OFSTED
20 January 2026
Latest inspection
Latest published outcome
Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding
Met
Inclusion
Strong standard
Curriculum & teaching
Strong standard
Achievement
Expected standard
Attendance & behaviour
Strong standard
Personal development
Strong standard
Leadership & governance
Strong standard
INSPECTION HISTORY
Previous Ofsted activity
7 July 2021
Graded inspection
Good
Published
21 September 2021
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy converter
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
Essex
Trust
ZENITH MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
2,098
2,098 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
1,041
49.6% of pupils
Male pupils
1,057
50.4% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
12.8 pts
below England
School
12.0%
Castle Point
18.3%
East of England
19.7%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
17.5 pts
below England
School
2.8%
Castle Point
4.0%
East of England
16.4%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
1.1 pts
above England
School
2.1%
Castle Point
1.8%
East of England
1.7%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
79.3%
1,664
Unclassified
5.1%
106
Any other Black background
3.4%
72
Any other White background
2.5%
52
African
2.1%
44
Any other Mixed background
1.1%
24
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
16.3%
341 of
2,098 pupils
4.6 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
0.3 pts
below
England
6.0%
4.2 pts
below
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
2024/25
Key stage 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
49.6
10.4 pts
above England
Latest published: 0.19 · 2023/24
Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
5.94%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
0.28 pts
lower than
England
School
5.94%
Castle Point
6.34%
East of England
6.17%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
14.06%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
1.76 pts
lower than
England
School
14.06%
Castle Point
15.54%
East of England
15.39%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
2.24%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
0.44 pts
higher than
England
School
2.24%
Castle Point
1.60%
East of England
1.83%
England
1.80%
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages rather than
pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
School context
Comparison with open secondary schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
104.9%
12.6 pts
above England
The King John School
104.9%
Castle Point
94.9%
East of England
92.9%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.