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The Nobel School

Secondary · Stevenage · SG2 0HS

Data updated

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Good

Earlier grade, confirmed by a later ungraded inspection

Ofsted's most recent (ungraded) visit confirmed the school remains Good. Ungraded inspections do not award a new grade.

Inspected 21 June 2023

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

1,475 pupils · 97% of 1,526 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Foundation school
Age range
11–18
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
20.2% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
14% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
19.1% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
2.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
Sixth form
Yes
Website
https://thenobelschool.org
URN
117530

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 210 families named it first for 228 Year 7 places, 0.92 first choices per place. We hold 12 Year 7 admissions rounds for it, 2015 to 2026; none was decided by a published distance. An ungraded Ofsted inspection on 21 June 2023 confirmed its earlier grade, Good. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 7.3% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

0.92 first-choice applications per place

228 places offered · 210 first-choice applications · roughly balanced

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Catchment area

Catchment area: defined priority area.

Admissions cutoff distance: Year 7

Cutoff by admission criterion (2026 entry)

In Priority Area, Nearest School
4504.84 m (≈2.80 mi)
In Priority Area, Not Nearest School
1617.16 m (≈1.00 mi)

Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

GCSE results (2024/2025)

236 pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2024/2025

Attainment 8 score
50.2
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
67.4%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
46.6%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
4.2
England 4.1

Progress 8 is suspended nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26. These cohorts sat no key stage 2 tests (COVID), so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

A-level results (2024/2025)

A-level points per entry (England: 35 ≈ B-) C+
33.3
England 35

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school50.2
Median of its 12 closest peers48.6
Hertfordshire average50.9
England46.1

On attainment 8, this school is in line with the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedAttainment 8
Campion SchoolNorthampton · 41 miles awayExpected standard46.2
The Blue SchoolWells · 117 miles awayGood49.7
Durrington High SchoolWorthing · 76 miles awayGood49.8
Prince William SchoolOundle · 41 miles awayGood48.9
The Hemel Hempstead SchoolHemel Hempstead · 17 miles awayExpected standard49.9
Caludon Castle SchoolCoventry · 65 miles awayGood46.5
Oriel High SchoolCrawley · 56 miles awayGood45.4
Fred Longworth High SchoolManchester · 147 miles awayGood45.9
The Morley AcademyLeeds · 140 miles awayOutstanding54.6
Newquay TretherrasNewquay · 236 miles awayGood48.4
Bohunt HorshamHorsham · 57 miles awayGood49.5
The Polesworth SchoolTamworth · 78 miles awayGood42.7

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 65% (Hertfordshire 60%, England 59%) · Any other White background 8% (Hertfordshire 9%, England 7%) · Black African 8% (Hertfordshire 4%, England 5%) · Asian Pakistani 3% (Hertfordshire 2%, England 5%) · Asian Bangladeshi 2% (Hertfordshire 1%, England 2%) · Asian Indian 2% (Hertfordshire 4%, England 4%) · Any other ethnic group 2% (Hertfordshire 2%, England 3%) · Any other Mixed background 2% (Hertfordshire 3%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Black African 2% (Hertfordshire 1%, England 1%) · Any other Asian background 1% (Hertfordshire 3%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 1% (Hertfordshire 2%, England 2%) · Not recorded 1% (Hertfordshire 1%, England 2%) · Mixed White and Asian 1% (Hertfordshire 3%, England 2%) · Black Caribbean 1% (Hertfordshire 1%, England 1%) · other groups together 1%

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
7.3%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
20.5%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

7.52 suspensions per 100 pupils and 2 permanent exclusions · England, secondary schools: 21.24 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Hertfordshire: 13.41 suspensions and 0.12 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
15.9
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

91% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 3% moved to another state school · 6% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

1.95% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, council-maintained secondaries: 0.22% vacant, 0.42% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

72.2% of teachers took sickness absence, 8.1 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £56,393; 7.5% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2025-26)

This school£7,959
Typical secondary school£7,846

Where the money went (2025-26)

Share of spending, with the median for secondary schools in brackets: Staff 79% (77%) · premises 5% (6%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 8% (7%) · supplies and services 9% (10%) · educational supplies 6% (6%) · bought-in professional services 1% (2%) · catering 4% (3%)

Reserves (2025-26)

Revenue reserve £17,814; in-year balance +£51,946

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: council-maintained school finance return, 2025-26, DfE · how spending is compared

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
94%
Continuing in education
89%
Apprenticeship
3%
Employment
2%

Where students go after sixth form

To university / higher education
67%
Apprenticeship
9%
Employment
17%
Any sustained destination
94%

Destinations measured the year after leaving, DfE destination measures in the 2024/2025 performance tables.

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
6/10around the middle for England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
6/10around the middle for England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher24%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications19.5%18.1%
In managerial or professional work27.3%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways21%18.1%
Residents in very good health47.1%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier63.2%62.3%
Social housing27.2%17.1%
Privately rented9.5%20.5%
Detached houses4%22.9%
Flats11.8%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms10.3%21.1%
Households with no car or van18.1%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01023769 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£340,000544 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£302,000–£395,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (92)£566,000
Semi-detached (104)£375,000
Terraced (306)£325,000
Flat (42)£185,000

Homes around this school are dearer than most school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
3an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
6an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
15an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
3an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools