Slough and Eton Church of England Business and Enterprise College Review 2026: A faith-led secondary with a structured culture and a large, growing sixth form

“Work Hard, Be Nice, No Excuses” is more than a strapline here, it is the organising principle behind expectations, routines, and the way students talk about progress. The school sits in Chalvey, serving a mixed intake from Slough and beyond, and it combines mainstream secondary education with a sixth form and a specially resourced unit for students with additional needs. A long period of historical inspection strength has been followed by a newer, more granular set of judgements, which is useful context for parents weighing trajectory as well as headline outcomes.

The school’s identity is explicitly Church of England, but it positions itself as welcoming to families of all faiths and none, with collective worship and religious education playing a visible role in school life. The sixth form is sizeable, with defined entry routes and a published application timeline for September 2026 entry.

This is a school that has had to rebuild itself, literally and culturally. It first opened in October 1940, originally in wartime wooden buildings, with records noting air-raid shelters on site and even a bomb falling on part of the grounds during the early war years. A major fire on 19 February 1973 destroyed most of the building stock, with gradual rebuilding from 1976 onwards, shaped by what budgets allowed year by year rather than a single clean redevelopment.

That history still shows up in the practical feel of the site. One detail that often sticks with families is the repurposing story: the gymnasium that survived the 1973 fire later became the library. On the sports side, the school entered a land-lease agreement in 1999 that led to a new sports hall and the commissioning of 10 five-a-side pitches under a facilities-sharing arrangement; it is an example of the school using partnerships to widen what is available to students without making it feel like an add-on.

Leadership is stable. The headteacher is Mr Peter Collins, and he has been in post since 2017. A consistent message runs through senior communications: high expectations for conduct and work, paired with a clear insistence on kindness and accountability. In a school with a wide range of starting points, that sort of clarity matters; it can make routines predictable for students who need structure, and it can help parents understand what standards look like day-to-day.

Faith is not an optional extra. The school’s Church of England character is visible in collective worship, in the prominence of religious education, and in the way pastoral language is framed around service and community responsibility. At the same time, the school’s context is openly acknowledged in formal reporting, including the breadth of faith backgrounds represented.

Outcomes here present a mixed picture, depending on the key stage. At GCSE level, the available attainment indicators suggest performance that is below many schools nationally, even while school leaders emphasise improvements in current classroom work. For parents, the practical implication is that this is not a “results-only” story; the more relevant question is whether the teaching and support structures match your child’s needs and starting point, and whether improvement work is translating into stronger public outcomes over time.

GCSE performance indicators (most recent dataset values available)

• Attainment 8 score: 42.1

• EBacc average point score: 3.57

• Progress 8 score: -0.17

• Percentage achieving grades 5+ in EBacc: 8.6%

On the FindMySchool ranking (based on official data), the school is ranked 2,765th in England and 18th in Slough for GCSE outcomes, placing it below England average overall.

In sixth form, the results profile is also challenging when compared with typical national distributions. A relatively small share of grades sit at the very top end, and the A to B band is notably lower than the England average. This does not mean students cannot do well, it means choice of subjects, entry route, and the fit between student readiness and programme demands become especially important.

A-level performance indicators (most recent dataset values available)

• A*: 0.36%

• A: 5.8%

• B: 13.41%

• A* to B combined: 19.57%, versus an England average of 47.2%.

On the FindMySchool ranking (based on official data), the school is ranked 2,430th in England and 13th in Slough for A-level outcomes, which sits well below England average overall.

One important nuance for families reading headline data is that the school’s public outcomes may lag behind what is happening in lessons. The March 2025 Ofsted inspection graded the school Good across quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth form provision, and stated that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Teaching is built around a broad curriculum with both academic and vocational routes, with pathways widening at Key Stage 4 and remaining varied into sixth form. Formal evaluation highlights that subject knowledge is generally strong and explanations are clear, while also noting that classroom practice is not yet consistently sharp in checking what students remember and using that to shape next steps. The implication is straightforward: many students will experience well-structured teaching, but the experience can vary by subject and by teacher, so families should use open events, conversations, and subject choices carefully.

Reading is treated as a priority rather than a bolt-on. Support is targeted at students who risk falling behind, including a large cohort of students who speak English as an additional language, with regular reading activity built into the week. For parents, this is often one of the most reassuring signals in a school serving a wide community: it suggests that literacy gaps are addressed early rather than left to widen across Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4.

For sixth form applicants, entry is explicitly structured around two Level 3 routes. One pathway is A-level only, requiring five standard passes at grades 9 to 5 including grade 5 in English and mathematics; the other is an A-level and vocational mix, requiring five standard passes at grades 9 to 4 including grade 4 in English and mathematics. Subject-level requirements are published alongside these routes, including higher thresholds for further mathematics and the sciences.

The school publishes a destinations map for September 2023, but it does not provide a full numerical breakdown by university type, so the clearest indicators come from broader destinations measures.

For the 2023/24 leavers cohort (121 students), 56% progressed to university, 22% moved into employment, and 4% started apprenticeships.

Oxbridge remains an aspiration pathway for a small number of students. In the measured period captured by the dataset, two students applied to Oxford or Cambridge, and one secured a place at Cambridge. The realistic takeaway is that elite outcomes are possible for individual students, but they are not a defining feature of the cohort profile; support for a wide set of progression routes is likely to matter more to most families.

