Hedingham School and Sixth Form
Yeldham Road, Sible Hedingham, Halstead, CO9 3QH
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- HEDINGHAM SCHOOL AND SIXTH FORM
- Headteacher
- Mr Paul Finch
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Constituency
- Braintree
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,168
- Pupils on roll
- 1,177
- URN
- 139153
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01787460470
About this school
Hedingham School and Sixth Form is a secondary academy in Halstead. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,177 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 3 March 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 193 | 188 | 192 |
| Attainment 8 score | 46.2 | 42.2 | 39.9 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.03 -0.17 to +0.24 | -0.27 -0.47 to -0.06 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 37% | 37.2% | 27.1% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 64% | 60.6% | 52.6% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 10% | 16.5% | 5.7% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.2 |
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 Hedingham School and Sixth Form 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 | 46.2 | 43.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 42.2 | 41.6 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 39.9 | 42.2 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 10.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,141 |
| 2023/24 | 1,138 |
| 2024/25 | 1,155 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Hedingham School and Sixth Form compares
Hedingham School and Sixth Form ranked 57th of 78 secondary schools in Essex for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 38% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 6% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 39.9 | 10.4% | 16% | 1,177 | — |
| The Ramsey Academy, Halstead | 39.3 | 9.3% | 24.9% | 702 | 3.6 miles |
| Stour Valley Community School | 44.5 | 10.1% | 19.3% | 569 | 6.6 miles |
| Tabor Academy | 38.5 | 11.7% | 31.4% | 989 | 7.2 miles |
| Ormiston Sudbury Academy | 39.6 | 8.3% | 34% | 710 | 7.5 miles |
| Thomas Gainsborough School | 46.1 | 8.3% | 20.2% | 1,603 | 7.6 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)
- 16.04%
- English as an additional language
- 1.4%
- Overall absence
- 10.43%
- Persistent absence
- 26.59%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Ramsey Academy, Halstead3.6 miles
Secondary · Halstead
-
Stour Valley Community School6.6 miles
Secondary · Sudbury
-
Tabor Academy7.2 miles
Secondary · Braintree
-
Ormiston Sudbury Academy7.5 miles
Secondary · Sudbury
-
Thomas Gainsborough School7.6 miles
Secondary · Sudbury
Other schools in Halstead
- The Ramsey Academy, Halstead Secondary
- de Vere Primary School Primary
- Gosfield Community Primary School Primary
- Holy Trinity Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Halstead Primary
- Richard de Clare Community Academy Primary
- Ridgewell Church of England Primary School Primary
- St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, Great Yeldham Primary
- St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, Halstead Primary
- St Giles' Church of England Primary School Primary
- St John the Baptist Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Pebmarsh Primary
- St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield Primary
- St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Sible Hedingham Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Hedingham School and Sixth Form teach?
- Hedingham School and Sixth Form teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Halstead.
- Who is the headteacher of Hedingham School and Sixth Form?
- The headteacher of Hedingham School and Sixth Form is Mr Paul Finch, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Hedingham School and Sixth Form last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Hedingham School and Sixth Form, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Hedingham School and Sixth Form?
- Hedingham School and Sixth Form has 1,177 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Hedingham School and Sixth Form full?
- Hedingham School and Sixth Form has capacity for 1,168 pupils and 1,177 on roll (101%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Hedingham School and Sixth Form a faith school?
- No. Hedingham School and Sixth Form has no designated religious character.
- Is Hedingham School and Sixth Form a selective school?
- No. Hedingham School and Sixth Form is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs Hedingham School and Sixth Form?
- Hedingham School and Sixth Form is part of HEDINGHAM SCHOOL AND SIXTH FORM. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Hedingham School and Sixth Form's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 46.2 in 2022/23 and 39.9 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Hedingham School and Sixth Form rank locally?
- Hedingham School and Sixth Form ranked 57th of 78 secondary schools in Essex for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 38% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 6% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Hedingham School and Sixth Form's absence rate?
- Hedingham School and Sixth Form's overall absence rate is 10.4% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Hedingham School and Sixth Form's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Hedingham School and Sixth Form'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.