SCHOOL PROFILE

Heathcote School & Science College

Secondary Community school URN 103097
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,260 Published school capacity
Capacity used 88.5% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

29 February 2024
Latest published outcome School remains Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Community school
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Waltham Forest
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,115 1,115 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 543 48.7% of pupils
Male pupils 572 51.3% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

25.8%
1.0 pts above England
School 25.8%
Waltham Forest 24.7%
London 26.3%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

32.1%
11.8 pts above England
School 32.1%
Waltham Forest 38.9%
London 39.2%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.5%
0.5 pts below England
School 0.5%
Waltham Forest 0.4%
London 0.5%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
35.2%
393
Any other White background
22.1%
246
African
5.6%
62
Any other Mixed background
5.2%
58
Any other ethnic group
4.7%
52
White and Black Caribbean
4.4%
49
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 16.8% 187 of 1,115 pupils
4.1 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 16.8%
Waltham Forest 19.6%
London 19.8%
England 20.8%
SEN support 11.3% 126 pupils
England 14.8% 3.5 pts below
EHC plans 5.5% 61 pupils
England 6.0% 0.6 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Speech, language & communication 40
Social, emotional & mental health 37
Autistic spectrum disorder 30
Specific learning difficulty 23
Moderate learning difficulty 21
Hearing impairment 19

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

46.1 6.9 pts above England
School 46.1
Waltham Forest 41.4
London 42.1
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 44.4% England 36.0% 8.4 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 61.7% England 51.4% 10.3 pts above England
EBacc entry 38.9% England 30.6% 8.3 pts above England
EBacc average point score 4.10 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

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

Attendance profile

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

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

7.66%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

1.44 pts higher than England
School 7.66%
Waltham Forest 6.46%
London 6.38%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

23.73%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

7.91 pts higher than England
School 23.73%
Waltham Forest 17.93%
London 17.60%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

3.25%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

1.45 pts higher than England
School 3.25%
Waltham Forest 1.64%
London 1.67%
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

88.5% 3.8 pts below England
Heathcote School & Science College
88.5%
Waltham Forest
91.0%
London
91.3%
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