St Albans Girls' School A GSG School
- St Albans Girls' School
Sandridgebury Lane
St Albans
Hertfordshire
AL3 6DB - Head: Mrs M C Chapman
- T 01727 853134
- F 01727 831157
- E admin@stags.herts.sch.uk
- W www.stags.herts.sch.uk
- A state school for girls aged from 11 to 18.
- Read about the best schools in Hertfordshire
- Boarding: No
- Local authority: Hertfordshire
- Pupils: 1,400; sixth formers: 297 (20 boys)
- Religion: Non-denominational
- Open days: October
- Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
-
Ofsted:
- Latest Overall effectiveness Outstanding 1
- Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding 1
- 1 Full inspection 22nd January 2013
- Ofsted report: View the Ofsted report
What The Good Schools Guide says..
Located in the north of the city, it appears – from the front – to occupy a ubiquitous low level 1960s warren of buildings, but a multimillion pound project means that behind the uninspiring front there are now multiple building works going on. All is a buzzing hub of enthusiastic, independent learners turning out commendable results. There’s a mandate for success here, regardless of ability, with tailor made learning programmes for students rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. In practice, this means huge flexibility around GCSE options, along with seemingly ...
What the school says...
St Albans Girls School is a high achieving converter Academy specialising in educating girls. Our distinctive ethos and Enterprise focus, ensure that we are uniquely placed to provide an outstanding education for girls from the ages of 11 18, with boys welcomed into the Sixth Form. (NOR 1167. Post 16 = 252).
We are a caring, vibrant and dynamic community and proud of our very strong record in developing the best talents of all students in preparing for lifelong learning. Our students thrive on expert teaching, good quality facilities and a vast range of extra-curricular activities. Our academic results are impressive, we insist on high standards; we expect our students to work to the best of their ability, to behave in a way which shows courtesy to those around them and to wear their uniform smartly. We know that if we have high expectations of our students, there is no limit to what they can achieve, the skys the limit! ...Read more
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What The Good Schools Guide says
Executive headteacher
Since January 2025, Paul Kershaw.
Entrance
Parents move heaven and earth (not to mention house) to get into STAGS, with over 1,000 applications for 240 places. ‘We get a lot of upset parents calling in on 1 March,’ admits school. Majority enter at age 11, coming from around 60 feeder primary schools. It remains non-selective, with admissions still administered by the local authority despite academy status, and there are no plans to change this, although it is reviewed by the governors every year. Waiting lists in ever year group. Around 50 extra places available in year 12, with applicants required to achieve a minimum of five 4+s at GCSE and grade 6 or higher in their chosen A level subjects.
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Overall school performance (for comparison or review only)
Results by exam and subject
Subject results
Entry/Exit
Special Education Needs
Very few of our students achieve less than level 5 at KS2 before entry to the school. We have only 5 statemented pupils but we have over 70 on the SEN register. We do have students for whom we provide support during KS4 so that they can reduce the number of GCSEs and concentrate on their course work. This is perhaps 30 in total. Everything is relative and girls who are not in the top sets often think that they are not academically good although almost all of them are well above the national average. We work hard to build up their self esteem. We have 10% on the gifted and talented register and this covers all subject areas.
| Condition | Provision for in school |
|---|---|
| ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Might cover/be referred to as;
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Aspergers, Autism, High functioning autism, Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), PDA , Social skills, Sensory processing disorder |
Y |
| HI - Hearing Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Hearing Impairment, HI - Hearing Impairment |
|
| MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Learning needs, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty |
|
| MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment, Sensory processing |
|
| OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
Downs Syndrome, Epilepsy, Genetic , OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability, Tics, Tourettes |
|
| PD - Physical Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
PD - Physical Disability |
|
| PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, Global delay, Global developmental delay, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty |
|
| SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
Might cover/be referred to as;
Anxiety , Complex needs, Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), Mental Health, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health, Trauma |
|
| SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication
Might cover/be referred to as;
DLD - Developmental Language Disorder, Selective mutism, SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication |
|
| SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, Cerebral Palsy (CP) |
|
| SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Auditory Processing, DCD, Developmental Co-ordination Difficulties (DCD), Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Handwriting, Other specific learning difficulty, SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) |
Y |
| VI - Visual Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Special facilities for Visually Impaired, VI - Visual Impairment |
Interpreting catchment maps
The maps show in colour where the pupils at a school came from*. Red = most pupils to Blue = fewest.
Where the map is not coloured we have no record in the previous three years of any pupils being admitted from that location based on the options chosen.
For help and explanation of our catchment maps see: Catchment maps explained
Further reading
If there are more applicants to a school than it has places for, who gets in is determined by which applicants best fulfil the admissions criteria.
Admissions criteria are often complicated, and may change from year to year. The best source of information is usually the relevant local authority website, but once you have set your sights on a school it is a good idea to ask them how they see things panning out for the year that you are interested in.
Many schools admit children based on distance from the school or a fixed catchment area. For such schools, the cut-off distance will vary from year to year, especially if the school give priority to siblings, and the pattern will be of a central core with outliers (who will mostly be siblings). Schools that admit on the basis of academic or religious selection will have a much more scattered pattern.
*The coloured areas outlined in black are Census Output Areas. These are made up of a group of neighbouring postcodes, which accounts for their odd shapes. These provide an indication, but not a precise map, of the school’s catchment: always refer to local authority and school websites for precise information.
The 'hotter' the colour the more children have been admitted.
Children get into the school from here:
regularly
most years
quite often
infrequently
sometimes, but not in this year
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