The Nobel School Review 2026: Solid All-Round Performance With Strong Local Impact

The school was founded in 1961 as a Technical Grammar School and has evolved significantly over six decades. Today, it occupies a purpose-built campus that opened in 2013 following a £38 million rebuild. The school serves 1,463 students across Year 7 to Year 13 and operates with the values of Ready, Respectful, and Safe. With over 75 clubs meeting weekly and strong community links, the Nobel School serves the diverse families of Stevenage and the surrounding priority areas effectively, combining academic ambition with genuine breadth.

The school takes its name from the Nobel Institute and carries the spirit of inquiry that name implies. Students describe themselves with pride as Nobelians, a term that encapsulates belonging and shared values. The recent rebuild created a genuinely functional modern facility designed for secondary education, with contemporary teaching spaces alongside dedicated performance and sports areas.

Headteacher Martyn Henson leads the school with an emphasis on high expectations combined with personalised support. The school operates as a busy, purposeful environment where staff and students alike pursue what the school calls a collective pursuit of excellence. Teaching is well-structured, with clear learning objectives and consistent expectations, creating an ordered environment where learning can happen. Staff engage actively with families, with over 650 parents responding to annual surveys, consistently rating the school positively across safeguarding, teaching quality, and pastoral support.

The school earned a Good rating from Ofsted following inspection in June 2023, with particular recognition for behaviour and attitudes, the quality of support for disadvantaged pupils, and the strength of sixth form provision. The inspection noted a clear culture of hard work and kindness throughout the community.

GCSE Performance

At GCSE, the school's performance reflects solid outcomes across the ability range. The Attainment 8 score of 51.2 sits above both the Hertfordshire local authority average (50.2) and the England average (45.9), positioning the school above the typical tier nationally (FindMySchool ranking). The school ranks 1,943rd in England out of approximately 4,593 secondary schools assessed, placing it in the middle band of schools nationally (42nd percentile).

Locally, the school ranks 3rd among Stevenage secondaries, a meaningful position that reflects its appeal to families across the town. This represents solid, consistent performance rather than exceptional outliers. Progress 8 scores of +0.38 indicate that students make progress above what would be expected given their starting points, suggesting teaching has a tangible impact.

A-level performance shows strength, with 45% of entries achieving A*-B grades, slightly below the England average. However, the school's composite GCSE and A-level ranking (1,300th in England) reflects the particular strength of the sixth form in the wider picture.

Where Students Go Next

University progression is a clear strength. In 2024, 66% of leavers progressed to university, reflecting strong sixth form teaching and university application support. The school's Oxbridge record shows 4 acceptances from 12 applications (2023-24), with particular success at Cambridge where 4 students were accepted from 9 applications. The Cambridge connection is meaningful given the school's location and the support structures in place.

Beyond Oxbridge, the quality of progression matters. The school emphasises university preparation seriously, with dedicated sixth form support for applications and considerable enrichment activity for students with strong academic profiles. The Scholars' Club provides extension activity for those targeting competitive universities.

Teaching is described as well-structured and clear. Lessons follow familiar patterns where objectives are explicit and learning is tracked. This consistency creates safety for pupils whilst subject specialists ensure curriculum integrity. The school operates with specialist teaching across all subjects and has particular investments in science and performing arts, reflecting its designated specialist status.

The curriculum is balanced and deliberately broad. Students study a comprehensive range of subjects at Key Stage 3, with structured pathways into GCSE choices that preserve options without narrowing prematurely. Modern language learning begins in Year 7 and feeds into the languages available at GCSE. The sciences are taught separately from Key Stage 4, allowing greater depth. Mathematics teaching includes structured sets from Year 4, allowing targeted pace.

Beyond core curriculum time, the school runs significant enrichment programmes. The Most Able programme includes university lectures on physics, Cambridge undergraduate speakers, CERN trips to Switzerland, Go4Set engineering projects, MBDA competition work, and Nuffield Research Summer Placements. These are not tokenistic; the school clearly invests substantially in creating pathways for the most able towards competitive university courses.

The breadth of extra-curricular provision is one of the school's defining characteristics, with over 75 clubs meeting across the week. Named activities include the Debating Society, Mock Trials competition, World Challenge expeditions, Chance to Shine cricket programmes, and Duke of Edinburgh Award schemes running to Gold level.

Performance and the Arts

Performance opportunities are central. Previous major productions have included Oliver, Our House, Grease, and The Wiz, involving cast and crew across multiple year groups. Drama spaces are available for independent rehearsal at lunchtimes and evenings, supporting students with exam project work. The school maintains a superb auditorium for performances and a large hall with extended seating, hosting community events and recitals.

Music offerings include orchestras, choirs, and smaller ensembles, with emphasis on live performance. The school works closely with the Stevenage Music School, which shares facilities on campus.

Sports and Physical Development

Sports provision is comprehensive, both as curriculum and as extra-curricular pathway. The school offers hockey, football, futsal, handball, basketball, cricket, netball, badminton, athletics, tennis, fencing, gymnastics, table tennis, karate, dance, and fitness classes. The facilities include an astroturf pitch and courts suitable for competitive fixtures.

