SCHOOL PROFILE

South Chingford Foundation School

Secondary Academy sponsor led URN 138859
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 675 Published school capacity
Capacity used 81.0% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest inspection

20 January 2026
Latest published outcome Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Needs attention
Curriculum & teaching Needs attention
Achievement Needs attention
Attendance & behaviour Needs attention
Personal development Needs attention
Leadership & governance Needs attention
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

15 September 2021
Ungraded inspection School remains Good
Published 10 November 2021
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy sponsor led
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Waltham Forest
Trust CHINGFORD ACADEMIES TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 547 547 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 247 45.2% of pupils
Male pupils 300 54.8% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

40.0%
15.2 pts above England
School 40.0%
Waltham Forest 24.7%
London 26.3%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

52.3%
32.0 pts above England
School 52.3%
Waltham Forest 38.9%
London 39.2%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

3.3%
2.3 pts above England
School 3.3%
Waltham Forest 0.4%
London 0.5%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

Any other White background
26.1%
143
Pakistani
14.3%
78
White British
12.4%
68
Caribbean
7.3%
40
African
6.6%
36
Any other ethnic group
6.0%
33
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 15.4% 84 of 547 pupils
5.5 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 15.4%
Waltham Forest 19.6%
London 19.8%
England 20.8%
SEN support 9.7% 53 pupils
England 14.8% 5.1 pts below
EHC plans 5.7% 31 pupils
England 6.0% 0.4 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 25
Speech, language & communication 21
Autistic spectrum disorder 16
Moderate learning difficulty 10
Hearing impairment 3
Specific learning difficulty 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

32.8 6.4 pts below England
School 32.8
Waltham Forest 41.4
London 42.1
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 29.2% England 36.0% 6.8 pts below England
English & maths grade 4+ 36.7% England 51.4% 14.7 pts below England
EBacc entry 38.3% England 30.6% 7.7 pts above England
EBacc average point score 3.04 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.79 · 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

13.35%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

7.14 pts higher than England
School 13.35%
Waltham Forest 6.46%
London 6.38%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

46.87%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

31.05 pts higher than England
School 46.87%
Waltham Forest 17.93%
London 17.60%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

5.37%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

3.57 pts higher than England
School 5.37%
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

81.0% 11.3 pts below England
South Chingford Foundation School
81.0%
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