School profile Verified 11 September 2026

Herschel Grammar School

Northampton Avenue, Slough, SL1 3BW

A selective co-educational grammar school in Slough, Berkshire, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,056 pupils on roll.

Grammar school Co-ed Academy converter Ages 11-18 Sixth form GL Assessment

UK rank: UK Rank #46
Year 7 places: 150
Competition ?: Very High
Ofsted ?: Outstanding
11+ route: GL Assessment

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Herschel Grammar School school building exterior

At a glance

Key facts

GCSE rank: UK Rank #46
Sector: Grammar school
Admissions: Mixed
Assessment: GL Assessment
Places in Year 7: 150
Competition ?: Very High
Catchment: You can apply from any area, but living in the published local area gives priority for some or all places.
Ofsted ?: Outstanding

Overview

Herschel Grammar School is a co-educational selective school serving Slough and the surrounding area, with about 1,056 pupils aged 11 to 18. The school is part of The Schelwood Trust and presents itself as a warm, vibrant grammar built around high academic standards, mutual trust and the development of each pupil.

Its values are unusually simple and memorable: responsibility, success and care. They sit behind a curriculum that reaches across art and design, computing, drama, economics, languages, science, politics, EPQ and sixth-form study. The wider school life includes a library, house system, eco work, school council, wellbeing support, careers, magistrates mock trials, podcasts and themed weeks such as Culture Week and Empathy Week.

Year 7 admission is through the Slough Consortium 11+ assessment, with GL papers covering verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, English and mathematics. The published admission number is 150 and the qualifying standard is 111; after priority groups, most places are linked to eligible applicants within four miles of the school, with remaining places ranked by score.

Herschel's current outcome record is strong: Ofsted Outstanding in 2024, a positive Progress 8 score, very high GCSE English and maths outcomes and a substantial A level AAB measure. Its co-ed intake and four-mile rule make it a particularly local Slough grammar, not just a score-ranked option.

Key points

Assessment route: GL Assessment across a single-stage process, covering Verbal reasoning, Non-verbal reasoning, Maths and English.
Places and demand: 150 places in Year 7 and Very High
Catchment: You can apply from any area, but living in the published local area gives priority for some or all places.
Results: 99.3% grade 5+ in English and maths and 75.8 Attainment 8
Sixth form: Sixth form available with 39.9% AAB or better and 70% in higher education.

GCSE benchmark

Latest 2024/25 KS4 measures compared with Slough and England.

School Local authority England

Attainment 8: 75.8
Grade 5+ English and maths: 99.3%
EBacc APS: 7.25
EBacc entry: 78%

Attainment 8 trend

Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Slough and England.

School Local authority England

Destinations

Latest 2024/25 Year 11 destination mix compared with Slough and England.

Education Apprenticeships Employment Other / unknown

School details

Sector: Grammar school
School type: Academy converter
Application: Local authority CAF
Gender: Mixed
Age range: 11-18
Headteacher: Ms Joanne Rockall
Pupil roll: 1,056 pupils
Sixth form: Yes
Trust: The Schelwood Trust
FSM ?: 6.4%
EAL ?: 40%
EHCP ?: 0.4%

Facilities

Library

Extracurriculars

Drama

Ethnicity

Pupil ethnicity

Whole-school roll of 1,056 pupils; 1,024 had a recorded ethnic group.

White 1.9% Asian 78.7% Mixed 10.2% Black 2.7% Other 3.5% Unclassified 3%

Recorded group	Share	Category	Pupils
Indian	47.9%	Asian	506
Pakistani	20.4%	Asian	215
Any other Asian background	9.1%	Asian	96
Any other mixed background	8%	Mixed	84
Any other ethnic group	3.5%	Other	37
Unclassified	3%	Unclassified	32
African	2.4%	Black	25
White and Asian	2.2%	Mixed	23
Any other White background	1%	White	11
Bangladeshi	1%	Asian	11
White British	0.9%	White	10
Chinese	0.3%	Asian	3
Any other Black background	0.2%	Black	2
Caribbean	0.1%	Black	1

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Location and contact

Address

Address: Northampton Avenue, Slough, Berkshire
Postcode: SL1 3BW
Area: Slough
Exam area: Slough 11+

School leadership

Headteacher: Ms Joanne Rockall

School contact

School email: mail@herschel.slough.sch.uk
School phone: 01753520950

Admissions contact

Admissions team: Admissions Officer
Admissions contact: Mrs F Begum
Admissions email: admissions@herschel.slough.sch.uk
Admissions phone: 01753520950

Open in Map Open school website

Admissions

Year 7 places: 150 places (2027 entry)
Applications listed: 1,170 applications (2025 entry)
First preferences: 126 first preferences (2025 entry)
Competition ?: Very High
Who can apply: You can apply from any area, but living in the published local area gives priority for some or all places.
Cut-off score: 116 (2025 entry)
Pass mark note: For 2027 entry, applicants need a standardised score of 111 to be considered. The latest official school-specific offer figure found in the checked material was 116 for the 2025 initial allocation round, so the qualifying standard and the eventual offer score should not be treated as the same thing.

