Princes Risborough School Review 2026: Structured expectations, strong community feel, a wide post-16 offer

A calm, purposeful tone runs through daily life here, with a consistent focus on what the school calls being Positive, Responsible and Successful. That combination matters because this is a large all ability secondary with a sixth form, where routines, clarity, and steady relationships often make the difference between simply coping and genuinely thriving.

Leadership is set up in a two tier model: Mr Vincent Forshaw is Head of School, with his governing role start recorded as 01 April 2023, and Mr Simon Baker is Executive Headteacher.

The latest Ofsted inspection, carried out on 01 and 02 November 2022, judged the school Good across all areas including the sixth form.

Expectations are direct and repeated often, not as slogans but as a practical framework for behaviour and learning. In the student handbook, the messages are concrete: arrive ready to learn, respond positively, keep corridors calm, and treat others with respect. This is helpful for students who benefit from clear lines and predictability, especially at transition points like Year 7 and GCSE start.

The house system is a major organising feature rather than a decorative extra. Students are split into six houses named for local landmarks: Chequers, Chiltern, Icknield, Pyrtle Spring, Ridgeway and Whiteleaf. House identity carries through Year 7 to Year 11 and ties into rewards, competitions, assemblies, and visible recognition. For many students, this creates a smaller unit inside a large school, which can make it easier to build belonging and friendships.

A notable cultural feature is the school’s emphasis on individual recognition alongside collective standards. External review notes that pupils value staff support, relationships are strong, and when issues such as bullying or derogatory language occur, staff respond quickly and effectively. That combination, a firm baseline plus attentive follow-up, tends to suit students who want structure without harshness.

The school’s own history framing is pragmatic rather than nostalgic. It describes being established in 1957 to serve local young people, then expanding facilities and curricula over time as needs changed. For families, the key implication is that this is a school designed to serve a broad community intake, with systems that are built for scale.

At GCSE, the school’s most recent Attainment 8 score in the performance dataset is 40.1, and Progress 8 is -0.08. Taken together, this indicates outcomes slightly below the England average for progress from starting points, and a broad picture that is mixed rather than consistently high across subjects. One of the biggest signals in the data is the low proportion achieving grade 5 or above across English Baccalaureate subjects, at 6%, alongside an EBacc average point score of 3.24.

The school’s FindMySchool GCSE ranking is 3154th in England, and 1st locally in Princes Risborough for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). Interpreting that for parents, it suggests that while the school sits below England average overall, it may still be the strongest local option depending on how the local comparison group is defined and how families weight travel, convenience, and community ties.

At A-level, the picture is similar in its overall positioning. The FindMySchool A-level ranking is 2135th in England and 1st locally in Princes Risborough (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). Grade distribution shows 29.41% of entries at A* to B, compared with an England benchmark of 47.2% A* to B. This is not a sixth form that relies on headline grades to make its case; instead, it competes on breadth of routes, structure, and progression support.

A key contextual point from external review is that curriculum strength varies by subject. English is referenced as particularly effective, with a well designed sequence and expert teaching, while leaders are still working to bring all subjects to the same standard and to raise EBacc participation. That is consistent with the data signal on EBacc, and it is a useful lens for families weighing subject specific fit.

Parents comparing options should use the FindMySchool Local Hub pages and the Comparison Tool to view GCSE and A-level outcomes side by side, then look at subject choices and enrichment as deciding factors, not just the overall numbers.

Day to day learning is supported by a clear homework structure. Homework is set via Google Classroom, with recommended nightly time expectations that rise steadily through the year groups, and a clear expectation of independent study by sixth form. That clarity is helpful for families who want predictable routines at home and a transparent workload model.

In subject delivery, the school publishes meaningful detail in departmental information. English, for example, describes a curriculum intended to be adaptable and inclusive while still ambitious, with explicit focus on reading, analysis, writing, and structured assessment. The implication is a department that is thinking carefully about sequencing and literacy, which aligns with external observations about the role of reading and subject vocabulary in helping pupils access learning.

Reading is treated as a whole school priority. External review references an ambitious programme with a long reading list by Year 10, and the school also communicates changes and additions to literacy provision, such as Reading Plus for targeted year groups. For families, this suggests that even students who are not naturally bookish are expected to practise reading as a tool for learning across subjects, not only as a discrete skill.

At sixth form, the school positions its offer around flexible pathways. The options structure explicitly supports A-level routes, BTEC routes, and mixing the two, which can be attractive for students who want academic depth but also prefer applied assessment in one or more subjects. The programme also includes Extended Project Qualification, online university courses, and leadership opportunities, with an expectation that students bring and use a Chromebook daily.

Where Students Go Next

The sixth form is designed to support multiple destinations rather than a single university pipeline. In the most recent leaver destinations dataset for the 2023/24 cohort, 50% progressed to university, 8% started apprenticeships, and 35% entered employment. This is a balanced pattern for a non selective sixth form, and it suggests that career and employability planning is as important as UCAS support for many students.

To add texture, the school publishes a destinations list for the Class of 2024 showing a spread across 24 universities and 35 courses. The largest single destination listed is Oxford Brookes (14 students), followed by Kingston University (4) and Buckinghamshire New University (4), with other destinations including Portsmouth (3), Royal Holloway (3), and the University of Leicester (2). These figures do not substitute for the official destination percentages above, but they help families see the range of realistic outcomes that students choose.