Year 7 entry is coordinated by Slough Borough Council, with the school publishing a Year 7 intake of 180 places.

For September 2026 entry, Slough’s coordinated timeline is clear: applications open 1 September 2025, the on-time deadline is 31 October 2025, and offers are released on 2 March 2026. Families then have a defined window to accept the offered place, with the council booklet setting out a response deadline of 15 March 2026.

The school also publishes its own open events for the same admissions cycle. For Year 6 families considering Year 7 entry, it lists an Open Evening on 15 September 2025 and Open Mornings on 25 September, 2 October, and 9 October 2025. For sixth form, it lists an Open Evening on 16 October 2025. These dates are useful because they sit early enough in the cycle for families to visit before preference forms close.

Demand data indicates oversubscription, at roughly three applications per place in the most recent cycle recorded. Because the dataset’s entry-route labelling is inconsistent for this school, treat this as an overall demand signal rather than a precise statement about a specific year group, and rely on the council booklet and the school’s admissions criteria to understand how places are allocated.

Sixth form (Year 12) admissions are separate and published directly by the school

For September 2026 entry, applications are stated to open in mid-October 2025 and run until mid-February 2026, with group interviews in March 2026, offers by early April, and a formal acceptance deadline of 17 April 2026.

Parents comparing options should consider using FindMySchool’s Map Search and Comparison Tool to weigh travel time, admissions competitiveness, and results side-by-side across local alternatives, especially because Slough’s secondary market contains a mixture of comprehensive, faith, and selective routes.

Pastoral support is framed around both conduct and care. Formal reporting describes students as able to seek out adults when they have worries, with bullying concerns taken seriously and acted on promptly. For parents, that matters because it points to the school’s operational grip: safeguarding and behaviour routines work best where students trust reporting routes and staff follow through.

Support for students with additional needs is a defined element of the school’s offer. The school states it has a resource base for students with Education, Health and Care Plans, including speech, language and communication needs and moderate learning difficulties. External evaluation also notes a specially resourced unit and describes strong identification and adaptation processes, with specialist support available through the learning support team and a “hub” model.

Faith and wellbeing connect in a practical way. The November 2023 SIAMS inspection highlighted a clear Christian vision, strong pastoral and mental health support, and a religious education curriculum that students value. In concrete terms, the SIAMS report names targeted spaces and interventions such as the Shepherd Centre, the Grace Centre, and the Personalised Learning Room, designed to keep students engaged and supported during difficult periods.

Extracurricular life is organised in a way that makes participation straightforward. Clubs are typically scheduled 15:00 to 16:00, and the school refreshes its club list termly. For students who benefit from structure, that predictable rhythm can be an advantage.

The best signals of culture are often found in the specifics. Current published examples include Lego Club, Cooking Club, and EAL Club, alongside a social Common Room offer and access to a fitness suite. It is a combination that suits a wide range of students, including those who may not want sport to be their primary after-school identity but still want a place to belong.

Sixth form enrichment is unusually explicit, which helps parents understand how leadership and breadth are delivered. The published list of student-led societies includes an Interfaith Society, Young Interpreters, and subject-facing groups such as Medical, Law, Politics, Computer Science, and Maths, with named student presidents. This matters because it creates low-friction ways for sixth formers to build evidence for applications, practise public speaking, and test genuine interest in subject areas that can be difficult to experience at GCSE alone.

Faith-linked development opportunities also appear in the wider programme. The SIAMS report notes the Archbishops’ Young Leaders Award in Year 9, and it confirms that students can access the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at Key Stages 4 and 5.

The school day starts at 08:30 and the formal day ends at 15:00, with six teaching periods and after-school clubs continuing beyond that finish time.

For travel by car, the school publishes clear driving directions and positions itself as accessible from M4 Junction 6 via the A355 and local Chalvey routes. For rail travel, Slough rail station is a major local hub on the Elizabeth line, which can be relevant for sixth formers commuting from a wider area.

As with most secondary schools, families should plan for additional costs such as uniform, trips, and optional activities. Where cost is a concern, it is worth asking directly about what is subsidised for disadvantaged students, as formal evaluation describes deliberate work to keep opportunities accessible.

• Public outcomes vs. classroom trajectory: Published GCSE and A-level indicators are below many schools in England, even while formal evaluation describes stronger work seen in lessons than older published outcomes suggest. Families should probe subject-specific teaching, intervention, and expected progress during visits.

• Consistency of classroom checks: A stated improvement priority is ensuring teachers routinely check what pupils know and remember, and then use that to shape teaching. For some students, especially those who need tight scaffolding in Key Stage 3, that consistency can make a real difference.

• Competitive local admissions: Slough’s coordinated system has a clear deadline and a high-demand context. Even for non-selective routes, families should treat the process as competitive and use the council booklet to understand how oversubscription criteria play out in practice.

• Faith expectations are real: This is a Church of England school with collective worship and a strong religious education profile. Many families value this; others may prefer a more secular daily rhythm.

This is a structured, faith-led secondary with clear behavioural expectations, a substantial sixth form, and an explicit approach to inclusion through a resourced unit and targeted support spaces. The most persuasive evidence is in the school’s operational grip, its safeguarding position, and the breadth of enrichment routes, particularly in sixth form.

It best suits families who want strong routines, visible values, and a school that takes student support seriously, including for additional needs. The key decision point is whether the academic trajectory matches your child’s goals, and whether subject-by-subject teaching consistency is the right fit.