Therfield School Review 2026: Oversubscribed 11 to 18 comprehensive in Leatherhead

Therfield School is a large, mixed secondary with sixth form in Leatherhead, serving families across Surrey and the surrounding area. It sits within a multi-academy trust structure that has aimed to protect each school’s day-to-day identity while enabling shared governance and collaboration.

Academically, the headline is a strong GCSE position in England: ranked 974th in England and 5th locally (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), placing it comfortably within the top 25% of schools in England for GCSE outcomes. The sixth form picture is more mixed, with A-level outcomes sitting below England average overall, despite a clearly defined post-16 offer and enrichment routes.

The 15 to 16 May 2024 Ofsted inspection confirmed the school continues to be Good.

Therfield’s identity is shaped by a clear, repeatedly used language of ambition and opportunity. The school sets out its aims in a simple structure: excellence, leadership, opportunity. It is practical rather than decorative, and it shows up across student leadership, pastoral structures, and the breadth of enrichment referenced across the website.

A defining feature is the house framework, which gives students a ready-made structure for belonging that cuts across year groups. The house names, Polesden, Juniper, Norbury, and Leith, surface frequently in inter-house events and competitions, including languages themed activities and sport. For many students, this becomes a social anchor early on, especially in Year 7 when secondary school can feel like a large step up.

The school also puts visible emphasis on student voice and responsibility. There is a formal student leadership structure spanning councils, prefect-style roles, and recognition for contribution across performing arts, sport, and community activity. The model matters because it rewards participation beyond exams, and it gives quieter students a route to status that is not purely academic.

Therfield’s trust context is worth understanding as part of the atmosphere. South East Surrey Schools Education Trust (SESSET) became operational on 1 January 2017, and the trust narrative stresses continuity in uniform, school day, and staffing while shifting governance to a shared structure. For parents, this usually translates into stability locally, with the potential upside of shared expertise and joint initiatives across schools.

GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool metrics)

Therfield’s GCSE profile is strongest when viewed through overall performance and progress measures rather than a single headline percentage. The Attainment 8 score is 50.3, and the Progress 8 score is +0.08, which indicates students, on average, make slightly above-average progress from their starting points across eight GCSE slots.

The school is ranked 974th in England and 5th locally for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This places it above England average, within the top 25% of schools in England (25th percentile or better) for GCSE performance.

The English Baccalaureate angle is more nuanced. The average EBacc APS score is 4.74, and 35.4% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above across EBacc subjects. These figures suggest a cohort where a solid proportion secures secure passes in the academic core, but also where subject entry patterns and pathways likely vary by student, with vocational and mixed routes playing a role alongside the EBacc.

Sixth form outcomes (FindMySchool metrics)

At A-level, the data points to a different pattern. Therfield is ranked 1,697th in England and 4th locally for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). That position sits below England average overall for post-16 results, and it is important for families to understand this contrast, as it can affect sixth form fit for students targeting the most competitive university courses.

The grade distribution shows 4.55% of grades at A*, 13.07% at A, and 38.07% at A* to B. The England average benchmarks are 23.6% for A* to A and 47.2% for A* to B, so the overall grade profile is weaker than England averages.

This does not automatically mean the sixth form is a poor choice. It does, however, mean that students aiming for very high-grade courses should scrutinise subject-level patterns carefully and ask direct questions about class sizes, support in Year 13, and how the school identifies and responds to underperformance in specific subjects.

Therfield’s teaching model, as evidenced in formal observations, leans on clarity, sequencing, and revisiting key ideas over time. The curriculum is described as well planned and ambitious, with teachers using structured recap and checking understanding to help students remember content and build confidence. This sort of approach tends to suit students who value routine and who respond well to explicit instruction.

A practical strength is that the school is explicit about supporting students to organise their work and improve it. The inspection narrative points to regular feedback and a focus on coherent written work, including in the sixth form. For families, that matters because it signals a school that is not relying solely on student independence, it is teaching the habits that enable students to become independent.

