The Astley Cooper School

The Astley Cooper School is an 11-18, co-educational, secondary school on the outskirts of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.

For many years, Astley Cooper School was a smaller than average secondary school but its numbers are rising because of its considerably improved academic standards and good reputation.   The school is proud to be part of the Government’s Priority School Building Programme. This huge investment in our school has seen our cohort numbers increase as well our profile in the community. The school has state of the art facilities including a leisure centre, swimming pool and new science laboratory/classrooms benefiting staff, students and our wider community for many years to come.

Extra curricular activities on offer to all students at the school include sport, art, music, drama, dance, residential and cultural trips and visits.  In 2019 the school won the Inspiring Hertfordshire Award for Education in Employment.

Headteacher

Sam Orsborne, BA Hons; QTS; NPQH

Curriculum Aims

At Astley Cooper , we strive for the very best for all our students.  We are committed to ensuring that when students leave, they have become successful, well rounded and confident individuals prepared to succeed in the modern world. We encourage personal growth, academic excellence and character development.  We embrace diversity and support one another to create an inclusive environment that builds resilience and empowers every individual to reach their full potential to become responsible and respectful members of society. We achieve this by delivering the highest possible academic standards and offering students a wealth of opportunities within and beyond the national curriculum to develop their talents.

Our curriculum is created using our core values. We want to create:   

Respect, we value difference. Treating everyone within our school community and beyond with respect.  Being thoughtful and kind.  Caring for our school environment

Responsibility, we own our outcomes.  Doing our best.  Fulfilling our potential.  Positively impacting others

Resilience, we go again.  Keep going when things are difficult.  Learning from adversity.  Seeing opportunities when facing challenges

The progressive curriculum we deliver at Astley Cooper ensures students have the skills, concepts and knowledge to progress successfully through the Key Stages. The curriculum is built to ensure the knowledge and skills learned in Key Stage 2 continue to be developed further through Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5. Departments’ Schemes of Learning are carefully planned to ensure skills and techniques are developed each year and built on prior knowledge.

Astley Cooper describes itself as 'an ambitious school where students’ aspirations are rising.' It aims to create a calm, purposeful, friendly community where there is mutual respect between adults and students.

Ofsted

'Leaders have continued to raise aspirations for Astley Cooper pupils and for students in the sixth form' (Ofsted Good School, 2021)

View The Astley Cooper School’s latest Ofsted report