The Priory School
Bedford Road, Hitchin, SG5 2UR
1,221 pupils · 94% of 1,300 capacity
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Foundation school
- Ages
- 11–18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Does not apply
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Free school meals
- 26.5%
Ofsted
Good (2022) — Ungraded inspection — “School remains Good” (previous grade confirmed, not re-graded)
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 5 October 2022, published 21 November 2022. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Attainment 8 score | 48.5 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 49.2% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 64.1% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 32.8% |
Progress 8 is not published nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26 while KS2 baselines are missing (no SATs in 2020/21). It returns from 2026/27.
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Usually has places available — 0.74 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 127 | 94 | 523 | 125 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 178 | 121 | 567 | 160 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 187 | 139 | 554 | 158 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 191 | 172 | 601 | 191 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 195 | 178 | 588 | 195 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 204 | 224 | 654 | 204 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 204 | 185 | 627 | 204 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 201 | 210 | 642 | 201 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- Hitchin Boys' School 1.3 km · Most areas: Exceptional (2025)
- Hitchin Girls' School 1.9 km · No overall grade (2024)
- Fearnhill School 2.9 km · Most areas: Expected standard (2026)
- The Highfield School 2.9 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School 6.8 km · Good — confirmed 2024 · previous system
- The Knights Templar School 6.9 km · Good — confirmed 2023 · previous system
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.