The Astley Cooper School
- Secondary
- Foundation school
- Ages 11 to 18
URN 117552 · Hertfordshire
Inspection
Ofsted management information, as at 30 September 2026.
Latest report card inspection
28 April 2026- Inclusion
- Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Needs attention
- Achievement
- Needs attention
- Attendance and behaviour
- Needs attention
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Needs attention
- Leadership and governance
- Needs attention
- Post-16 provision
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding standards
- Met
Full inspection (section 5)
Report cards, used from 10 November 2025, grade each area on a five-point scale and give no overall grade. Safeguarding is met or not met.
Earlier inspection, different framework
Earlier graded inspection
17 November 2021Overall effectiveness
Good
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form provision
- Good
- Safeguarding is effective
- Yes
Full inspection (section 5)
Under the earlier framework, inspections gave an overall effectiveness grade.
Read the reports on Ofsted’s website. Source: Ofsted, State-funded school inspections and outcomes: management information.
Attendance
Against Hertfordshire and England, secondary schools.
Overall absence
2024/2513.7%
- Hertfordshire
- 7.9%
- England
- 8.4%
5.3 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | 5.6% | 5.2% | 5.5% |
| 2018/19 | 5.7% | 5.1% | 5.5% |
| 2020/21 | 5.6% | 4.7% | 5.5% |
| 2021/22 | 9.1% | 8.3% | 9.0% |
| 2022/23 | 12.7% | 8.2% | 9.0% |
| 2023/24 | 12.7% | 8.0% | 8.9% |
| 2024/25 | 13.7% | 7.9% | 8.4% |
Sessions missed for any reason, as a share of all possible sessions in the school year. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25.
Persistent absence
2024/2539.2%
- Hertfordshire
- 21.6%
- England
- 23.4%
15.8 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | 14.8% | 12.5% | 13.9% |
| 2018/19 | 13.4% | 11.9% | 13.7% |
| 2020/21 | 16.5% | 11.3% | 14.8% |
| 2021/22 | 30.7% | 25.3% | 27.7% |
| 2022/23 | 38.2% | 23.7% | 26.5% |
| 2023/24 | 37.9% | 22.8% | 25.6% |
| 2024/25 | 39.2% | 21.6% | 23.4% |
Pupils who missed 10% or more of their possible sessions, as a share of pupils. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25.
Severe absence
2024/258.4%
- Hertfordshire
- 3.1%
- England
- 3.9%
4.5 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | 0.4% | 0.9% | 1.2% |
| 2018/19 | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.3% |
| 2020/21 | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.5% |
| 2021/22 | 1.8% | 2.0% | 2.7% |
| 2022/23 | 6.3% | 2.6% | 3.4% |
| 2023/24 | 7.0% | 2.9% | 3.8% |
| 2024/25 | 8.4% | 3.1% | 3.9% |
Pupils who missed 50% or more of their possible sessions, as a share of pupils. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25.
Suspensions and permanent exclusions
Against Hertfordshire and England, secondary schools.
Suspensions per 100 pupils
2024/2540.13
- Hertfordshire
- 13.41
- England
- 21.24
18.89 higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | 4.65 | 6.23 | 10.13 |
| 2018/19 | 7.60 | 6.37 | 10.75 |
| 2019/20 | 10.25 | 4.32 | 7.43 |
| 2020/21 | 8.50 | 5.06 | 8.48 |
| 2021/22 | 23.45 | 7.89 | 13.96 |
| 2022/23 | 31.76 | 10.20 | 18.90 |
| 2023/24 | 36.58 | 13.41 | 22.61 |
| 2024/25 | 40.13 | 13.41 | 21.24 |
Suspensions in the school year for every 100 pupils on roll. One pupil can be suspended more than once. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, 2024/25.
