West Hatch High School

West Hatch High School is performing well overall, continuing to provide a good education for its students. The school fosters a family-like atmosphere where pupils feel happy, safe, and valued. The curriculum is ambitious, giving students a clear understanding of how their lessons relate to future career possibilities, and it has been recently updated to accommodate the needs of the growing student body. The strong emphasis on reading and support for pupils with special educational needs contribute positively to their learning experiences.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, safe, and feel part of a tolerant and inclusive community.
• Teachers use engaging approaches that enhance student participation in lessons.
• The curriculum is ambitious and relevant to pupils' future career paths.
• Strong support is provided for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• The school effectively encourages high levels of attendance among students.
• A range of extracurricular activities is available, enriching students' school experience.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers do not consistently ensure that pupils remember new content as well as they should.
• A minority of teachers do not check pupil understanding rigorously, potentially allowing gaps in learning.

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 West Hatch High School attended 92.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.1% 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, 5.2% of pupils at West Hatch High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 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 West Hatch High School had 16.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.0% 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, 11.6% of pupils at West Hatch High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.9% 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 2024–25 West Hatch High School received £7,364 and spent £7,143 for each of its 1,565 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,894,000 (£1,210 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.

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What is West Hatch High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for West Hatch High School is Good, from an inspection in January 2024.

When was West Hatch High School last inspected by Ofsted?

West Hatch High School was last inspected in January 2024.

How many pupils does West Hatch High School have?

West Hatch High School has 1,573 pupils on roll.

What age range does West Hatch High School cover?

West Hatch High School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are West Hatch High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 51.0, and 59% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is West Hatch High School?

West Hatch High School is at High Road, Chigwell, Essex, IG7 5BT.