Reading is treated as a whole-school priority rather than a Key Stage 3 side project. Students who arrive in Year 7 behind their peers are supported through a phonics programme, alongside regular monitoring of reading progress. For some families, this will be a differentiator, especially when a child has strong verbal ability but weaker decoding or fluency.

Provision for students with additional needs is more than generic SEN language. Therfield has a specially resourced provision for up to 20 pupils with communication and interaction needs, including autism and developmental language disorders. The centre is referred to as the CoIN centre in formal information. This is relevant for parents weighing whether a mainstream school can meet a child’s needs without isolating them from the wider peer group.

Therfield’s sixth form sits inside a broader progression picture where students follow different routes after Year 11 and Year 13. For many families, the immediate question is: does the sixth form keep enough students on site, and does it provide credible progression to university, apprenticeships, and employment?

The published destination data for the 2023 to 2024 leaver cohort shows a mixed set of pathways. For that cohort, 49% progressed to university, 6% to apprenticeships, and 23% to employment (cohort size 35). This is a practical profile for a comprehensive sixth form serving a broad intake, with a meaningful share of students moving directly into work and apprenticeships as well as higher education.

There is also an Oxbridge signal, albeit small in absolute terms. In the measurement period, two students applied to Cambridge, one received an offer, and one secured a place. In a sixth form where A-level results overall sit below England averages, this matters because it suggests that the school can support individual high-attainers through elite application routes, even if that is not the dominant pathway for the cohort.

Careers education is a visible thread in the sixth form structure. The Careers at Therfield programme outlines weekly themes in Year 12, covering post-18 pathways across university, apprenticeships, and employment, with structured use of online tools for research and planning. The implication for families is that guidance is designed to be systematic rather than left to informal tutor conversations.

A distinctive destination-adjacent option is the Surrey County Cricket State School Sixth Form Cricket and Education Programme, which provides a route for keen cricketers to combine sixth form study with a specific development pathway, including its own open evening for September 2026 entry. For students for whom sport is a serious commitment, this can affect sixth form choice as much as subject options do.

Year 7 entry

Admissions for Year 7 follow Surrey’s coordinated admissions system. For September 2026 entry, families could apply from 1 September 2025, with the on-time application deadline of 31 October 2025. Offers are issued on 2 March 2026 through the local authority process.

Therfield’s own admissions-facing pages also publish open events for 2026 to 2027 Year 7 entry, including an open evening on 11 September 2025 and open mornings on 3 October 2025 and 15 October 2025. For many families, these dates function as the practical starting point for the process, even though the application itself runs through Surrey.

For parents trying to sense-check realism of preferences, FindMySchool’s Map Search can help you measure distance-to-gate and compare it with allocation patterns in your area, then adjust your list of preferences accordingly.

In-year admissions

Therfield directs in-year applicants through Surrey’s in-year process, with the school providing an outcome once the local authority application has been submitted. This route tends to be driven by house moves, family circumstances, or a child needing a different environment mid-phase.

Sixth form entry (Year 12)

Therfield manages its own sixth form applications. For September 2026, the school states that applications are open, with internal students interviewed in January and external applicants contacted to arrange interview timings after submission. For families, this means the sixth form timeline does not mirror the Year 7 local authority calendar, and the school itself is the operational decision-maker for the process.

Pastoral support is structured through year teams and a broader leadership framework that includes student leadership roles and peer mentoring routes as students move through the school. Year 9 material, for example, explicitly references peer mentoring for younger students as part of becoming a role model, which signals a deliberate approach to building responsibility as students mature.

Safeguarding and student safety are addressed through formal roles, including a designated safeguarding lead named on the school’s published contact information. This is particularly relevant for parents evaluating how concerns are handled and escalated within a large school.

Ofsted also judged safeguarding arrangements to be effective.

