OFSTED
20 November 2024
Latest ungraded inspection
Latest published outcome
Standards maintained
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy converter
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
Essex
Trust
HARRIS FEDERATION
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
1,597
1,597 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
815
51.0% of pupils
Male pupils
782
49.0% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
7.5 pts
below England
School
17.3%
Castle Point
18.3%
East of England
19.7%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
13.0 pts
below England
School
7.3%
Castle Point
4.0%
East of England
16.4%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
0.5 pts
below England
School
0.5%
Castle Point
1.8%
East of England
1.7%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
67.6%
1,079
Unclassified
16.3%
260
Any other White background
4.8%
76
African
3.4%
54
Any other Mixed background
1.6%
25
Any other Asian background
0.9%
14
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
18.7%
298 of
1,597 pupils
2.2 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
0.8 pts
above
England
6.0%
3.0 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
39.6
0.4 pts
above England
Latest published: -0.63 · 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
10.56%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
4.34 pts
higher than
England
School
10.56%
Castle Point
6.34%
East of England
6.17%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
28.99%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
13.17 pts
higher than
England
School
28.99%
Castle Point
15.54%
East of England
15.39%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
5.76%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
3.95 pts
higher than
England
School
5.76%
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
106.5%
14.1 pts
above England
The Appleton School
106.5%
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.