Croxley Danes School Review 2026: Oversubscribed all-ability academy with music aptitude places and a growing sixth form

Croxley Danes is a comparatively new secondary in Croxley Green, opened to pupils in September 2017 and moved to its current location in September 2020. It is part of Danes Educational Trust and has expanded quickly, with a capacity of 1,206 and around 1,082 pupils on roll in the most recent public figures.

Leadership has recently entered a new chapter. Mr Andy Harris took up the headteacher post from September 2024, following founding headteacher Stephen Thompson.

For families weighing the school on outcomes and experience, the headline is solid, mid-pack performance at GCSE, and a sixth form still establishing its profile. At GCSE, Croxley Danes is ranked 1,332nd in England and 5th in Rickmansworth for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data). Progress 8 sits slightly above average at 0.1, suggesting students make marginally stronger progress than peers with similar starting points. Sixth form results are more of a watch point, with an A-level rank of 1,862nd in England and 6th in Rickmansworth (FindMySchool ranking), and an A-star to B rate below the England average.

The school’s identity is closely tied to its “new school” story. Official inspection evidence describes a growing community where older pupils are proud of building traditions from the early cohorts onwards, and where behaviour is generally calm with clear expectations and consistent routines. That matters for parents deciding between established local secondaries and newer academies, as culture can be harder to judge than facilities.

Personal development is a visible strand in how the school positions itself day-to-day. The inspection record notes structured personal development lessons that cover respect and relationships, and an active student council which gives pupils meaningful responsibility and a route for voice and feedback. In practical terms, that often shows up in a school’s ability to handle the social side of adolescence without constantly escalating issues into sanctions.

The enrichment programme also shapes atmosphere. Trust communications highlight themed wellbeing activity weeks and school-wide events that sit alongside the academic timetable, including journalist club, gardening, origami, meditation, and wellbeing workshops. These are not headline-grabbing in the way competitive sport or elite music tours can be, but they often appeal to families who want a secondary that takes emotional literacy and routine participation seriously, rather than treating it as an optional add-on.

Croxley Danes is a state secondary with post-16 provision, so the most useful lens is GCSE outcomes first, then A-levels.

GCSE performance

Rankings place the school broadly in the middle of the England distribution. Ranked 1,332nd in England and 5th in Rickmansworth for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), performance reflects solid attainment rather than selective-intake levels. The England percentile equivalent (around the 29th percentile) aligns with being in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

The Attainment 8 score is 49.7. Progress 8 is 0.1, indicating slightly above-average progress from key stage 2 starting points. In the English Baccalaureate measures available here, the average EBacc APS score is 4.58, with 22.5% achieving grades 5 or above in EBacc subjects.

What this tends to mean for families is that the school looks like a strong “progress” option for children who benefit from clear routines and well-planned teaching, even if it is not operating at the very top of league-table outcomes.

A-level performance

The sixth form is a younger part of the school’s story. The A-level profile shows 4.33% of grades at A*, 10.24% at A, and 20.47% at B, with 35.04% at A* to B overall. Against the England averages provided the A* to B rate is below the England average (47.2%), and the combined A* and A rate (14.57%) is below the England average for A* and A (23.6%). Ranked 1,862nd in England and 6th in Rickmansworth for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), the sixth form is currently positioned in the lower-performing portion of schools in England.

For sixth form families, this does not automatically mean a weak experience, but it does mean you should ask sharper questions at open events about subject-level performance, teaching stability, and how academic support is structured for Year 12 and Year 13.

Parents comparing options can use the FindMySchool Local Hub comparison tools to view GCSE and A-level measures side-by-side with nearby alternatives, using consistent metrics rather than marketing claims.

Teaching and curriculum design are described in official evidence as structured and planned, with subject leaders setting out clear curriculum sequences so that knowledge builds logically across years. The inspection evidence gives a concrete illustration of this sequencing in English, where older pupils used their understanding of Frankenstein to discuss ideas about appearance and society, which points to a curriculum aiming for application and interpretation rather than surface recall alone.

