Welcome

At Gracewood Academy, we take seriously the privilege and responsibility of educating young people. Education, done properly, changes lives, and our purpose is clear: libertas per cultum - freedom through education.

We believe deeply in children, and we show that belief by setting high standards, insisting on effort, and never lowering the bar. We are building a school defined by clarity, consistency, and ambition, where every student is known, challenged, and supported to succeed. We expect hard work, every lesson, every day: there are no shortcuts to success. Classrooms are calm, focused, and disruption-free so that learning time is protected. Our standards around behaviour, uniform, punctuality, and routines are exacting because time matters and learning matters. Clear adult authority and consistent expectations ensure students learn in a safe, purposeful environment and leave Gracewood with every possible advantage.

Our rich and ambitious curriculum is built on strong academic foundations and extends across disciplines, from Latin to the Arts, and from Computer Science to Citizenship. Knowledge sits at the heart of our curriculum because we believe all children deserve access to the best of what has been thought and said. We want students to know more, remember more, and think more deeply over time so they leave Gracewood as capable, informed, and independent thinkers. Alongside the taught curriculum, students experience education beyond the classroom, developing character, resilience, and ambition. We are equally proud of our strong pastoral care, character development and enrichment, which supports young people to thrive while navigating the challenges of the modern world.

To deliver this experience for students, we place equally high expectations on ourselves. We can achieve nothing without a highly skilled staff. Gracewood Academy is built on a culture where adults grow a little every day, are warm and demanding, and hold our shared purpose at the heart of their work. This community deserves a school it can proud of. Gracewood Academy is this school. 

Our ambition is unapologetically high: to become the best non-selective school in Hertfordshire and the first choice for families seeking the best education for their children - one rooted in knowledge, aspiration, and respect.

Should you wish to find out more about the school, I encourage you to visit our admissions page for upcoming open events, or to contact the admissions team directly for further information. I look forward to welcoming you to Gracewood Academy and sharing more of what makes our school such a special place to learn.

Ms Georgina Charles, Principal