St Mark's West Essex Catholic School
Tripton Road, Harlow, CM18 6AA
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- ST. MARK'S WEST ESSEX CATHOLIC SCHOOL
- Headteacher
- Mr John Taylor
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Brentwood
- Constituency
- Harlow
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,120
- Pupils on roll
- 1,099
- URN
- 137058
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01279421267
About this school
St Mark's West Essex Catholic School is a Roman Catholic secondary academy in Harlow. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,099 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Mark's West Essex Catholic School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Requires improvement
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 167 | 172 | 170 |
| Attainment 8 score | 48.4 | 45.7 | 46.3 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.05 -0.17 to +0.26 | -0.04 -0.26 to +0.18 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 43% | 42.4% | 38.8% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 63% | 62.2% | 61.2% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 73% | 71.5% | 72.9% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.3 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St Mark's West Essex Catholic School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Essex average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 48.4 | 43.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 45.7 | 41.6 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 46.3 | 42.2 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,044 |
| 2023/24 | 1,067 |
| 2024/25 | 1,082 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Mark's West Essex Catholic School compares
St Mark's West Essex Catholic School ranked 30th of 78 secondary schools in Essex for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 63% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 29% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 46.3 | 6.7% | 22.1% | 1,099 | — |
| Bmat Stem Academy | 28.1 | 14.3% | 38.7% | 240 | 0.4 miles |
| Sir Frederick Gibberd College | 44 | 8.8% | 29% | 880 | 0.4 miles |
| Burnt Mill Academy | 45.2 | 8.6% | 31.3% | 959 | 0.9 miles |
| Passmores Academy | 34.8 | 11.7% | 31.9% | 1,199 | 1.0 miles |
| Stewards Academy - Science Specialist, Harlow | 38.9 | 11.5% | 36.6% | 978 | 1.0 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 22.11%
- English as an additional language
- 24.6%
- Overall absence
- 6.67%
- Persistent absence
- 17.25%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Bmat Stem Academy0.4 miles
Secondary · Harlow
-
Sir Frederick Gibberd College0.4 miles
Secondary · Harlow
-
Burnt Mill Academy0.9 miles
Secondary · Harlow
-
Passmores Academy1.0 miles
Secondary · Harlow
-
Stewards Academy - Science Specialist, Harlow1.0 miles
Secondary · Harlow
Other schools in Harlow
St Mark's West Essex Catholic School ranks 1st of the 7 ranked secondary schools in Harlow.
- Bmat Stem Academy Secondary
- Burnt Mill Academy Secondary
- Mark Hall Academy Secondary
- Passmores Academy Secondary
- Sir Frederick Gibberd College Secondary
- Stewards Academy - Science Specialist, Harlow Secondary
- Abbotsweld Primary Academy Primary
- Church Langley Community Primary School Primary
- Churchgate Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Harlow Primary
- Cooks Spinney Primary Academy and Nursery Primary
- Freshwaters Primary Academy Primary
- Hare Street Community Primary School and Nursery Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St Mark's West Essex Catholic School teach?
- St Mark's West Essex Catholic School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Harlow.
- Who is the headteacher of St Mark's West Essex Catholic School?
- The headteacher of St Mark's West Essex Catholic School is Mr John Taylor, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Mark's West Essex Catholic School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Mark's West Essex Catholic School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at St Mark's West Essex Catholic School?
- St Mark's West Essex Catholic School has 1,099 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is St Mark's West Essex Catholic School full?
- St Mark's West Essex Catholic School has capacity for 1,120 pupils and 1,099 on roll (98%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St Mark's West Essex Catholic School a faith school?
- Yes. St Mark's West Essex Catholic School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Brentwood.
- Is St Mark's West Essex Catholic School a selective school?
- No. St Mark's West Essex Catholic School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is St Mark's West Essex Catholic School part of an academy trust?
- St Mark's West Essex Catholic School is part of ST. MARK'S WEST ESSEX CATHOLIC SCHOOL. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Mark's West Essex Catholic School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 48.4 in 2022/23 and 46.3 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Mark's West Essex Catholic School compare with other schools in Essex?
- St Mark's West Essex Catholic School ranked 30th of 78 secondary schools in Essex for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 63% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 29% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Mark's West Essex Catholic School's absence rate?
- St Mark's West Essex Catholic School's overall absence rate is 6.7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Mark's West Essex Catholic School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Mark's West Essex Catholic School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.