Grays Convent High School

Grays Convent High School continues to perform well, maintaining its status as a good school. Pupils report enjoying their time at the school, feeling supported in a nurturing environment with strong relationships among staff and students. The curriculum is well-structured and ambitious, enabling students to gain essential skills necessary for future academic pursuits. The school's focus on personal development and real-life application of knowledge further enriches the educational experience.

Strengths

• Pupils feel valued and part of a supportive community.
• Strong subject knowledge and training among teachers.
• Effective behaviour management leading to calm and orderly school environment.
• Rich enrichment and extra-curricular opportunities.
• Proactive approach to safeguarding and pupil well-being.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers do not adequately support pupils with special educational needs.
• Insufficient clarity in what pupils must know in some subjects.
• Inconsistent checking of pupil understanding and addressing misconceptions.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Grays Convent High School attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 13.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 6.0% of pupils at Grays Convent High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Grays Convent High School had 15.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.1% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 8.7% of pupils at Grays Convent High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 0.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Grays Convent High School received £7,773 and spent £8,237 for each of its 656 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £569,000 (-£867 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Grays · Thurrock local authority: places and applications

What is Grays Convent High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Grays Convent High School is Good, from an inspection in July 2023.

When was Grays Convent High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Grays Convent High School was last inspected in July 2023.

How many pupils does Grays Convent High School have?

Grays Convent High School has 655 pupils on roll.

What age range does Grays Convent High School cover?

Grays Convent High School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Grays Convent High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 51.5, and 48% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Grays Convent High School?

Grays Convent High School is at College Avenue, Grays, Essex, RM17 5UX.