OFSTED
22 May 2024
Latest graded inspection
Latest published outcome
Good
OEIF
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour & attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership & management
Good
INSPECTION HISTORY
Previous Ofsted activity
8 March 2023
Ungraded inspection
School remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next
Published
3 May 2023
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy converter
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
Waltham Forest
Trust
HIGHAMS PARK ACADEMY TRUST
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
1,592
1,592 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
763
47.9% of pupils
Male pupils
829
52.1% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
1.1 pts
below England
School
23.7%
Waltham Forest
24.7%
London
26.3%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
13.3 pts
above England
School
33.6%
Waltham Forest
38.9%
London
39.2%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
0.9 pts
below England
School
0.1%
Waltham Forest
0.4%
London
0.5%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
25.8%
410
Any other White background
20.4%
324
Pakistani
9.5%
151
African
6.9%
110
Any other Mixed background
6.1%
97
Any other Asian background
5.4%
86
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
12.8%
204 of
1,592 pupils
8.0 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
4.8 pts
below
England
6.0%
3.2 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
47.5
8.3 pts
above England
Latest published: 0.08 · 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
8.06%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
1.85 pts
higher than
England
School
8.06%
Waltham Forest
6.46%
London
6.38%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
25.46%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
9.65 pts
higher than
England
School
25.46%
Waltham Forest
17.93%
London
17.60%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
2.33%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
0.53 pts
higher than
England
School
2.33%
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
93.6%
1.3 pts
above England
Highams Park School
93.6%
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.