SCHOOL PROFILE

Forest Hall School

Secondary Academy sponsor led URN 141328
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 648 Published school capacity
Capacity used 78.1% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest inspection

10 February 2026
Latest published outcome Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Strong standard
Curriculum & teaching Expected standard
Achievement Needs attention
Attendance & behaviour Needs attention
Personal development Strong standard
Leadership & governance Expected standard
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

18 November 2021
Graded inspection Good
Published 16 January 2022
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy sponsor led
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Essex
Trust BMAT EDUCATION
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 506 506 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 252 49.8% of pupils
Male pupils 254 50.2% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

30.6%
5.8 pts above England
School 30.6%
Uttlesford 11.0%
East of England 19.7%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

5.9%
14.4 pts below England
School 5.9%
Uttlesford 5.9%
East of England 16.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

4.2%
3.2 pts above England
School 4.2%
Uttlesford 2.0%
East of England 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
89.7%
454
Any other White background
2.8%
14
White and Asian
1.4%
7
Indian
1.2%
6
Any other ethnic group
1.0%
5
White and Black African
1.0%
5
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 32.2% 163 of 506 pupils
11.4 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 32.2%
Uttlesford 18.0%
East of England 19.8%
England 20.8%
SEN support 23.1% 117 pupils
England 14.8% 8.3 pts above
EHC plans 9.1% 46 pupils
England 6.0% 3.1 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 67
Specific learning difficulty 26
Autistic spectrum disorder 23
Moderate learning difficulty 19
Speech, language & communication 13
Hearing impairment 3

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

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

40.6 1.4 pts above England
School 40.6
Uttlesford 45.4
East of England 40.4
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 34.6% England 36.0% 1.4 pts below England
English & maths grade 4+ 60.3% England 51.4% 8.9 pts above England
EBacc entry 46.2% England 30.6% 15.6 pts above England
EBacc average point score 3.56 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: 0.27 · 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

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

12.18%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

5.96 pts higher than England
School 12.18%
Uttlesford 5.25%
East of England 6.17%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

37.82%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

22.00 pts higher than England
School 37.82%
Uttlesford 11.28%
East of England 15.39%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

7.21%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

5.41 pts higher than England
School 7.21%
Uttlesford 1.00%
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

78.1% 14.2 pts below England
Forest Hall School
78.1%
Uttlesford
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.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information