Welcome to The Reach Free School

“I am very proud that this summer 30% of all examinations taken were graded A* - A.”Mr Sutton, Assistant Headteacher - Head of Sixth FormThe Reach Free Sixth Form opened in September 2018 in a brand new state of the art building in Mill End, Rickmansworth. Building on the success of The Reach Free School. Our Sixth Form continues to promote the ACE ethos of Achievement, Community, and Enjoyment in the pursuit of academic excellence and the development of our students into knowledgeable, active citizens ready for their next step in education or employment.Our 3 year trend of A level results have been fantastic with our students in year 13 achieving 25% A*-A grades and progress in 2024 being in the top 1% nationally. The majority of our students go on to university, many of which are from the Russell Group universities. We are also equally proud of the many students who have secured apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships. If you find that you have a question about our Sixth Form that is not answered below, please head over to our contact page. Please click here to read about how we utilise our 16-19 Tuition Funding.

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Boarding Type

No Boarder

School Type

Free schools

Suitable Ages

11 to 18

Gender

Mixed

No. of Students

753 Total

No. of Boys

382 (50.7%)

No. of Girls

371 (49.3%)


Academic Excellence

GCSE Results

Latest Examination

24.8%

Students achieving A*/A grades (9/8/7)

A-Level Results

Sixth Form Performance

A* grades

5.15%

A*/A grades

16.49%


Leavers' Destinations

Destinations after GCSEs

Staying in education

86%

School

79%

England

Apprenticeships

0%

School

3%

England

Further education

School:43%
England:51%

School sixth form

School:43%
England:19%

Sixth form college

School:0%
England:7%

Other education destinations

School:0%
England:2%

Destinations after A-Levels

UK higher education

58%

School

1%

England

Apprenticeships

4%

School

19%

England

Higher education or training

School:88%
England:63%

Further education

School:0%
England:4%

Employment

School:23%
England:35%

Not sustained in education/employment

School:4%
England:26%


Exciting Events Ahead!

A detailed admissions process on ApplicaaOne is coming soon.

Please see our website for more information on our admissions process.


Updates Coming Soon!

A detailed admissions process on ApplicaaOne is coming soon.

Please see our website for more information on our admissions process.


Term Dates & Half-Term Holidays

Planning ahead for school holidays? Below are the term dates and half-term dates for the 2026/2027 academic year.

Autumn

1 terms

Half Term 1

Sep 3 - Oct 24

Spring

2 terms

Half Term 1

Jan 3 - Feb 13

Half Term 2

Feb 16 - Mar 30

Summer

2 terms

Half Term 1

Apr 11 - May 25

Half Term 2

May 30 - Jul 24

Half-Term & Holiday Dates

Autumn Half Term

Oct 27 - Oct 31

Christmas Holiday

Dec 22 - Jan 2

Spring Half Term

Feb 16 - Feb 20

Easter Holiday

Mar 30 - Apr 10

May Half Term

May 25 - May 29

Summer Holiday

Jul 24 - Aug 31


Alumni Stories

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Updates Coming Soon!

We’ll be sharing information about the destinations of our alumni here soon.


Enrichment Activities

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The Reach Free School has a proven record of developing pupils' character beyond the classroom. The Reach Free Sixth Form is no different. Reach Out is a programme designed to support students in sixth form to reach out to opportunities provided by the school and to help them develop the characteristics required to succeed after school on their chosen pathway.

Duke of Edinburgh Gold
The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme is an internationally-recognised qualification through which students partake in long-term volunteering, physical activity and skills development sections. Students choosing this option will also complete a three-night expedition into the countryside, and a five-night residential trip with other young people.
Community Action
All students will be part of our Community Action programme. Students volunteer in school in an area they are particularly interested in. This may be helping with an extracurricular sporting elective, assisting Year 7 students in a subject of their choice or helping plan charity and community events in school. Students reflect on their volunteering once a week and keep of log of all work completed. Students can then qualify for the Bronze, Silver or Gold Community Action Award at the end of the year.
Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)
The EPQ is a renowned coursework-based qualification where students choose their own topic to study in depth, with the support of teachers to guide their research and presentation. Those successfully completing the EPQ gain a qualification, equivalent to half an A Level, which is particularly enamoured by universities.

About School

RegionEast of England
Local AuthorityHertfordshire
Ofsted RatingGood
Gender TypeMixed