For 2027 entry, Herschel uses a qualifying standard of 111. After priority groups, most places go to eligible applicants living within 4 miles of the school, with the remaining places allocated by score rank.

Priority is built around the permanent home address: the main catchment tranche covers homes within 4 miles of the school, and an additional pupil premium priority applies within 10 miles.

Oversubscription and eligibility

1

Children with an EHCP naming the school are admitted first.
2

Looked after and previously looked after children who reach the qualifying standard.
3

Children living within 4 miles of the school, nearest first.

Distance is measured in a straight line from the permanent home address to the main gate.
4

Up to 10 pupil premium applicants within 10 miles who meet the published rules.
5

Children of permanent staff employed by the school for at least two years.
6

Remaining places are allocated in rank order of entrance-test performance.

Tied scores are separated by proximity to the school and then by random allocation if needed.

Admissions policy

Admissions arrangements for September 2027 entry

2027 entry

Allocation profile

11+ for 2025 entry statistics summary

2025 entry

Score history

2025

116

Initial offer score

Exam and test format

The GL Assessment 11+ entrance test format

The Slough Consortium 11+ uses GL Assessment papers covering verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, English and mathematics. The eligibility score remains 111 on a standardised scale.

Assessment route: GL Assessment
Papers and stages: 1 paper
Format: Mixed format
Age standardisation: Published as age-standardised

Official exam resources

Past papers and practice materials

No released past entrance-test papers are currently verified here. The resources below are labelled by type.

Slough test guide

Familiarisation GL Assessment English familiarisation pack English General provider materials. Match the subjects to the current test; question counts and timings may differ. Familiarisation GL Assessment Maths familiarisation pack Maths General provider materials. Match the subjects to the current test; question counts and timings may differ. Familiarisation GL Assessment Non-Verbal Reasoning and Maths familiarisation pack Non-Verbal Reasoning and Maths General provider materials. Match the subjects to the current test; question counts and timings may differ. Familiarisation GL Assessment Non-Verbal Reasoning familiarisation pack Non-Verbal Reasoning General provider materials. Match the subjects to the current test; question counts and timings may differ. Familiarisation GL Assessment Verbal Reasoning familiarisation pack Verbal Reasoning General provider materials. Match the subjects to the current test; question counts and timings may differ. Familiarisation GL Assessment Verbal Skills familiarisation pack Verbal Skills General provider materials. Match the subjects to the current test; question counts and timings may differ.

View all 7 resources

Guidance GL Assessment official guidance and downloads General provider familiarisation. Use only the subjects in this school’s test; question counts and timings may differ.

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Papers and rounds

Paper 1

Verbal reasoning, Non-verbal reasoning, Maths, English

Herschel 11+ assessment

The published familiarisation materials cover English, mathematics, verbal reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning.

What the test includes

English, Maths, Verbal reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning are included in the published format.

Science is not listed in the current published format.

Included

English
Maths
Verbal reasoning

The published familiarisation materials cover English, mathematics, verbal reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning.
Non-verbal reasoning

The published familiarisation materials cover English, mathematics, verbal reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning.

Not listed

Science

Application

Key dates

Get date reminders

Find open days and plan a visit

Registration opens

1 May 2026
Past
Registration closes

5 June 2026
Past
Entrance test

19 September 2026
CAF deadline

31 October 2026
Results window

October 2026
Offer day

1 March 2027
Open evening

7 October 2026

5pm-8pm; no booking required. Headteacher presentations at 5.30pm, 6.30pm and 7.30pm.

How to apply

1
Read the admissions arrangements

Check the 2027 policy for the 150-place intake, the 4-mile priority rule, and the qualifying standard.
Open admissions policy
2
Register for the entrance test

Register during the published May to June window so your child can sit the September 2026 test for 2027 entry.
Open admissions page
3
Prepare priority evidence

Have permanent home-address evidence ready and follow the pupil premium or staff-priority rules if they apply.
Review evidence rules
4
Name Herschel on your CAF

Registering for the test does not count as a school application, so the school must still be listed on your Common Application Form by 31 October 2026.
Check application steps

Official admissions documents

Admissions policy

Admissions arrangements for September 2027 entry

2027 entry

Results

Attainment snapshot

Progress 8 ?: +0.76 Progress 8
Attainment 8 ?: 75.8 Attainment 8
GCSE results: 100% grade 4+ in English and maths
Grade 5+ English and maths ?: 99.3% grade 5+ in English and maths
EBacc average point score ?: 7.25 EBacc APS
A-level results: 39.9% AAB or better
A-level average points: 41.68 points per entry

Where students go next

Higher education progression: 70% in higher education
Apprenticeships: 6% in apprenticeships
Employment: 9% in sustained employment

Latest official destinations data currently covers 2022/23 study leavers.

