Honywood School

The Honywood Community Science School demonstrates a good overall performance, with effective leadership and a commitment to fostering a positive learning environment. Pupils feel safe, respected, and enjoy their learning experiences, benefiting from a well-structured and ambitious curriculum that meets the needs of all students, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The school values community and inclusivity, promoting strong relationships between staff and students. However, challenges remain in improving reading engagement among all pupils and addressing attendance issues, particularly among those who are persistently absent.

Strengths

• Strong sense of community within the school.
• Pupils are polite, respectful, and engage positively with staff.
• Well-designed and ambitious curriculum supports all learners.
• Teachers effectively deliver the curriculum and adapt lessons based on pupil needs.
• Wide range of extracurricular activities enhance learning experiences.
• Strong support for pupils with SEND, enabling them to achieve well.
• Effective management of pupil behaviour with reduced disruptions.
• High profile given to personal, social, and health education.
• Pupils benefit from careers advice and guidance.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils do not read as well, or as often, as they could.
• High levels of persistent absence among some pupils.

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 Honywood School attended 90.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 24.0% 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, 4.6% of pupils at Honywood School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 Honywood School had 17.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.6% 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, 21.8% of pupils at Honywood School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 8.0% 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 Honywood School received £8,982 and spent £8,668 for each of its 823 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £316,000 (£384 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Saffron Academy Trust, income was £7,613 and spending £7,555 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 Colchester · Essex local authority: places and applications

Honywood School is part of Saffron Academy Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Beckers Green Primary School Braintree
• Alec Hunter Academy Braintree
• Helena Romanes School Great Dunmow
• Katherine Semar Infant School Saffron Walden
• Katherine Semar Junior School Saffron Walden
• R A Butler Infant School Saffron Walden
• R A Butler Junior School Saffron Walden
• Saffron Walden County High School Saffron Walden

What is Honywood School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Honywood School is Good, from an inspection in January 2023.

When was Honywood School last inspected by Ofsted?

Honywood School was last inspected in January 2023.

How many pupils does Honywood School have?

Honywood School has 849 pupils on roll.

What age range does Honywood School cover?

Honywood School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Honywood School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 45.1, and 37% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Honywood School?

Honywood School is at Westfield Drive, Coggeshall, Colchester, Essex, CO6 1PZ.