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Highams Park School

Highams Park School logo
AcademySecondarySixth Form

Highams Park School

Ages1118
1,592 pupils
Good· Jul 2024
Get notified about changes
Get notified about changes

Details

Type

Academy Converter

Local Authority

Waltham Forest

Academy Trust

HIGHAMS PARK ACADEMY TRUST

Head Teacher

Nigel Armsby

Gender

Mixed

Admissions

Non-selective

Religious Character

Does not apply

Opened

October 2011

Website

www.highamsparkschool.co.uk

Reference Number

137558

Additional Provisions

Sixth Form

About This Data

  • School information is sourced from Get Information About Schools (GIAS), the official UK government register maintained by the Department for Education.

Admissions

How many families applied and received places

Year 7 entry for 2025/26

On Time Applications

Count
Total applications649
As 1st preference207
As 2nd preference158
As 3rd preference144
From another local authority49

Offers on National Offer Day

Count
Total offers237
To 1st preference199
To 2nd preference26
To 3rd preference8
To any preference237
To another local authority3

About This Data

  • Data sourced from the DfE "Primary and secondary school applications and offers" statistics.
  • Total applications includes all preferences (1st through 6th), not just those shown in the breakdown above.
  • Applications and offers from/to another local authority may also appear in preference rows (e.g., a 1st preference from another local authority counts in both rows).
  • "Oversubscribed" means the school received more 1st preference applications than places offered.
  • This school is a academy converter, admissions are controlled by the school itself, we advise you contact the school or check their website for further information. This school's local authority is Waltham Forest.

Pupils

Summary

Total Pupils1,547 (91% of capacity)
Age Range11 – 18
GenderMixed
Boys / Girls51% / 49%
Free School Meals23.2%
English as Additional Language38.3%
SEN Support10.8%
SEN with EHCP2.6%
Overall Attendance91.2%
Persistent Absence29.4%

Class Sizes

Overall Average21.4
Key Stage 10.0
Key Stage 20.0

Total Pupils

Cohort Sizes

Year 7239
Year 8240
Year 9244
Year 10239
Year 11233
Year 12213
Year 13139

Pupil Ethnicities

White British26.4%
White Other20.6%
Pakistani10.2%
African6.0%
Mixed Other5.9%
Asian Other5.5%
White & Black Caribbean4.3%
Caribbean4.3%
Other3.8%
White & Asian3.2%
Black Other2.5%
White & Black African1.6%
Indian1.6%
Bangladeshi1.6%
Irish0.8%
Unclassified0.8%
Chinese0.7%
Gypsy/Roma0.1%

About This Data

  • Data sourced from the National School Census for 2024/25, collected each January.
  • This is not live data. For current availability of places, contact the school or local authority directly.
  • Capacity refers to the maximum number of pupils a school can accommodate. Schools may operate above or below capacity, and spare places may only be available in certain year groups.
  • Persistent absence means a pupil missed 10% or more of their possible sessions during the academic year. Absence rates during 2020–2022 were significantly higher due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Inspections

Ofsted Inspections

5 inspections on record

Current Rating
Good· Jul 2024
  • 2024

    School Inspection

    4 July 2024

    View report
    Good

    Category Judgements

    CategoryJudgement
    Quality of educationGood
    Behaviour and attitudesGood
    Personal developmentGood
    Leadership and managementGood

    AI-Generated Insights

    Curriculum
    2
    • Curriculum is well-sequenced and ambitious across subjects.
    • Curriculum is equally ambitious for pupils with SEND.
    Leadership
    11
    • New leadership team has driven positive change.
    • Leaders need to address inconsistent staff responses to disengaged pupils.
    Pupil Progress
    11
    • Some pupils not making sufficient progress due to inconsistent support.
    • Sixth form students achieve well and show strong commitment.
    Teaching Quality
    11
    • Teachers set high expectations and check learning effectively.
    • Assessment quality varies across subjects and pupils.
    Personal Development
    2
    • Pupils learn about citizenship and social responsibility.
    • Pupils contribute to charities and develop empathy.
    Behaviour & Attendance
    2
    • Leaders have improved behaviour across the school.
    • Leaders have improved attendance with a robust system.

    Insights are generated by AI from the inspection report and may not be fully accurate.