Assessment is presented as routine and mapped into curriculum plans via planned “assessment points”, intended to identify what pupils know and where additional help is needed. For many families, this matters more than any single headline statistic. A school that checks understanding frequently and responds quickly can be the difference between a child drifting and a child catching up early.

Reading is another strand worth noting, particularly for Year 7 transition. External evidence highlights a developing reading culture with pupils accessing books through the library, and systems to identify weaker readers early in Year 7. The caveat is that support for the weakest readers was described as not yet fully established at the time of inspection. Families with a child who needs structured literacy support should ask what has changed since 2022, including the interventions used and how progress is tracked.

SEND practice is presented as mixed, and this is a useful example of how inspection findings can inform practical questions. The evidence indicates that needs are identified accurately, EHC plans provide clear guidance, and many teachers make appropriate adaptations. The improvement point is consistency for pupils with SEND who do not have an EHC plan, where some staff were not adapting well enough in the classroom. If your child sits in this group, it is reasonable to ask the SENCO how staff training and classroom practices have been tightened.

Published destination statistics are not available in the provided dataset for this school, and the school’s own site could not be used here due to access restrictions, so it is best to judge destinations through what can be verified: careers education, sixth form entry structure, and the opportunities students get to engage with employers and next-step planning.

Careers education is described in official evidence as well planned and supportive in helping pupils make considered choices about next steps. That is backed up by examples from school communications around structured careers experiences, including a Year 12 careers day programme featuring employer and higher education inputs such as Google, KPMG, Sky, UCL and others.

For post-16 progression within the school, published sixth form admissions arrangements give a clear picture of the academic threshold. For entry to the sixth form, students are required to achieve at least grade 5 in GCSE Mathematics, grade 5 or above in at least three other GCSE subjects, plus subject-specific requirements for chosen Level 3 courses. Internal Year 11 students who meet the criteria are entitled to a place in the sixth form, and the school sets a minimum external intake of 35, subject to teaching group viability.

The practical implication is that the sixth form is designed as a continuation route for a significant proportion of the cohort, but it is not an automatic progression for every student. Families should check how course choices align with a student’s strengths, and how the school supports students who are on the margin of entry requirements.

Croxley Danes is its own admitting authority and uses published admission arrangements for Year 7 entry. The Published Admission Number for Year 7 is 180. Demand is consistently high. Hertfordshire’s published allocation history shows 786 applications for 180 places for the 2025 intake, and 847 applications for 180 places for the 2024 intake. That is roughly 4.4 applications per place in 2025, which helps explain why families treat this as a competitive option rather than a “safe” comprehensive.

The admissions model is distinctive in one important way. Up to 10% of places are allocated to students demonstrating musical aptitude, with testing administered jointly with other local schools. For parents of musically committed children, this can be a meaningful route, but it also introduces a parallel admissions timeline and additional paperwork, including the school’s supplementary form requirements.

For the main round of secondary transfer for September 2026 entry, Hertfordshire’s coordinated admissions timetable sets the key dates. The online system opened on 1 September 2025, the deadline to apply was 31 October 2025, and national allocation day is 2 March 2026. If you are applying from outside Hertfordshire, you apply via your home local authority, but the timetable still matters because it governs the overall process and offer date.

Music aptitude testing runs on earlier timelines. The school’s published admissions arrangements indicate test registration windows that align with the South West Hertfordshire consortium approach, typically opening in early April and closing in early June for the relevant entry year. For families considering this route for future intakes, it is sensible to treat April and May as the critical months for registration and documentation, then verify exact dates each year.

For sixth form entry, the school’s published arrangements also include dates and process steps that families can plan around. The admissions policy indicates a sixth form application deadline of 13 February 2026 for the 2026 cycle, and notes an induction programme in July 2026.

Pastoral systems look stable and clearly structured in the official evidence. Bullying is described as not commonly experienced by pupils, and when issues occur, staff are expected to address them promptly and effectively. Behaviour standards are clear, with pupils valuing the rewards system and staff responding quickly to poor behaviour when it appears.