For students with special educational needs and disabilities, the school’s approach is described as whole-student and whole-school, with a published commitment to identification, provision, and staff support. The presence of a resourced centre for communication and interaction needs adds practical capacity beyond a standard mainstream SEN model.

Therfield’s extracurricular story is strongest when you look at specific programmes and structured experiences rather than generic club lists.

Duke of Edinburgh Award

The Duke of Edinburgh Award is positioned as a major pathway, with Bronze available from Year 9, Silver in Year 10, and Gold in Years 12 and 13. This matters because it offers a long runway: students can build a sustained record of volunteering, skill development, and expedition work over multiple years, which can be meaningful for sixth form applications and personal development.

Student leadership and recognition

The school has a defined student leadership structure including a student council, sixth form leadership team, and a system of colours for excellence in performing arts, sport, and community contribution. The implication is that recognition is not confined to grades, it is deliberately broadened to reward consistent contribution and reliability.

Trips, themed days, and curriculum-linked enrichment

Year 9 material references several named experiences: a Battlefields Trip, Holocaust Survivor Talk, CGI Day, and a continuing set of Pixl Edge extra-curriculum challenges. These kinds of events work as structured “anchors” through the year, giving students shared reference points and, for some, a reason to engage more fully with school beyond lessons.

Sport and facilities investment

The school community’s fundraising arm, the Therfield Trust, references contributions to major facilities and equipment, including a new Sports Hall, a Drama Studio, equipment for the new Science block, and sound and lighting for the school hall. For parents, this indicates a community that actively funds enhancements and helps sustain facilities beyond baseline provision.

The Surrey County Cricket sixth form programme adds a specific high-commitment option for talented cricketers, including dedicated open evening activity for September 2026 entry.

For parents comparing options, FindMySchool’s Local Hub comparison tool is useful here. It lets you compare GCSE and A-level outcomes side-by-side across nearby schools, then weigh that against enrichment fit, travel time, and admissions probability.

Therfield operates a two-week timetable. On Week 1 and Monday to Thursday of Week 2, the school day runs from an 08.25 warning bell and 08.30 registration to a 15.15 finish. On Friday of Week 2, the finish is earlier at 14.30.

For travel, Leatherhead has established bus routes and rail access, and Surrey’s own published transport materials show multiple routes serving the Leatherhead area, including connections at Leatherhead Station. Families relying on bus travel should also note that Surrey publishes school-linked routes and timetables, including services referencing Therfield School.

• Strong GCSEs, weaker A-level profile. GCSE outcomes sit within the top 25% in England, but A-level results sit below England averages overall. This can be a significant consideration for students with highly selective post-18 plans, especially in competitive subjects.

• Disadvantaged pupils are an identified priority area. The latest inspection notes that disadvantaged pupils did not achieve as strongly as their peers in 2023, and that the school’s evaluation of improvement work needs greater precision. For families who may fall into this group, it is reasonable to ask how support is targeted and how impact is measured.

• Large-school experience. With capacity at 1,375 and over 1,000 pupils on roll, the school offers breadth in peer group and opportunity, but it may feel busy for some children. Parents of anxious learners should ask how tutoring, pastoral check-ins, and transition support are structured in Year 7.

• SEND provision is a genuine feature, but fit still matters. The CoIN resourced provision for communication and interaction needs is an asset for the right child. Families should clarify criteria, integration with mainstream classes, and how support changes as students move into GCSE and post-16 pathways.

Therfield School is a high-capacity, mixed comprehensive that delivers a strong GCSE profile in England and offers a broad set of leadership and enrichment routes, including established Duke of Edinburgh pathways and a specialist sixth form cricket option. The sixth form outcomes are less strong in aggregate, so the best fit is often a student who benefits from structured teaching and a wide community offer, and whose post-16 ambitions align with the school’s subject-level strengths and support model.

Best suited to families who want a broad, mainstream secondary with strong GCSE performance, clear routines, and visible opportunities for leadership and participation.