OFSTED
1 November 2023
Latest ungraded inspection
Latest published outcome
School remains Good
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Free schools
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
Essex
Trust
BRIDGE ACADEMY TRUST
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
467
467 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
223
47.8% of pupils
Male pupils
244
52.2% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
2.6 pts
above England
School
27.4%
Epping Forest
16.4%
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%
Epping Forest
13.2%
East of England
16.4%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
0.1 pts
above England
School
1.1%
Epping Forest
0.7%
East of England
1.7%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
86.3%
403
Any other White background
4.3%
20
White and Black Caribbean
2.8%
13
Any other Mixed background
1.5%
7
African
1.3%
6
Any other Asian background
0.6%
3
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
15.2%
71 of
467 pupils
5.6 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
3.7 pts
below
England
6.0%
2.0 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
37.4
1.8 pts
below England
Latest published: -0.57 · 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
12.16%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
5.94 pts
higher than
England
School
12.16%
Epping Forest
6.53%
East of England
6.17%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
34.16%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
18.35 pts
higher than
England
School
34.16%
Epping Forest
17.69%
East of England
15.39%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
6.58%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
4.78 pts
higher than
England
School
6.58%
Epping Forest
1.61%
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
58.4%
33.9 pts
below England
The Ongar Academy
58.4%
Epping Forest
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.