The school’s own narrative emphasises that university is not treated as the only successful route. It explicitly references support for apprenticeships, gap years and employment, which aligns with the destination mix seen in the official leaver data.

For students looking for leadership and application building, the sixth form enrichment menu is unusually concrete. Interact is a Rotary supported service club with typical membership of 15 to 25 sixth formers, plus activities that have included community projects and fundraising. Alongside that, sixth form opportunities described include Young Enterprise, a book club, debating and current affairs, and volunteering roles that link back into the lower school.

Year 7 admission is coordinated by Buckinghamshire Council rather than handled directly by the school. The county timeline for September 2026 entry is explicit: applications open on 04 September 2025, and the deadline is 31 October 2025. Offers are issued on 02 March 2026, with responses due by 16 March 2026.

Within the school’s own admission arrangements for 2026/27, the oversubscription categories are clear. After children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school and looked after or previously looked after children, priority typically moves through siblings, children of Insignis Academy Trust staff (subject to defined conditions), then those living in the school’s catchment area, with distance used as the tie break. If children are at the same measured distance, the policy specifies a lottery overseen by an independent observer, and there is also explicit provision for multiple birth groups when one place remains.

Open events are often the most practical way for families to judge fit. The school lists a Year 7 open morning on Thursday 12 March 2026 (09:00am to 11:00am), including a headteacher welcome, tour, and Q&A.

Sixth form entry is handled separately. Applications for 2026/27 are stated as open, with the expectation that prospective students register interest and follow the school’s application process.

Parents assessing eligibility should also be aware that Buckinghamshire uses catchment concepts for many upper schools. The local authority encourages families to use its directory tools to confirm catchment, and to cross check against published criteria rather than relying on assumptions.

Pastoral support is visible in several practical systems. The student handbook describes a structured approach to routines, rewards, and conduct, and it also sets out everyday safeguarding adjacent expectations such as phone handling and being supervised appropriately when unwell. The phone system is a good example of how pastoral intent becomes operational: phones are secured in pouches during the day and unlocked at the end, which aims to reduce distraction and online conflict during school hours.

External review highlights several wellbeing indicators that parents care about. Pupils describe the school as a community where individuals are treated as individuals, and staff are said to look after pupils’ wellbeing and safety. There is also specific reference to student ambassador roles supporting peer mental health, and to sixth form students mentoring younger pupils. These structures tend to work best when they are paired with trusted adults and clear reporting routes, and the evidence suggests that those foundations are in place.

The report confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

A final point is attendance. Leaders are described as having improved attendance rates, but persistent absence remains an area needing continued work, including in the sixth form. For families, that implies a school that notices patterns and intervenes, but also one where peers’ attendance may be more variable than in the most high performing settings.

Extracurricular participation is organised and tracked through a dedicated platform, designed so parents can see what activities are available and what their child attends. The useful implication is that clubs are treated as part of the personal development model, not an unstructured add on.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a defined pathway, with the school outlining volunteering, physical, skills, and expedition expectations, and indicating routes through Bronze, Silver and Gold. This is a strong fit for students who enjoy structured challenge and want something tangible for CV or UCAS, especially when paired with the school’s wider culture of leadership and responsibility.

Sixth form enrichment is unusually specific for a state school website. Interact is one example, a Rotary linked service club typically centred in Years 12 and 13, with students encouraged to run the club themselves. The published description includes local volunteering and fundraising activity, plus occasional skills and team building experiences. For students aiming for personal statements with evidence of impact, this is valuable because it creates a clear mechanism to build a track record over two years.

Sport appears to be a steady strand with formal fixtures and a separate sports information site listing upcoming and recent matches across activities. The school also links sport into post 16 curriculum, offering BTEC pathways in Sport and additional coaching certification opportunities such as FA Playmaker for sixth form students.

The published school day runs from 08:45 registration to a 15:15 finish, structured across five periods with a break and lunch. The school also publishes that total weekly time on site is 32.5 hours.

Food is organised through The Hub, described as the central dining area with rotating menus and a cashless system designed to keep queues moving and allow parents to monitor purchases.

Transport planning is treated as a shared responsibility with families. The school signposts eligibility checks for council travel assistance, and for those not eligible it points families towards public transport options, commercial school buses, and the Spare Seat Scheme where routes have available capacity.

• Academic outcomes sit below England average overall. The FindMySchool rankings place both GCSE and A-level outcomes in the lower performance band for England, so families seeking very high headline results should compare carefully with alternatives and ask about subject level strengths.

• EBacc pathway is a known weakness. External review highlights low uptake of the full English Baccalaureate suite, and the current performance data shows low achievement at grade 5 or above across EBacc subjects. This can matter for families who want a strongly academic GCSE package including a language and humanities.

• Attendance remains a live improvement area. The school has improved attendance, but persistent absence is still too high for some pupils. Families may want to understand what support and escalation looks like if attendance becomes a challenge.

• Entry is catchment and distance sensitive. The admissions policy uses catchment priority with distance as the tie break, and can move to a lottery at equal distance. Families outside catchment should treat admission as uncertain and plan accordingly.

This is a large, all ability secondary with a clear routine and a strong emphasis on behaviour, belonging, and student responsibility. It will suit families who value structure, a visible house system, and a sixth form that supports multiple routes including university, apprenticeships and employment. The main trade off is academic performance, which sits below England average overall, so the best fit is often students who do well with consistent expectations and who will make full use of the support and enrichment available.