OFSTED
28 November 2023
Latest graded inspection
Latest published outcome
Good
OEIF
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour & attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership & management
Good
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy converter
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
Essex
Trust
PLUME SCHOOL
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
1,789
1,789 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
876
49.0% of pupils
Male pupils
913
51.0% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
1.2 pts
below England
School
23.6%
Maldon
19.5%
East of England
19.7%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
16.7 pts
below England
School
3.6%
Maldon
2.3%
East of England
16.4%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
3.6 pts
above England
School
4.6%
Maldon
3.0%
East of England
1.7%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
89.2%
1,595
Any other White background
3.7%
67
Any other Mixed background
1.8%
33
Unclassified
1.1%
19
White and Asian
0.8%
15
White and Black Caribbean
0.6%
11
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
23.0%
412 of
1,789 pupils
2.2 pts
above England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
5.5 pts
above
England
6.0%
3.3 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
42.9
3.7 pts
above England
Latest published: -0.37 · 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
8.04%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
1.82 pts
higher than
England
School
8.04%
Maldon
6.21%
East of England
6.17%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
22.30%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
6.49 pts
higher than
England
School
22.30%
Maldon
16.76%
East of England
15.39%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
3.34%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
1.54 pts
higher than
England
School
3.34%
Maldon
0.96%
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
97.2%
4.9 pts
above England
Plume School
97.2%
Maldon
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.