Jo Richardson Community School

Jo Richardson Community School has demonstrated outstanding performance across all areas, showcasing exceptional quality in education, behaviour, personal development, leadership, and management. The school effectively supports its pupils to become successful young adults through strong partnerships with the community and a curated curriculum tailored to both academic success and future career readiness. Additionally, the school's strong focus on safeguarding ensures a safe and calm environment conducive to learning. With a history of continuous improvement, the latest inspection highlights a significant elevation from its previous good rating to outstanding.

Strengths

• Exceptional support for pupils' personal and academic development.
• Strong partnerships with the local community.
• Highly ambitious and well-planned curriculum.
• Outstanding behaviour and collaborative learning environment.
• Effective support for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Extensive personal development programme fostering readiness for modern Britain.

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 Jo Richardson Community School attended 93.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 18.3% 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, 5.0% of pupils at Jo Richardson Community School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 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 Jo Richardson Community School had 14.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 2.6% 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, 8.8% of pupils at Jo Richardson Community School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has a SEN unit with 24 pupils.

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 Jo Richardson Community School received £12,229 and spent £12,173 for each of its 1,699 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £967,000 (£569 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 Barking And Dagenham · Barking and Dagenham local authority: places and applications

What is Jo Richardson Community School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Jo Richardson Community School is Outstanding, from an inspection in June 2024.

When was Jo Richardson Community School last inspected by Ofsted?

Jo Richardson Community School was last inspected in June 2024.

How many pupils does Jo Richardson Community School have?

Jo Richardson Community School has 1,696 pupils on roll.

What age range does Jo Richardson Community School cover?

Jo Richardson Community School for pupils aged 11 to 19.

What are Jo Richardson Community School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 47.4, and 45% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Jo Richardson Community School?

Jo Richardson Community School is at Castle Green, Gale Street, Dagenham, Essex, RM9 4UN.