Hertfordshire
Dame Alice Owen's School
GCSE results 2026: every Hertfordshire school ranked · how England did
Dependable results for a comprehensive intake; the journey is the main thing to weigh.
What the data says
Published data, read plainly. It tells you what to check next; it does not guarantee a place or replace your local authority’s admissions guidance.
Attainment 8 of 73.6 is well above the national average of around 46. This reflects strong GCSE outcomes across the standard subject basket.
- 73.6
- Attainment 8
- 91%
- 5+ Eng & Maths
- 2025/2026
- Academic year
Pupils made above-average progress compared with similar pupils nationally. The confidence interval is entirely above zero, which is strong evidence of added value.
- +0.92
- Progress 8
- [0.72, 1.13]
- Confidence interval
Admissions realism depends on your home postcode and the school's published allocation data. Enter your postcode on this page to get a more specific assessment, and always verify the latest policy on the school's official admissions page.
What to do next
- Verify the school's official admissions policy
- Book an open day or school visit
- Add this school to your shortlist and compare with backup options
Starting school in September 2027
- Secondary (Year 7): apply by 31 October 2026; offers on 1 March 2027.
National dates for England. You apply through the council where you live, even for a school in another council.
Admissions and catchment
In-year places (September 2026 to July 2027): Year 7: no places · Year 8: no places · Year 9: no places · Year 10: no places · Year 11: no places. As listed by the council on 27 September 2026 (source). Lists change daily; confirm with the council’s in-year admissions team.
Pupils on roll
School census count against building capacity
104% full. Source: Get Information about Schools, 26 September 2026. A full school can still have places in the entry year.
Applications and offers
National offer day figures that councils report to the Department for Education. These are counts only: they do not show how far away the last child offered a place lived.
Year 7 entry
| Year of entry | Places offered | Put it first | First choices offered | Applications (any preference) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 186 | 331 | 173 (52%) | 751 |
| September 2025 | 191 | 316 | 176 (56%) | 707 |
| September 2024 | 191 | 315 | 178 (57%) | 742 |
| September 2023 | 189 | 301 | 176 (58%) | 713 |
| September 2022 | 195 | 333 | 186 (56%) | 734 |
Source: Department for Education: Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, school-level data, published 18 June 2026. “–” means the figure was not published. The council’s own allocation figures are the official record: check Hertfordshire’s admissions page for cut-off distances, the admission rules and this year’s dates.
Performance over time
Attainment 8 over time
Progress 8 over time(not available 2024/25 or 2025/26)
University destinations
Share of this school's sixth-form leavers who went on to Oxford or Cambridge, a Russell Group university, or a university in the top third by entry grades. Department for Education data for state-funded schools and colleges.
| Left sixth form | Students | Oxford or Cambridge | Russell Group | Top-third universities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 2024-2025 tables | 212 | Not published | Not published | 76% England 19% |
| 2020/21 2023-2024 tables | 208 | Not published | Not published | 76% England 24% |
| 2019/20 2022-2023 tables | 204 | 13% England 1% | 68% England 18% | 71% England 20% |
| 2018/19 2021-2022 tables | 210 | 13% England 1% | 68% England 15% | 74% England 17% |
| 2017/18 2020-2021 tables | 206 | 11% England 1% | 68% England 16% | 72% England 18% |
| 2015/16 2018-2019 tables | 209 | 7% England 1% | 60% England 14% | 75% England 19% |
- The DfE stopped publishing Oxbridge and Russell Group shares for individual schools after the 2022-23 performance tables (students who left in 2019/20). Top-third figures continue.
- Figures are percentages of all students who finished 16 to 18 study at the school, counting those who sustained a university place in the two years after leaving.
- Rankings use the average across years weighted by the number of students; a school needs at least 2 years and 50 students to be ranked. The top-third ranking uses the latest 3 years. Ranks are among state-funded schools and colleges.
- '<0.5%' means above zero but under half a percent. 'Suppressed' means 5 or fewer students.
- Source: Department for Education, 16 to 18 progression to higher education or training (Compare school and college performance, Explore education statistics).
Entry, tests and fees
Admissions
Local Priority Areas
Source · checked 27 October 2026
Admissions pageAdmission policySixth form
Copied from the school's and test organisers' own pages; check them before registering or applying.
Questions parents ask about Dame Alice Owen's School
- How good are Dame Alice Owen's School's GCSE results?
- In 2025/26 (provisional) pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 73.6, against 47.6 across England, ranking #81 in England. 67.5% got grade 7 or above in both English and maths.
- How good are Dame Alice Owen's School's A-level results?
- In 2024/25 students averaged 48.1 points per A-level entry (an average grade of A-), ranking #75 in England. An A* is worth 60 points and an A 50.
- How hard is it to get into Dame Alice Owen's School?
- For September 2026, 331 families put it first for 186 Year 7 places: 1.8 first choices per place, the 20th highest around London. Some of its places go by an ability or aptitude test; its admission policy says how many.
- How many Dame Alice Owen's School students go to Oxford or Cambridge?
- 11.0% of its sixth-form leavers went to Oxford or Cambridge, and 66.0% to Russell Group universities (2015/16–2019/20), from Department for Education destination data.
Historical results
| Year | Pupils | Att8 | P8 | 5+ E&M | 7+ E&M | EBacc % | EBacc APS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/2026 (provisional) | 197 | 73.6 | — | 91.4% | 67.5% | — | — |
| 2024/2025 | 200 | 72.9 | — | 87.5% | — | 73.5% | 7.0 |
| 2023/2024 | 210 | 73.5 | +0.92 | 88.1% | — | 77.1% | 7.0 |
| 2022/2023 | 195 | 71.4 | +0.64 | 89.7% | — | 82.1% | 6.8 |
| 2021/2022 | 202 | 75.8 | +0.74 | — | — | 83.0% | 7.3 |
EBacc figures stop at 2024/2025: the DfE no longer publishes them from 2025/2026.
Nearby and similar schools
Other secondary schools in Hertfordshire for local comparison.
School information
| URN | 136554 |
| Local authority | Hertfordshire |
| Region | East of England |
| Phase | Secondary |
| Type | Academy converter |
| Gender of entry | Mixed |
| Age range | 11-18 |
| Headteacher | Head Hannah Nemko |
| Trust | DAME ALICE OWEN'S SCHOOL |
| Admissions | Non-selective |
| Religious character | None |
| Postcode | EN6 2DU |
| Pupils | 1,468 |
| FSM eligible | 3.7% |
Contact and identifiers
Dugdale Hill Lane, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, EN6 2DU
http://www.damealiceowens.herts.sch.uk1707643441| DfE number | 5407 |
| UKPRN | 10033278 |
| Opened | 1 Apr 2011 |
| GIAS updated | 7 Feb 2026 |
Data sources and freshness
| Official record updated | 7 Feb 2026 |
| Latest KS4 year | 2025/2026 |
| Latest KS2 year | — |
| Ofsted published | 29 Jan 2024 |
Latest Ofsted inspection
| Quality of education | Outstanding |
| Behaviour and attitudes | Outstanding |
| Personal development | Outstanding |
| Leadership and management | Outstanding |
| Safeguarding | Effective |
| Inspection type | S5 Inspection |
| Category of concern | — |
| Inspection date | 5 Dec 2023 |
| Publication date | 29 Jan 2024 |