The Astley Cooper School
St Agnell's Lane, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 7HL ·
At a glance
A state secondary school for ages 11–18 in Hemel Hempstead. Ofsted report card (April 2026): areas need attention. GCSE results are well below the England average (Attainment 8: 34.7 vs 46.1, 2024/25). 161 families put it first for 175 places (September 2026 entry).
- Ages
- 11–18
- Pupils
- 914
- Gender
- Mixed
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Headteacher
- Mr Ian Tilbury
Inspection
Ofsted report card (renewed framework)
- SafeguardingMet
- InclusionExpected standard
- Curriculum and teachingNeeds attention
- AchievementNeeds attention
- Attendance and behaviourNeeds attention
- Personal development and well-beingNeeds attention
- Post-16 provisionExpected standard
- Leadership and governanceNeeds attention
Report cards grade each area separately on a five-point scale, from Urgent improvement to Exceptional. There is no single overall grade, and results are not directly comparable with earlier grades such as “Good”.
Exam results
Department for Education performance tables
GCSE results, 2024/25 · 161 pupils
Attainment 8 over time
Progress 8 isn't published for 2024/25 because those pupils had no KS2 test results (tests were cancelled in 2020). Exams were not held in 2019/20 or 2020/21.
Admissions
Demand for places and how places are allocated
Year 7 entry, September 2026 (national offer day data)
154 of 161 first-preference applicants were offered a place (96%).
Catchment area
We don't have an official catchment boundary for this school. Many schools don't have one, and few councils publish boundaries as open data. We don't estimate catchments. Check the school's admissions policy or the council's admissions booklet.
Last distance offered
Not published nationally. Many councils publish the furthest distance offered for each school in their annual allocation reports. Past distances vary year to year with demand and sibling numbers, so they are not a guarantee.
Pupils
School census 2024/25
- Eligible for free school meals (last 6 years)36.8%
- English as an additional language17.6%
- SEN support25%
- Education, Health and Care plan3.8%
- The black tick shows the median for state-funded secondary schools in England.