Passmores Academy

Passmores Academy continues to be a good school, maintaining its status since its last inspection in May 2018. The school has a positive and inclusive environment where students feel valued and supported, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The curriculum is broad and ambitious, with students performing well in national examinations when they attend regularly. There are plentiful extracurricular opportunities, reflecting the school's commitment to providing a rich educational experience beyond academics.

Strengths

• Strong support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Effective integration of pupils in specially resourced provision.
• Wealth of extracurricular activities that engage students.
• High staff subject knowledge and effective lesson planning.
• Strong focus on student well-being and inclusive culture.

Areas for Improvement

• Some inconsistency in the use of pedagogical approaches among staff.
• Occasional issues with time management in lessons leading to slower learning.
• Need for further development in catering for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.

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 Passmores Academy attended 88.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 30.6% 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, 11.1% of pupils at Passmores Academy 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 Passmores Academy had 14.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.7% 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, 18.1% of pupils at Passmores Academy 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 Passmores Academy received £9,139 and spent £8,264 for each of its 1,210 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £131,000 (£109 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of The Passmores Co-Operative Learning Community, income was £7,390 and spending £7,091 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 Harlow · Essex local authority: places and applications

Passmores Academy is part of The Passmores Co-Operative Learning Community, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Potter Street Academy Harlow
• Purford Green Primary School Harlow
• Pear Tree Mead Academy Harlow
• The Downs Primary School and Nursery Harlow
• Stewards Academy - Science Specialist, Harlow Harlow

What is Passmores Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Passmores Academy is Good, from an inspection in March 2024.

When was Passmores Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Passmores Academy was last inspected in March 2024.

How many pupils does Passmores Academy have?

Passmores Academy has 1,199 pupils on roll.

What age range does Passmores Academy cover?

Passmores Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Passmores Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 36.2, and 22% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Passmores Academy?

Passmores Academy is at Tracyes Road, Harlow, Essex, CM18 6JH.