England · Grammar school
Watford Grammar School for Boys
Watford · Boys only · ages 11 to 18
Official record: Get Information About Schools (URN 136276)
- The official register lists the admissions policy as non-selective; the original dataset recorded "Partially selective".
Overview
- Address
- Rickmansworth Road, Watford, Hertfordshire, WD18 7JF
- Status
- Open
- Admits
- Boys only
- From the school’s admissions policy
- Partially selective: 25% of Year 7 places go by academic test; most go by distance and other criteria.
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Number of pupils
- 1,590
- Capacity
- 1,496
- Eligible for free school meals
- 6.5%
- Sixth form
- Yes
- School type
- Academy converter
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- Not yet available
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
Source: Get Information About Schools, last checked 31 October 2026 · Source: Desk research (cited public sources) (get-information-schools.service.gov.uk), last checked 31 October 2026 · Source: Schools' own admission arrangements (watfordboys.org), last checked 2 November 2026
Admissions and the 11+
- Admissions policy
- Partially selective
- Selection in this area
- Not yet available
- Entrance test
- Not yet available
- Qualifying score
- Not yet available
- Catchment area
- For September 2026 entry, the admission area is a list of postcode sectors. The Watford area: WD17 1–4, WD18 0 and 6–9, WD19 4–7, WD23 1–7 and 9, WD24 4–7 and 9, WD25 0, 5 and 7–9, WD3 3. The rest of the admission area: WD3 1 and 4–9, WD4 8–9, WD5 0, WD6 3, WD7 7–8, HA3 6, HA5 1–5, HA6 1–3, HA7 3–4. 60% of the music and academic places go to the Watford area and 40% to the rest; 10% of all places go to the children living nearest the school.Postcode areas: WD17 1, WD17 2, WD17 3, WD17 4, WD18 0, WD18 6, WD18 7, WD18 8, WD18 9, WD19 4, WD19 5, WD19 6, WD19 7, WD23 1, WD23 2, WD23 3, WD23 4, WD23 5, WD23 6, WD23 7, WD23 9, WD24 4, WD24 5, WD24 6, WD24 7, WD24 9, WD25 0, WD25 5, WD25 7, WD25 8, WD25 9, WD3 3, WD3 1, WD3 4, WD3 5, WD3 6, WD3 7, WD3 8, WD3 9, WD4 8, WD4 9, WD5 0, WD6 3, WD7 7, WD7 8, HA3 6, HA5 1, HA5 2, HA5 3, HA5 4, HA5 5, HA6 1, HA6 2, HA6 3, HA7 3, HA7 4
- Children from outside the catchment
- Sometimes: For September 2026 entry, looked-after children, children of staff and brothers/sisters do not need to live in the admission area. Other boys from outside it are only considered if places are left after everyone inside it; the policy quotes the Schools Adjudicator that this is unlikely.
Applications and offers for Year 7
For September 2026 entry, 953 applicants named this school (396 as their first choice) for 211 places. 37 of 211 offers went to children living outside Hertfordshire.
| Intake | Places offered | Applicants | First choice | First choices per place | Offers to children outside Hertfordshire |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 | 211 | 953 | 396 | 1.9 | 37 |
| Sept 2025 | 215 | 929 | 387 | 1.8 | 43 |
| Sept 2024 | 214 | 935 | 363 | 1.7 | 41 |
| Sept 2023 | 221 | 867 | 355 | 1.6 | 38 |
| Sept 2022 | 208 | 910 | 361 | 1.7 | 44 |
Show all 13 years
| Intake | Places offered | Applicants | First choice | First choices per place | Offers to children outside Hertfordshire |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2021 | 213 | 975 | 379 | 1.8 | 47 |
| Sept 2020 | 215 | 821 | 368 | 1.7 | 40 |
| Sept 2019 | 213 | 929 | 396 | 1.9 | 31 |
| Sept 2018 | 214 | 874 | 375 | 1.8 | 32 |
| Sept 2017 | 190 | 811 | 331 | 1.7 | 30 |
| Sept 2016 | 185 | 834 | 350 | 1.9 | 39 |
| Sept 2015 | 178 | 883 | 369 | 2.1 | 31 |
| Sept 2014 | 184 | 954 | 438 | 2.4 | 23 |
"Applicants" counts every family that listed the school as any preference, so it is higher than the number competing for each place. "Outside Hertfordshire" means a home in another local authority; it is not the school's catchment area. For grammar schools, offers also depend on the entrance test result.
Source: Secondary and primary school applications and offers (Department for Education), last checked 31 October 2026
Source: Schools' own admission arrangements (watfordboys.org), last checked 2 November 2026 · Source: Original grammar school map dataset (watfordboys.org) (unverified), last checked 31 October 2026 · Source: Admissions research (cited public sources) (hertfordshire.gov.uk), last checked 1 November 2026
Key dates
- Test registration
- Not yet available
- Test date
- Not yet available
- Results sent to families
- Not yet available
- Apply to your council (September 2027 entry)
- By 31 October 2026This date has passed: late applications go to your council and are usually considered after on-time ones.
- National offer day
- 1 March 2027Offers are sent on 1 March, or the next working day.
- Open days
- Not yet available
- School opened (current registration)
- 1 September 2010
Statutory dates: School Admissions Code (Department for Education).
Source: Get Information About Schools, last checked 31 October 2026
Ofsted inspection
Inspected on 14 April 2026. Read the report ↗
- Achievement
- Exceptional
- Curriculum and teaching
- Exceptional
- Inclusion
- Exceptional
- Leadership and governance
- Exceptional
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Exceptional
- Post 16 provision
- Exceptional
- Attendance and behaviour
- Strong standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
From September 2024 Ofsted no longer gives an overall grade for state schools.
Inspection history (3)
Source: Ofsted inspection reports, last checked 31 October 2026
Exam results
GCSE results 2025/26 (provisional)
| Measure | This school | Selective schools in England | All state schools in England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8Average grade across 8 GCSE-level subjects, doubled for English and maths (maximum 90). | 66.3 | 72.1 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 84.4% | 93.7% | 46.3% |
| Grade 7 or above in English and maths | 52.2% | 57.7% | 14.2% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 91.1% | 98.3% | 64.8% |
| Progress 8Not published for most schools in recent years, because primary school tests were cancelled in 2020 and 2021. | – | – | – |
Attainment 8 over time: 66.5 (2023/24) → 68.9 (2024/25) → 66.3 (2025/26).
224 pupils took GCSEs. Results reflect a selective intake: compare grammar schools with each other rather than with all schools.
Source: Key stage 4 performance (GCSE results) (Department for Education), last checked 31 October 2026
How to get there
- Postcode
- WD18 7JF
- Map location
- 51.65502, -0.41432
- Open in OpenStreetMap
- Directions and surroundings ↗
- Telephone
- 01923208900
Source: Get Information About Schools, last checked 31 October 2026
Official links and documents
- School website
- www.watfordboys.org
- Official register record
- Get Information About Schools (URN 136276) ↗
- Admissions policy document
- Not yet available
Source: Get Information About Schools, last checked 31 October 2026