Safeguarding is described as effective, with staff training, clear reporting routes, detailed records, and close work with external agencies where needed, including in relation to harmful sexual behaviours. For parents, the most practical takeaway is that safeguarding processes were described as embedded rather than ad hoc, and that pupils know who to speak to if worried.

Wellbeing culture also shows up in the enrichment calendar. The school has participated in Hertfordshire-wide wellbeing initiatives and has used structured activities such as workshops, quiet clubs, and wellbeing-focused events to normalise mental health conversations. This will suit some students well, especially those who benefit from predictable routines and a school that talks about wellbeing explicitly. Others may engage more through sport, leadership, or music, and Croxley Danes appears to provide multiple routes into belonging.

The school’s enrichment offer is best understood as a combination of consistent clubs and whole-school event weeks.

A clear music route exists, and it is built into admissions as well as culture. The inspection record notes that clubs including the Crox band are well attended across year groups. For a student who wants a structured route into performance, a named group with regular participation tends to be more meaningful than a generic promise of “lots of music”.

Sport is highly visible, both in participation and in organised events. Trust communications reference inter-house competitions such as basketball, and competitive fixtures including district tournaments. The school has also communicated notable moments such as a U15 girls’ football national cup final appearance, which points to opportunities for students who want structured competition and a team identity.

Enrichment Week provides a different kind of breadth. Activities referenced in school communications include boxing, trampolining, rock climbing, archery tag and inflatable activity days, alongside guest speakers and trips. For many families, this is the kind of enrichment that keeps students engaged through the long middle stretch of secondary school, especially for those whose motivation improves with variety and practical experiences.

Academic and wider-world engagement appears as well. Trust communications describe participation in STEM challenge activity where Croxley Danes students scored highest overall, and reference wider competitions such as World Scholars Cup involvement. These details matter because they show the school is not solely relying on classroom delivery, it is also building out competitive and project-based experiences that can help students identify strengths early.

Publicly available timetable information indicates a five-lesson day structure, with lessons running from 8:50am through to 3:30pm, which is a useful planning anchor for travel and after-school commitments. Families should still confirm the latest timings for registration, breaks and after-school sessions directly, as school days can change over time.

Croxley Danes sits in Croxley Green and draws heavily from surrounding South West Hertfordshire neighbourhoods, so daily routines are shaped by school-run travel rather than boarding. Given the level of oversubscription, families often benefit from planning transport early and stress-testing commute time. If you are comparing multiple schools, it is sensible to map realistic door-to-door journeys at peak times.

Wraparound care is not typically a feature for secondary schools in the same way it is for primaries; where after-school study sessions or supervised enrichment exist, they tend to be framed as clubs, revision or pastoral provision rather than a childcare offer. If this is important for your family’s working patterns, ask specifically what supervision is available between the end of lessons and later pick-up times, and how often it runs across the week.

• Competition for places is high. Recent application volumes published by Hertfordshire indicate several hundred applications for 180 Year 7 places, so admission is a strategic exercise rather than an assumption.

• Music aptitude changes the admissions timetable. Up to 10% of places are linked to musical aptitude testing, which typically requires earlier registration and completion of the school’s supplementary documentation.

• Sixth form results are still an area to interrogate. The A-level profile is currently below the England average and the sixth form is relatively young. Families should ask subject-specific questions rather than relying on overall averages.

• Support consistency is worth probing for some students. Official evidence points to strong practice for pupils with EHC plans, but uneven classroom adaptation for some pupils with SEND without an EHC plan, plus reading support still bedding in at the time.

Croxley Danes is a high-demand, all-ability academy that has built a clear culture quickly, combining structured behaviour expectations with a purposeful approach to personal development, enrichment, and music. GCSE outcomes sit broadly in line with the England middle band, with slightly above-average progress, while the sixth form remains the part of the offer that parents should question most carefully on subject fit and support.

Best suited to families seeking a popular local comprehensive with a clear routine, a strong enrichment calendar, and a serious music pathway, and who are prepared to plan admissions well ahead of deadlines.