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Monk’s Walk School

Comprehensive

National rank

314

272

Rank last year

58.2^%

A-level

29.9^%

GCSE

Need to know

Head teacher Matt Grinyer

Attendance 92.8%

Gender of entry Mixed

Send pupils* 16.3% *Special educational needs and disabilities

Total pupils 1,430

Pupils on free school meals 20.3%

Progress 8

Progress 8 is a measure of the development a school cohort/pupils makes from year 6 to year 11. The data used is from 2024. There will be no KS2 updates for 2025 or 2026 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The government is consulting on an improved version of Progress 8 and Attainment 8

ABOVE AVERAGE

Our methodology

Results

Grade

8.4

25.4

24.4

A*/A

33.8

A*-B

58.2

Grade

9/8

17.8

12.1

9/8/7

29.9

What the school inspection says

“Pupils enjoy attending school. They learn in an environment where positive relationships help everyone flourish. Pupils work hard to achieve the high expectations their teachers have for them. [They] appreciate that they are supported to do their best and their successes are celebrated ... There is a wide range of opportunities to develop interests and talents … Pupils are well behaved, polite and respectful ... They know that difference is never a reason to be unkind, which means this kind of behaviour is rarely seen. [Sixth-form students] feel privileged to take on the role of positive role models for other pupils ... The school has designed an aspirational curriculum that identifies what pupils should know and be able to do at defined moments in time ... However, expectations on occasion are less consistent for written work.”

Inspection

2023

In detail *

Read the full report

*Ofsted no longer makes an overall effectiveness judgment in inspections of state-funded schools. A five-point grading scale, including a new “exceptional” grade was introduced in November 2025.

About the school

Monk’s Walk is a popular and oversubscribed secondary school on the edge of Welwyn Garden City. Its motto is “Excellence for all”.
A set number of places are reserved for pupils who display musical aptitude and who pass two assessments in year 5.
Academic high achievers benefit from the school’s “most able” programme, which includes extracurricular activities. There is additional support for sixth-formers too, such as mock interviews and advice for applying to Russell Group and Oxbridge universities.
Pupils are organised into four houses and annual events and competitions include a Santa dash, a bake-off and University Challenge.
Book groups, a chess club, robotics, a film club, basketball and trampolining are among various extracurricular offerings, as well as plenty of homework and subject support groups.
Alongside GCSE options such as music, product design, Spanish and sociology are CNC courses in creative iMedia and BTecs in music practice, health and social care, and travel and tourism.

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admin@monkswalk.herts.sch.uk

Telephone

01707 322 846

Website

monkswalk.herts.sch.uk

Address

Knightsfield, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 7NL

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