Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College

Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College is continuing to perform well, maintaining its status as a good school since its last inspection. The school demonstrates a commitment to high standards for all students, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Students are happy and safe, with robust pastoral care and supportive relationships among peers. The curriculum is ambitious and broad, with strong subject knowledge among teachers, although some students face gaps in learning that need to be addressed to maximize their achievement.

Strengths

• High expectations for all pupils, including those with SEND.
• Supportive and respectful relationships among pupils.
• Strong extracurricular offerings, particularly in the arts.
• Ambitious and carefully sequenced curriculum.
• Effective support for struggling readers.
• Strong culture of safeguarding.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent checks on prior learning by teachers.
• Careers education is not fully embedded in the curriculum.

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 Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College attended 91.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.6% 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, 10.0% of pupils at Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 4 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 Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College had 15.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.8% 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, 41.8% of pupils at Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.7% 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 2024–25 Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College received £8,489 and spent £8,384 for each of its 890 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £538,000 (£604 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of Loxford School Trust Limited, income was £7,812 and spending £7,808 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Havering · Havering local authority: places and applications

Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College is part of Loxford School Trust Limited, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• Gaynes School Upminster
• The Warren School Romford
• Aldborough Primary School Ilford
• Loxford School Ilford
• Cecil Jones Academy Southend-On-Sea
• Tabor Academy Braintree

What is Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College is Good, from an inspection in February 2023.

When was Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College last inspected by Ofsted?

Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College was last inspected in February 2023.

How many pupils does Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College have?

Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College has 882 pupils on roll.

What age range does Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College cover?

Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 41.5, and 36% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College?

Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College is at Abbs Cross Lane, Hornchurch, Essex, RM12 4YB.