%

View full Ofsted inspection report

2nd of 11 all-through schools in East Hertfordshire for Ofsted rating

#1Presdales SchoolOutstanding
#2Simon Balle All-Through SchoolOutstanding
#3The Bishop's Stortford High SchoolOutstanding
#4The Chauncy SchoolOutstanding

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Presdales SchoolOutstanding
#2Simon Balle All-Through SchoolOutstanding
#3The Bishop's Stortford High SchoolOutstanding
#4The Chauncy SchoolOutstanding
#5The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science CollegeOutstanding
#6Edwinstree Church of England Middle SchoolGood
#7Freman CollegeGood
#8Hockerill Anglo-European CollegeGood
#9LeventhorpeGood
#10Richard Hale SchoolGood
#11Ralph Sadleir SchoolRequires improvement

Financials

Spending per pupil: £7,866 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

5th of 15 all-through schools in East Hertfordshire for spending per pupil

#3Leventhorpe£8,356
#4Birchwood High School£7,952
#5Simon Balle All-Through School£7,866
#6The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College£7,799
#7Ralph Sadleir School£7,778

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Hockerill Anglo-European College£14,378
#2The Sele School£10,063
#3Leventhorpe£8,356
#4Birchwood High School£7,952
#5Simon Balle All-Through School£7,866
#6The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College£7,799
#7Ralph Sadleir School£7,778
#8St Mary's Catholic School£7,670
#9Richard Hale School£7,637
#10Freman College£7,554
#11Avanti Grange Secondary School£7,511
#12The Bishop's Stortford High School£7,497
#13Presdales School£7,364
#14Edwinstree Church of England Middle School£7,174
#15The Chauncy School£7,127

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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General Information

Who goes here

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Behaviour

Across Hertfordshire: suspensions by reason

Attendance

SEN

Most common needs - SEN Support

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Educational Attainment

Attainment 8 ranking

Leaver Destinations ?

GCSE Subjects Offered ?

Year 6 SATs ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Financials

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Leaver Destinations

GCSE Subjects Offered