The Misbourne School Review 2026: Clear expectations, strong pastoral depth, and a broad upper-school offer

Upper schools in Buckinghamshire live in a distinctive context, they are open-entry, non-selective secondaries sitting alongside a highly competitive grammar system. In that environment, The Misbourne School positions itself around clarity and consistency: a whole-school behaviour and values framework, a visible rewards culture, and structured tutoring and personal development.

Academically, outcomes sit around the England middle range at GCSE, with a progress picture that suggests students often do better than their starting points would predict. Post-16 outcomes are a weaker area in the available data, so families considering sixth form should look closely at subject fit, support, and progression routes.

Richard Peters is the headteacher.

The strongest published signal about day-to-day culture is the school’s shared language of expectations. A student-facing guide sets out a simple set of behavioural norms, including being ready to learn, being respectful, and taking responsibility, alongside a broader values set that includes ambition, pride, kindness, respect, equality, moral purpose, resilience, and teamwork.

That clarity also shows up in how the school organises student identity. New starters are placed into one of four “small schools” (Attenborough, Franklin, Holmes, and Turing), with cross-year connections and inter-school events such as quizzes, sport, and competitions. For many families, this matters as much as timetables. It creates a smaller community feel inside a full secondary, which can make the transition from primary school less daunting, especially for quieter students who benefit from belonging quickly.

The wider tone is purposeful rather than performative. Relationships between staff and pupils are described as strong, behaviour is framed as fair and consistent, and students are encouraged to take responsibility for how their conduct affects peers’ learning. That combination tends to suit students who like clear boundaries and predictable routines, including those who can find ambiguity stressful.

There is also a noticeable emphasis on students contributing beyond themselves. Sixth formers are described as taking leadership roles, including mentoring younger pupils, supporting reading, and training as mental health ambassadors. The implication for parents is that personal development is not treated as an optional extra, it is built into how the school sees maturity and progression.

The best single way to interpret outcomes is to treat GCSE and sixth form as two separate decisions.

GCSE outcomes

Ranked 2023rd in England and 1st in Great Missenden for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), The Misbourne sits in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

In practical terms, that is “solid and broadly typical” academically, with some encouraging indicators beneath the headline. Attainment 8 is 48.4, and Progress 8 is +0.3, which indicates students make above-average progress compared with similar pupils nationally. EBacc average point score is 4.16.

One area the school has been working on is EBacc participation and language uptake. That matters because, in Buckinghamshire’s mixed grammar and upper-school environment, subject choices and cohort composition can vary significantly by area and by year group, so families should look beyond a single metric and ask how curriculum pathways are being strengthened over time.

Sixth form outcomes

Ranked 2182nd in England and 1st in Great Missenden for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), results sit below England average overall.

In the available A-level grade breakdown, 30.73% of grades were A* to B, compared with an England benchmark of 47.2%. A* to A was 8.38%, compared with an England benchmark of 23.6%.

This does not automatically mean the sixth form is the wrong choice. It does mean parents should interrogate fit and support: which subjects are strongest, how re-sits and study skills are handled, and how progression advice is personalised. For some students, especially those who want an upper-school setting with strong pastoral continuity, the value of staying can be stability and targeted guidance. For others, a specialist sixth form college route may be a better match.

The curriculum intent is ambitious and broad, with an explicit focus on coherence and sequencing. A key feature described in formal reporting is consistency of teaching approaches across subjects and year groups, supported by routines that help students retain and build knowledge over time.

A concrete example of this approach is “responsive teaching”, including regular retrieval and lesson starts built around short “do now” tasks designed to reconnect prior learning. The educational implication is straightforward: students who forget quickly, or who need repeated practice to build confidence, can benefit from frequent low-stakes checking and revisiting, rather than being pushed onwards before they are secure.

Literacy and reading support is described as developing, with multiple approaches in place and a more coherent strategy for weaker readers being introduced. For parents of students entering Year 7 with low confidence in reading, it is worth asking what screening is used, what interventions run, and how progress is tracked over the first two terms.

SEND support is framed as inclusive, with students learning alongside peers and work adapted so they can access the same curriculum goals. The school also has a specially resourced provision for pupils with autism spectrum disorder, which can be relevant for families seeking mainstream schooling with additional structured support.

Because the school does not publish a Russell Group breakdown in the sources accessed, the most reliable destinations picture comes from the available leavers data.