Permanent exclusions per 100 pupils
2024/250.84
- Hertfordshire
- 0.12
- England
- 0.23
0.61 higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | 0.40 | 0.15 | 0.20 |
| 2018/19 | 0.00 | 0.10 | 0.20 |
| 2019/20 | 0.30 | 0.08 | 0.13 |
| 2020/21 | 0.13 | 0.05 | 0.10 |
| 2021/22 | 0.47 | 0.08 | 0.16 |
| 2022/23 | 0.33 | 0.13 | 0.22 |
| 2023/24 | 0.73 | 0.15 | 0.25 |
| 2024/25 | 0.84 | 0.12 | 0.23 |
Permanent exclusions in the school year for every 100 pupils on roll. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, 2024/25.
Key stage 4 results
Against Hertfordshire and England, secondary schools.
Attainment 8
2025/26 (provisional)33.5
- Hertfordshire
- 51.4
- England
- 47.4
13.9 lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 54.2 | 49.8 |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 51.9 | 47.2 |
| 2023/24 | 37.2 | 51.2 | 46.9 |
| 2024/25 | 34.7 | 51.7 | 47.1 |
| 2025/26 (provisional) | 33.5 | 51.4 | 47.4 |
The average of pupils' points across eight GCSE-level qualifications, with English and maths counted twice. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Key stage 4 performance, 2025/26.
English and maths: grade 4 or above
2025/26 (provisional)44%
- Hertfordshire
- 73%
- England
- 66%
22 percentage points lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 77% | 70% |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 75% | 67% |
| 2023/24 | 49% | 74% | 67% |
| 2024/25 | 44% | 73% | 66% |
| 2025/26 (provisional) | 44% | 73% | 66% |
Pupils at the end of key stage 4 with grade 4 or above in both English and maths. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Key stage 4 performance, 2025/26.
English and maths: grade 5 or above
2025/26 (provisional)21%
- Hertfordshire
- 55%
- England
- 48%
27 percentage points lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 59% | 51% |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 56% | 46% |
| 2023/24 | 33% | 55% | 47% |
| 2024/25 | 27% | 55% | 47% |
| 2025/26 (provisional) | 21% | 55% | 48% |
Pupils at the end of key stage 4 with grade 5 or above in both English and maths. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Key stage 4 performance, 2025/26.
Pupils
Against Hertfordshire and England, secondary schools.
Eligible for free school meals
2024/2531.9%
- Hertfordshire
- 14.7%
- England
- 25.8%
6.1 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 28.8% | 11.7% | 20.9% |
| 2022/23 | 29.8% | 12.8% | 22.7% |
| 2023/24 | 31.3% | 13.9% | 24.1% |
| 2024/25 | 31.9% | 14.7% | 25.8% |
Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals on census day in January. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
SEN support
2024/2525.0%
- Hertfordshire
- 13.2%
- England
- 13.4%
11.6 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 15.1% | 12.7% | 11.9% |
| 2022/23 | 17.9% | 12.5% | 12.4% |
| 2023/24 | 21.2% | 12.5% | 12.9% |
| 2024/25 | 25.0% | 13.2% | 13.4% |
Pupils receiving special educational needs support without an education, health and care plan. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Education, health and care plan
2024/253.8%
- Hertfordshire
- 2.9%
- England
- 3.1%
0.7 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 2.5% | 1.7% | 2.2% |
| 2022/23 | 2.6% | 2.1% | 2.4% |
| 2023/24 | 3.2% | 2.4% | 2.7% |
| 2024/25 | 3.8% | 2.9% | 3.1% |
Pupils with an education, health and care plan. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
First language other than English
2024/2517.6%
- Hertfordshire
- 15.4%
- England
- 19.2%
1.6 percentage points lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 15.9% | 13.2% | 17.5% |
| 2022/23 | 16.4% | 14.1% | 18.1% |
| 2023/24 | 17.0% | 14.8% | 18.6% |
| 2024/25 | 17.6% | 15.4% | 19.2% |
Pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Teachers
Against Hertfordshire and England, secondary schools.
