SCHOOL PROFILE

The Nobel School

Secondary Foundation school URN 117530
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,526 Published school capacity
Capacity used 96.7% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

21 June 2023
Latest published outcome School remains Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Foundation school
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Hertfordshire
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,475 1,475 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 752 51.0% of pupils
Male pupils 723 49.0% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

18.2%
6.6 pts below England
School 18.2%
Stevenage 22.7%
East of England 19.7%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

15.2%
5.1 pts below England
School 15.2%
Stevenage 19.5%
East of England 16.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.5%
0.5 pts below England
School 0.5%
Stevenage 2.0%
East of England 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
65.2%
961
Any other White background
8.3%
122
African
7.7%
113
Pakistani
3.1%
46
Bangladeshi
2.1%
31
Indian
2.0%
30
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 23.3% 344 of 1,475 pupils
2.5 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 23.3%
Stevenage 26.1%
East of England 19.8%
England 20.8%
SEN support 20.5% 302 pupils
England 14.8% 5.7 pts above
EHC plans 2.9% 42 pupils
England 6.0% 3.2 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 97
Moderate learning difficulty 63
Autistic spectrum disorder 48
Other difficulty or disability 41
Specific learning difficulty 38
Physical disability 22

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

50.2 11.0 pts above England
School 50.2
Stevenage 36.3
East of England 40.4
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 46.6% England 36.0% 10.6 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 67.4% England 51.4% 16.0 pts above England
EBacc entry 21.2% England 30.6% 9.4 pts below England
EBacc average point score 4.25 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: 0.38 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

7.31%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

1.09 pts higher than England
School 7.31%
Stevenage 6.82%
East of England 6.17%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

19.84%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

4.02 pts higher than England
School 19.84%
Stevenage 18.30%
East of England 15.39%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

2.38%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.57 pts higher than England
School 2.38%
Stevenage 2.27%
East of England 1.83%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

96.7% 4.3 pts above England
The Nobel School
96.7%
Stevenage
94.9%
East of England
92.9%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information