Putteridge High School

Putteridge High School
Location
Putteridge Road

Luton
,
Bedfordshire
,
LU2 8HJ

England

51°54′19″N 0°22′54″W / 51.905257°N 0.381785°W / 51.905257; -0.381785
Information
TypeAcademy
MottoEvery Individual Matters
Local authority
Luton Borough Council
TrustChiltern Learning Trust
144311 Tables
OfstedReports
Headteacher
David Graham
GenderCo-educational
Age11 to 16
School EthosFirst CLASS (Citizenship, Learning, Aspirations, Standards, School of Choice)
Websitehttp://www.putteridgehigh.org/

Putteridge High School is a co-educational secondary school located in the Putteridge area of Luton, in the English county of Bedfordshire.

History

It was previously a community school administered by Luton Borough Council. The school was also awarded specialist status as a Mathematics and Computing College. In February 2013, Ofsted rated this as a 'Good School'.

In March 2017 Putteridge High School converted to academy status and is now sponsored by the Chiltern Learning Trust. In 2019 the first Ofsted inspection of the school after academy conversion was rated as 'Good', with the school said to be showing rapid improvement. The school was also awarded the International School Award for 2018 to 2021.

Buildings

In 2019 it was announced that funding and permission had been obtained to demolish and completely rebuild the school site. The new school build has been completed. The sports hall was completed in 2020.

Academics

Virtually all maintained schools and academies follow the National Curriculum, and are inspected by Ofsted on how well they succeed in delivering a 'broad and balanced curriculum'. The school has to decide whether Key Stage 3 contains years 7, 8 and 9- or whether year 9 should be in Key Stage 4 and the students just study subjects that will be examined by the GCSEs exams at 16. Putteridge had decided to take the latter approach. Putteridge High School offers Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 only. There is no sixth form or Key Stage 5. The school also offers The Duke of Edinburgh's Award programme. All students continued in education after leaving the school. The school maintains German as a Key Stage 4 option, and has a German partner school, the Theisstalschule, Niedernhausen with whom they do regular visits and joint music and outdoor pursuits activities. The link was established through the Comenius programme. The visit in December 2019 was funded by the British Council, and included visits to Frankfurt, Mainz and Wiesbaden.

Key Stage 3

In year 7 and year 8, the pupils follow the Key Stage 3 National Curriculum. They are set in Maths and English. They have lessons in:

Art Computing Design and Technology Drama
English Language English Literature French Geography
History Mathematics Music Philosophy and Ethics
Physical Education Science

Key Stage 4

The core subjects studies are:

GCSE Maths, English and Combined Science
Philosophy and Ethics (Non Exam Course)
Physical Education (Non Exam Course)

In addition they choose 4 extra subjects, called options, One must be History of Geoography, in order to fulfill the EBACC requirements. The other subjects can varied each year but come from this list. Some students will also be able to take triple science.

Art and Design Food and Technology ICT Business Studies
French Media Studies Computer Science Geography
Music Spanish Religious Studies Drama
Health and Social Care Sport and Physical Education Fashion and Textiles History
Music TechnologyThree Dimensional Design Photography

Values and ethos

Under the leadership of Headteacher David Graham, Putteridge High School operates under the motto and values framework "First CLASS", an acronym standing for Citizenship, Learning, Aspirations, Standards, and School of Choice. This framework focuses on developing students into respectful citizens and breaking down social or personal learning barriers. In evaluation records, inspectors noted that pupils actively work to model themselves as "first class learners" and community members.

The values system directly anchors the Putteridge High First Class Reward Scheme (PHFC), evaluating holistic student development. To earn milestones, students must hit strict termly benchmarks:

Meeting these metrics qualifies students for Bronze, Silver, or Gold excellence statuses, recognized in termly assemblies and reward trips. Accomplishments also award house points toward the competitive House System (Green, Blue, Red, Yellow).

Impact on attendance

The rewards scheme has successfully maintained school-wide attendance rates significantly above national baselines. According to Laura Bartoletti, Deputy Headteacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) with strategic oversight for behaviour and attendance, the 98% milestone threshold is tied to high-engagement incentives such as cinema excursions and garden parties, alongside attendance pin badges that students wear on their blazers with pride.

Bartoletti's framework has driven school-wide attendance rates to an average of approximately 96%, compared to a secondary school national baseline of 91.7%. This structure led to the school being recognized by the Department for Education (DfE) as a Centre of Excellence for attendance, with its pastoral case studies subsequently published within the DfE Attendance Toolkit and utilized in national policy resources.

Former students

References

  1. ↑ "Putteridge High School". www.putteridgehigh.org.
  2. ↑ "Putteridge High School - GOV.UK". get-information-schools.service.gov.uk.
  3. ↑ "Ofsted Report 2013". ofsted.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 January 2021. This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright
  4. ↑ "Putteridge High School - Chiltern Learning Trust". www.chilternlearningtrust.org.
  5. ↑ "Putteridge High School shows rapid improvement with 'Good' rating by Ofsted". www.lutontoday.co.uk.
  6. 1 2 3 "Ofsted Report 2019". ofsted.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 January 2021. This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright
  7. ↑ "International School Award | Putteridge High School". www.putteridgehigh.org.
  8. ↑ "Plans to demolish and rebuild Putteridge High School approved by Luton Borough Council". www.lutontoday.co.uk.
  9. ↑ Roberts, Nerys. "The school curriculum in England Parliamentary Briefing Paper" (PDF). parliament.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Curriculum | Putteridge High School". www.putteridgehigh.org.
  11. ↑ "Duke of Edinburgh Award | Putteridge High School". www.putteridgehigh.org.
  12. ↑ Emmeline (January 2020). "German exchange 2019- Putteridge Newsletter" (PDF). /www.putteridgehigh.org/. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  13. 1 2 "Chiltern Learning Trust - Putteridge High School". Chiltern Learning Trust. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  14. ↑ "Putteridge High School School Profile". MyNewTerm. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  15. ↑ "Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Putteridge High School". Education. Ofsted. 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  16. 1 2 "House & Year System". Putteridge High School. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  17. ↑ "Ofsted states that pupils "experience high quality education"". Luton Today. 10 February 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  18. 1 2 "Senior Leadership Team". Putteridge High School. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  19. 1 2 Whittaker, Freddie (20 May 2024). "Cinema trips and summer schools boost attendance". Schools Week. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  20. ↑ "UK Government Attendance Statistics". Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  21. ↑ "Danny Cannon Biography". IMDb. Retrieved 2 November 2026.
  22. ↑ Walsh, Luke (7 June 2022). "The Luton school once home to new England footballer James Justin". Bedfordshire Live. Retrieved 2 November 2026.
  23. ↑ "Turner Prize 2012: Elizabeth Price wins". The Guardian. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2026.
  24. ↑ Triggernometry (10 August 2025). An Honest Conversation With Tommy Robinson. Retrieved 11 August 2025 – via YouTube.