The school runs annual ski trips alternating with overseas sports tours, allowing students to develop skills in new environments and experience international competition. These trips work with international teams in tournament scenarios and are carefully designed to balance challenge with enjoyment.

Sport England has recognised the school's inclusive approach through a regional award for satellite clubs programmes, indicating work with local disability and inclusive provision. The school is also a Chance to Shine beacon school and a Lady Taverners school, embedding structured cricket and women's sport opportunities.

STEM and Academic Extension

STEM enrichment includes a history and science dome (360 degree presentation on World War One trenches and black holes), Go4Set engineering projects, university physics lectures, MBDA engineering competitions with on-site project work, chemistry workplace experience, and Citi Savvy trips to investment banking environments in London.

The Debating Society meets regularly to discuss current affairs, while World Challenge expeditions to countries including Morocco, Ghana, Costa Rica, and Nepal involve students in planning logistics, accommodation, and work with local communities, building leadership and teamwork skills.

Global and Community Learning

Sixth form enrichment includes three-day fundraising challenges. Past efforts saw teams climb the Three Peaks (Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, and Snowdon in 24 hours) for Cancer Research UK and the Make-a-Wish Foundation. The 2015 challenge involved an eight-hour cycle around Grafham Water for hospice charities. Sixth form students also complete First Line Management qualifications accredited by the Chartered Management Institute, bridging GCSE to A-level study and adding professional credentials.

Year group transitions are supported through specific summer schools. Year 6 to Year 7 summer school includes crafts, sports, adventure, and literacy/numeracy activities, helping new pupils feel confident navigating the building and forming early friendships. Year 7 to 8 summer school combines drama and ICT work creating mobile apps to guide new pupils around school, exploring education pathways, and career exploration.

The school library serves as a resource hub, and reading is actively promoted. The school runs multiple book clubs and encourages independent reading as part of the wider learning culture.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. Admissions at Year 7 proceed through the standard local authority coordinated scheme. In 2024, the school received 708 applications for 233 places (Year 7 entry from Year 6), an oversubscription ratio of 3.04:1, making entry competitive. The proportion of first preference applicants (1.41:1) suggests the school is well-regarded within its priority catchment.

The school has designated priority areas: Aston, Benington, Datchworth, Graveley, Great Ashby, Knebworth, Stevenage, and Walkern. Within these areas, children are admitted by distance. After looked-after children and those with Educational Health and Care Plans naming the school, places are allocated to those living nearest.

Sixth form entry requires a minimum threshold performance at GCSE but does not require maintaining grades from throughout secondary school. Students from the main school typically continue into Year 12 if they meet GCSE requirements, though external students can apply. The application opens in autumn, with entry requirements published on the school website.

Open evenings occur typically in September, with tours available during the day. The school hosts specific transition events for primary students and their families, including Year 6 to 7 summer school in July.

Form tutors are central to pastoral life, with families assigned to tutors who follow cohorts and maintain consistent relationships. Heads of Year oversee year group wellbeing and coordinate support. The school values student voice and reward recognition, with Nobelian-specific award schemes celebrating academic, cultural, and social contributions.

A trained counsellor is available on site for students requiring additional emotional support, and the school takes seriously its responsibility for safeguarding, with staff trained to recognise concerns. The school holds the Leading Parent Partnership Award, indicating effective home-school communication.

The Mental Health Hub provides online resources and support information for students and families. The school surveys parents routinely, receiving over 650 responses annually, with engagement consistently high (responses in the 90% bracket for agree/strongly agree).

The school operates on a structured day beginning at 8:50am and concluding at 3:20pm across Monday to Friday. The building is modern with good accessibility and parking available on site. Transport links are strong: Stevenage railway station is within reach for families travelling from further afield, and the town's bus network serves the school well.

Students are required to wear uniform (details on the school website). Catering is available daily, with menus published to allow informed choice. The school is investigating in-house catering provision to increase control over menu quality and range.

All activities can be checked using the school's learning platform and parental apps, allowing families to monitor engagement and homework.

Oversubscribed entry: With a 3:1 applications-to-places ratio, securing entry is genuinely competitive. Families should verify catchment status and consider whether living within the priority area is achievable. Distance from the school gate determines final allocation after looked-after children and siblings.

Building and location: The modern campus is functional and well-resourced but is situated in central Stevenage. Families considering the school should verify transport accessibility and ensure the location works for their family's routine.

Mixed-ability intake: The school serves a broad spectrum of ability, from those with complex needs supported through mainstream teaching to high-ability students pursuing Russell Group university pathways. For some families seeking homogeneity of peer group, this diversity may be less appealing, though others value the inclusive culture this creates.

Sixth form progression: While most students from the main school continue to sixth form if they meet requirements, external entry is possible. The sixth form is popular locally, and spaces are limited for external applicants.

The Nobel School combines solid academic outcomes with genuine breadth of opportunity. Results place it above typical, suggesting effective teaching and support. The investment in enrichment, performance, sport, and global learning is tangible rather than tokenistic. For families within the priority catchment seeking a mixed, purposeful secondary experience without narrow specialisation, the school delivers well. The oversubscription reflects parental confidence in what the school offers. Best suited to families who value breadth alongside rigour and who want their child in a school where academic ambition sits alongside music, sport, debate, and community service. The challenge is securing a place rather than what happens once there.