  • 2023

    School Inspection

    4 May 2023

    View report
  • 2017

    Short Inspection

    10 May 2017

    View report
  • 2013

    Full Inspection

    26 June 2013

    View report
    Good
  • 2012

    Academy Conversion

    18 February 2012

    View report

About This Data

  • Inspection data is sourced from Ofsted, the official schools inspectorate for England.
  • Ratings may have changed since the last inspection. Always check the latest report for current information.
  • Some inspections (monitoring visits, academy conversions) do not result in a graded judgement.

GCSE Results

ResultSchoolLAEngland
Attainment 8 score5044.446.9
Grade 5 or above in English and maths55.2%43.2%46.2%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths73.0%61.6%65.4%
Entering EBacc38.3%
EBacc average point score4.53.84.1
Progress 8
+0.08Above average

Pupils at this school made slightly more progress than similar pupils nationally

About This Data

  • Schools are ranked by their Attainment 8 score, which shows overall exam results. This data comes from the Department for Education performance tables.
  • Exam results and progress scores tell you different things. Imagine two children climbing a mountain: one starts at the bottom and climbs halfway up, while another starts a third of the way up and climbs another third. The second child climbed less distance but finished higher up. Exam results show where pupils finished (like height on the mountain), while progress scores show how far they've come since primary school (like distance climbed). Progress scores help you understand how much a school has helped pupils improve, regardless of where they started.

Destinations

Where students go after finishing their studies

Destinations after GCSEs

DestinationSchoolEngland
Staying in education92%86%
...Further education19%37%
...School sixth form34%
...Sixth form college13%
...Other education destinations0%2%
In employment3%
Apprenticeships2%3%
Not in education or employment6%
Destination unknown3%

About This Data

  • This shows where students went after completing their GCSEs, tracked for at least two terms into the following academic year.
  • A sustained destination means the student remained in education, employment, or training for at least two terms (October to March).
  • England averages are shown for comparison. Each school's results will vary based on their student intake and local area.

Workforce

Staff numbers and pupil-to-teacher ratios

Pupils per Teacher or Teaching Assistant

Shows how many children each teacher looks after on average. The lower line includes teaching assistants, giving you a better picture of the adult support available in classrooms.

Total Pupils

The number of children enrolled at this school over time. These figures come from financial records and may differ slightly from other pupil numbers on this site due to when data was collected.

Total Number of Teachers

The total teaching capacity at this school, including classroom teachers and senior staff who also teach. Part-time teachers are counted based on their working hours.

Teaching Assistants

Support staff who work directly with children in classrooms. This includes regular TAs, higher-level TAs with more responsibilities, and specialist support for children with additional needs.

Teachers with Qualified Teacher Status (%)

The percentage of teachers who have completed official teacher training in England. A higher percentage typically indicates a more experienced and formally trained teaching team.

Senior Leadership

The school's leadership team, including the headteacher, deputy heads and assistant heads. These staff manage the school and often still spend time in classrooms.

Non-classroom Support Staff and Auxiliary Staff

Office and admin staff who keep the school running smoothly, plus auxiliary staff like catering teams and site maintenance who look after the building and meals.

Total Headcount and Workforce

Two ways of counting staff: headcount shows total people employed (including part-timers), while workforce counts the equivalent number of full-time positions.

About This Data

  • Data sourced from the DfE School Workforce Census. Numbers may not match exactly other data shown on this site due to different collection timings within the academic year.
  • FTE = Full-time equivalent, representing the total working hours divided by standard full-time hours. Headcount = total number of individuals employed.
  • Senior leadership includes headteachers, deputy headteachers and assistant headteachers.
  • Teachers with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) have completed accredited initial teacher training in England.

Finances

2023/24

Income per Pupil (£)

In 2023/24 the revenue reserve was £1,216,000 or £789 p/pupil. Schools maintain reserves for unexpected costs, but these funds are ultimately meant to benefit pupils.

Expenditure per Pupil (£)

In 2023/24 the in-year balance was -£365,000 or -£237 p/pupil. A negative balance means the school spent more than it received, covered by drawing on reserves.

About This Data

  • Financial data comes from the DfE School Financial Benchmarking service. Schools report their income and spending each year.
  • Revenue reserve is the money a school has saved up over time. Schools keep reserves to cover unexpected costs, though funds are meant to benefit current pupils.
  • In-year balance shows whether a school spent more or less than it received in a single year. A positive balance means the school had money left over; a negative balance means it dipped into savings.

Contact Information

Address

34 Handsworth Avenue
Highams Park
London
Essex
E4 9PJ

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