Birchwood High School vs Forest Hall School
At a glance
Birchwood High School in Hertfordshire and Forest Hall School in Essex are 1.7 miles apart in a straight line.
Only Forest Hall School has a graded Ofsted inspection in our data (Good, 2021).
Birchwood High School had the higher Attainment 8 score in 2025-26 (provisional): 45.5 against 42.8 (a gap of 2.7 points).
Progress 8 was not published for 2025-26 (provisional) so this comparison relies on attainment.
Overall absence in 2024-25 was 10.2% at Birchwood High School and 12.2% at Forest Hall School.
Birchwood High School has 1,454 pupils for 1,500 published places (97%) and Forest Hall School has 472 for 660 (72%).
Built from the figures in the table below. Sources and years are given next to every figure.
Side by side
| Measure | Birchwood High School | Forest Hall School |
|---|---|---|
| Ofsted | ||
| Overall Ofsted grade Ofsted MI, inspections to 31 May 2026 | No graded inspection in our data | Good 2021 |
| School profile | ||
| Type GIAS (DfE), March 2026 extract | Academy converter | Academy sponsor led |
| Phase and age range GIAS (DfE), March 2026 extract | Secondary, ages 11-18 | Secondary, ages 11-16 |
| Location GIAS (DfE), March 2026 extract | Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire | Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex |
| Pupils on roll GIAS (DfE), March 2026 extract | 1,454 | 472 |
| Results and attendanceEach row shows the latest year both schools have a figure for. "Stronger" marks a gap big enough to matter in a year both schools report. Rounding-level differences are not marked. Attainment figures reflect each school's intake as well as its teaching. Progress 8 is the only measure here that adjusts for pupils' starting points. | ||
| Attainment 8 (average score) DfE KS4 results, 2025-26 (provisional) | 45.5 Stronger | 42.8 |
| Progress 8 score DfE KS4 results, 2023-24 Progress 8 was not published for the 2025-26 (provisional) results because the Department for Education did not calculate it for that cohort. The last published year is shown. Confidence intervals overlap so there is no clear difference. | -0.08 | +0.27 |
| Grade 5+ in English and maths DfE KS4 results, 2025-26 (provisional) | 44% Stronger | 42% |
| Grade 4+ in English and maths DfE KS4 results, 2025-26 (provisional) | 65% Stronger | 58% |
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 DfE KS4 results, 2025-26 (provisional) | 265 | 98 |
| A-level average point score DfE A-level results, 2024-25 | 32.07 2024-25 | Not published |
| A-level average grade DfE A-level results, 2024-25 | C+ 2024-25 | Not published |
| A-level students in the point score measure DfE A-level results, 2024-25 | 79 2024-25 | Not published |
| Overall absence (lower is better) DfE pupil absence, 2024-25 | 10.2% Stronger | 12.2% |
| Persistent absence (lower is better) DfE pupil absence, 2024-25 Share of pupils missing 10% or more of sessions. | 29.9% Stronger | 37.8% |
| Intake and admissionsNot marked as stronger or weaker. These rows describe who a school serves and how its places are filled. They do not measure teaching quality so a higher or lower figure is not better. | ||
| Pupils eligible for free school meals GIAS (DfE), March 2026 extract | 16.7% | 29.3% |
| Published capacity (places) GIAS (DfE), March 2026 extract | 1,500 | 660 |
| Pupils on roll as % of capacity GIAS (DfE), March 2026 extract, pupils divided by capacity | 97% | 72% |
| Admissions policy GIAS (DfE), March 2026 extract | Non-selective | Non-selective |
| Religious character GIAS (DfE), March 2026 extract | None recorded | None recorded |
"Not published" means the figure is not published or is suppressed for that school and year. It does not mean zero.
Trends over time
Solid blue line with round markers: Birchwood High School. Dashed amber line with square markers: Forest Hall School. Years with no published figure for either school are left off the axis.
Show these figures as a table
| Year | Birchwood High School | Forest Hall School |
|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 45.1 | 38.5 |
| 2023-24 | 48.1 | 44.1 |
| 2024-25 | 46.1 | 40.6 |
| 2025-26 (provisional) | 45.5 | 42.8 |
Source: DfE key stage 4 results, 2022-23 to 2025-26. The latest year is provisional.
Show these figures as a table
| Year | Birchwood High School | Forest Hall School |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 5.4% | 4.8% |
| 2021-22 | 9.5% | 8.7% |
| 2022-23 | 9.9% | 10.5% |
| 2023-24 | 9.3% | 9.5% |
| 2024-25 | 10.2% | 12.2% |
Source: DfE pupil absence, 2018-19 to 2024-25.
Show these figures as a table
| Year | Birchwood High School | Forest Hall School |
|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 38% | 41% |
| 2023-24 | 49% | 39% |
| 2024-25 | 42% | 35% |
| 2025-26 (provisional) | 44% | 42% |
Source: DfE key stage 4 results, 2022-23 to 2025-26. The latest year is provisional.
Admissions: how the two schools differ
Distance between the schools: 1.7 miles in a straight line between the two school sites. The coordinates come from the GIAS (DfE) March 2026 extract. This is not a walking or driving distance and it does not show which school your address is in catchment for.
How full they are: pupils on roll divided by published capacity from the GIAS (DfE) March 2026 extract. Both figures cover every year group (including any sixth form). Treat the percentage as a rough guide to demand rather than the size of the Year 7 intake.
Birchwood High School
- Capacity
- 1,500 places
- Pupils on roll
- 1,454
- Full
- 97% (close to capacity)
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious character
- None recorded
Source: GIAS (DfE), March 2026 extract. Each school's own admissions policy sets its oversubscription criteria. It is published by Hertfordshire (official admissions page) or by the school.
Check the catchment for your postcode Birchwood High School catchment pageForest Hall School
- Capacity
- 660 places
- Pupils on roll
- 472
- Full
- 72%
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious character
- None recorded
Source: GIAS (DfE), March 2026 extract. Each school's own admissions policy sets its oversubscription criteria. It is published by Essex (official admissions page) or by the school.
Check the catchment for your postcode Forest Hall School catchment pageSources
- Key stage 4 results (Attainment 8, Progress 8, English and maths): Key stage 4 performance, Academic year 2025/26 release, covering 2022-23 to 2025-26, downloaded 2026-10-30.
- A-level results: 16 to 19 performance, Academic year 2024/25 release, covering 2021-22 to 2024-25, downloaded 2026-10-30.
- Pupil absence: Pupil absence in schools in England, Academic year 2024/25 (published 2026-03-26) release, covering 2018-19 to 2024-25, downloaded 2026-10-30.
- Ofsted: Ofsted Management Information, state-funded schools inspections and outcomes, latest inspections to 31 May 2026. The inspection year is shown beside each grade. Reports: Birchwood High School, Forest Hall School.
- School details, capacity, pupils, free school meals, admissions policy, location: GIAS (DfE), March 2026 extract: Birchwood High School, Forest Hall School. Distance is calculated by catchment.school from those coordinates.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Attainment 8 and Progress 8 are only comparable between schools within the same year.