For the 2023 to 2024 leavers cohort (88 students), 44% progressed to university, 2% to further education, 5% to apprenticeships, and 39% to employment.

On the qualitative side, careers education and guidance is described as a strength, with personalised support valued by sixth form students. In a sixth form where headline grade distributions are not the main selling point, this kind of structured progression support can be a significant differentiator, particularly for students targeting apprenticeships, employment with training, or a university route that depends on strong personal statements and careful course selection.

The Misbourne is a state-funded upper school, admissions are coordinated through Buckinghamshire’s secondary admissions process rather than direct selection. Buckinghamshire’s admissions guidance makes clear that applications for secondary transfer for September 2026 were open between 04 September 2025 and 31 October 2025.

The Buckinghamshire context is important. The council’s guidance explicitly references that the area includes both upper (all-ability) schools and grammar schools, with grammar entry dependent on the Secondary Transfer Test. In practice, that means some families are choosing between a selective route and an open-entry upper-school route at age 11, and those choices can shape peer group mix and subject pathways.

For September 2026 entry, the published admission number is 180 for Year 7. For sixth form, the published admission number is 25.

If you are shortlisting, a practical next step is to use the FindMySchool Map Search to compare likely travel time, school transport options, and how realistic daily logistics will feel across winter months as well as summer.

Pastoral work is positioned as central rather than peripheral. Published reporting describes pastoral care as putting the child at the heart of the school’s work, with families treated as an essential part of success, and staff trained in specialist approaches including trauma-informed practice.

A student-facing guide also describes multiple access points for support, including form tutors, heads of school, a school counsellor, SEND support, and a medical room with a welfare officer. The implication is that support is intended to be layered, with low-threshold help available before problems escalate.

Safeguarding is addressed with clear process language, including systematic identification of risk and staff training. The May 2022 Ofsted inspection stated that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Extracurricular and wider development are described as a strength, and the detail matters. A formal report highlights a growing programme of activities, with sports clubs, an active eco-club, and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme explicitly referenced. Performing arts is also described as strong, with a school production of We Will Rock You cited as a well-attended community event.

Student leadership is another pillar of the co-curricular offer. Sixth formers are described as taking on roles that include mentoring younger pupils, providing reading support, and training as mental health ambassadors. For families, the benefit is that “leadership” is presented as service and responsibility rather than only status, which can be a better fit for students who mature through contribution rather than competition.

Facilities described in a published starter guide include a dance studio, drama studio, and a hall with stage and lighting, alongside specialist spaces for science and design technology. Outdoor sports pitches are also referenced, and the same guide notes a sports centre build in progress at the time it was published.

The school day is described in a student-facing guide as running from 8:40am to 3:10pm, with students able to arrive on site from 8:15am.

For wraparound care, the Buckinghamshire school directory record states that before and after school provision is not available, so families who need formal early drop-off or late pick-up should verify current arrangements directly with the school.

Transport matters for an 11 to 18 school drawing from multiple villages. Great Missenden rail station provides a practical anchor for public transport planning, and local bus information is available via providers serving the school. Buckinghamshire also publishes council-run school bus route and timetable information that includes services linked to the school.

• Sixth form outcomes vary. The A-level grade breakdown in the available data sits below England benchmarks, so families should ask for subject-level detail, support structures, and progression outcomes for the pathways your child is considering.

• Upper-school context. In Buckinghamshire, many students follow the grammar route, which can influence cohort mix and curriculum choices in upper schools. Make sure you are comfortable with the open-entry pathway and what it means socially and academically.

• Wraparound care limitations. The council directory record indicates no before or after school provision, which can be a decisive factor for working families, especially for younger Year 7 students who are not ready for independent travel.

• Bullying reporting culture. Published reporting suggests bullying is not seen as widespread, but that students may not always report it. Parents should ask how concerns are raised, logged, and followed up, particularly during the first year of transition.

The Misbourne School presents as a structured, expectation-led upper school with a strong pastoral spine and a clear approach to behaviour and community culture. GCSE outcomes sit around the England middle range, with progress indicators suggesting many students do well relative to their starting points. Sixth form outcomes are the main area to interrogate, particularly if academic grades are the primary driver.

Who it suits

families seeking a non-selective 11 to 18 school in the Great Missenden area where clarity, routine, and pastoral support matter, and where students can benefit from consistent teaching habits and a broad enrichment offer. For families building a shortlist, the Saved Schools feature can help you track how this option compares against other local upper schools and sixth form pathways.