Subject performance

Maths: 100% grade 5+ in EBacc maths
English: 98.7% grade 5+ in EBacc English
Sciences: 98% grade 5+ in EBacc sciences
Languages: 84.6% grade 5+ in EBacc languages

Performance trends

Recent trend

Overall GCSE performance

This follows the school's published overall GCSE score across the subjects pupils take. Higher is better.

Herschel Grammar School Grammar schools England

Year	This school	Grammar schools	England
2021/22	78	74.2	49.4
2022/23	76.2	71.8	47.0
2023/24	75.4	72.1	46.7
2024/25	75.8	72.3	46.8

Recent trend

Average A-level result

This follows the published average A-level result for the school's sixth form. Higher is better.

Herschel Grammar School Grammar schools England

Year	This school	Grammar schools	England
2021/22	B average (41.1 points)	44.0 points	37.5 points
2022/23	B average (39.4 points)	40.5 points	33.7 points
2023/24	B average (39.0 points)	41.3 points	34.5 points
2024/25	B+ average (41.7 points)	41.8 points	35.0 points

Recent trend

Where pupils go after Year 11

This follows the share of pupils moving into a sustained destination after Year 11, such as education, apprenticeships, or employment.

Herschel Grammar School Grammar schools England

Year	This school	Grammar schools	England
2021/22	98%	99.1%	94.1%
2022/23	99%	98.9%	93.9%
2023/24	100%	99.0%	93.3%
2024/25	100%	98.7%	91.8%

Latest year breakdown

In education	100%
In apprenticeships	0%
In employment	0%

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Inspection

View report

Outstanding

Latest inspection: 22 May 2024

Quality of education: Outstanding
Behaviour and attitudes: Outstanding
Personal development: Outstanding
Leadership and management: Outstanding
Sixth form provision: Outstanding

Quick summary

Overall effectiveness: The 2024 inspection judged Herschel Outstanding in every area. Inspectors saw a vibrant, ambitious community where pupils achieve exceptionally well, behave calmly, ask challenging questions and contribute beyond school through local volunteering.
Quality of education: The curriculum is highly ambitious and sequenced from Year 7 to sixth form, helping pupils apply knowledge independently. Expert teaching, clear explanations and sharp questioning help pupils think deeply, with strong support for those with SEND.
Behaviour and attitudes: Behaviour was exceptional in lessons and around school. Pupils live the values of responsibility, success and care, treat each other respectfully and move through school calmly, creating focused lessons with little disruption.
Personal development: Personal development goes beyond examination success. Pupils were proud and happy, while the report highlights community work such as litter picking, care-home volunteering, nursery support and helping at local events.
Leadership and management: Leaders and staff set high aspirations while knowing pupils well academically and personally. The report links this close knowledge to warm relationships, effective support and outcomes at GCSE and A level among the highest nationally.
Sixth form provision: The sixth form sits within the same carefully sequenced curriculum, with A-level outcomes described as very high. Students benefit from the school's increasing independence, expert teaching and strong preparation for their next stage.

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Shortlist comparisons

Compare Herschel Grammar School with Upton Court Grammar School Compare Herschel Grammar School with St Bernard's Catholic Grammar School Compare Herschel Grammar School with Langley Grammar School

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Guides and related reading

Related guides are still being added.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What assessment types does Herschel Grammar School use?

Herschel Grammar School currently uses GL Assessment.

How do I apply to Herschel Grammar School?

1. Read the admissions arrangements: Check the 2027 policy for the 150-place intake, the 4-mile priority rule, and the qualifying standard. 2. Register for the entrance test: Register during the published May to June window so your child can sit the September 2026 test for 2027 entry. 3. Prepare priority evidence: Have permanent home-address evidence ready and follow the pupil premium or staff-priority rules if they apply. 4. Name Herschel on your CAF: Registering for the test does not count as a school application, so the school must still be listed on your Common Application Form by 31 October 2026.

When are the key dates for Herschel Grammar School?

Registration opens: 1 May 2026. Registration closes: 5 June 2026. Entrance test: 19 September 2026. CAF deadline: 31 October 2026. Results window: October 2026. Offer day: 1 March 2027. Open evening: 7 October 2026

What does the latest inspection picture look like for Herschel Grammar School?

Herschel Grammar School is currently rated Outstanding following the latest published inspection dated 22 May 2024.