Pupils per qualified teacher
2025/2615.1
- Hertfordshire
- 17.3
- England
- 17.3
2.2 lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | 16.4 | 16.5 | 16.5 |
| 2018/19 | 13.7 | 17.1 | 16.8 |
| 2019/20 | 16.7 | 17.2 | 17.2 |
| 2020/21 | 15.4 | 17.3 | 17.1 |
| 2021/22 | 15.6 | 17.2 | 17.1 |
| 2022/23 | 14.8 | 17.3 | 17.2 |
| 2023/24 | 15.7 | 17.5 | 17.4 |
| 2024/25 | 16.5 | 17.5 | 17.3 |
| 2025/26 | 15.1 | 17.3 | 17.3 |
Full-time equivalent pupils for each full-time equivalent qualified teacher. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, School workforce in England, 2025/26.
Teacher sickness absence
2024/255.6 days
- Hertfordshire
- 4.3 days
- England
- 5.0 days
0.6 days higher than England.
Compared with all state-funded schools: DfE publishes this measure for all schools, not by phase.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | 4.3 days | 3.0 days | 4.0 days |
| 2018/19 | 2.3 days | 3.1 days | 4.0 days |
| 2019/20 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 2020/21 | 1.7 days | 2.9 days | 3.9 days |
| 2021/22 | 5.6 days | 5.3 days | 6.3 days |
| 2022/23 | 5.3 days | 4.4 days | 5.2 days |
| 2023/24 | 10.0 days | 4.6 days | 5.3 days |
| 2024/25 | 5.6 days | 4.3 days | 5.0 days |
Days lost to sickness absence in the school year, averaged across all teachers. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, School workforce in England, 2024/25.
Finance
DfE publishes this maintained school’s income, spending and balances in its Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool, which has no stable download, so this site links to it rather than copying the figures.
See this school in the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool
About the school
- Pupils on roll
- 914
- Capacity
- 1,055
- Type
- Foundation school
- Phase
- Secondary
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Sixth form
- Has a sixth form
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Gender
- Mixed
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Constituency
- Hemel Hempstead
- Deprivation of the area (IDACI)
- Decile 3 of 10 (1 is the most deprived tenth of neighbourhoods)
Address: St Agnell's Lane, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 7HL
Website: www.astleycooper.herts.sch.uk
Telephone: 01442394141
Sources and corrections
Every figure on this page names its source and period. This release was built on 20 October 2026.
- Department for Education: Get Information about Schools: establishment data (GIAS establishment extract 2026-10-20)
- Ofsted: State-funded school inspections and outcomes: management information (Latest inspections as at 2026-09-30; All inspections, 2018/19; All inspections, 2019/20; All inspections, 2020/21; All inspections, 2021/22; All inspections, 2022/23; All inspections, 2023/24; All inspections, 2024/25; All inspections, 2025/26)
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Pupil absence in schools in England (absence-3term-school, 2013/14 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id])
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England (exc-school, 2006/07 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; exc-ap-school, 2013/14 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; exc-geography, 2006/07 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; exc-ap-geography, 2013/14 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id])
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Key stage 2 attainment (ks2-school, 2022/23 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; ks2-geography, 2015/16 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id])
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Key stage 4 performance (ks4-school, 2023/24 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id]; ks4-geography, 2018/19 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id])
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Schools, pupils and their characteristics (School census, January 2022 (performance tables, 2021 to 2022); School census, January 2023 (performance tables, 2022 to 2023); School census, January 2024 (performance tables, 2023 to 2024); School census, January 2025 (performance tables, 2024 to 2025))
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: School workforce in England (ptr-school, 2010/11 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id]; ptr-geography, 2010/11 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id]; sickness-school, 2009/10 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; sickness-geography, 2009/10 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id])
- Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: English indices of deprivation 2025: Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (English indices of deprivation 2025, File 7 (2021 LSOAs))
Spotted something wrong? Report a correction with the school’s URN (117552). Fixes go out in the next weekly release.