Highams Park School

Highams Park School is performing well overall, maintaining a 'Good' rating across several areas, with 'Outstanding' performance in the sixth form provision. The leadership team has been effective in bringing about positive changes, particularly in improving pupil behaviour, which has become more focused and calm. Pupils benefit from a well-structured and ambitious curriculum, with strong support for personal development and opportunities for work experience, particularly for upper-year students. There is a warm atmosphere where dedicated staff take genuine interest in the well-being and learning of their students.

Strengths

• Effective new leadership team driving positive change
• Strong performance of the sixth form with extensive opportunities
• Ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum across subjects
• Positive behaviour and relationships in the school
• Comprehensive personal development programme for pupils

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent monitoring of pupil understanding in lessons
• Variable quality of work in pupils' books across subjects
• Some pupils exhibit poor attitudes towards 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 Highams Park School attended 91.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 25.5% 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, 7.7% of pupils at Highams Park 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 Highams Park School had 17.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.9% 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, 10.0% of pupils at Highams Park School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.8% 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 Highams Park School received £8,255 and spent £11,323 for each of its 1,558 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £893,000 (£573 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 Waltham Forest · Waltham Forest local authority: places and applications

What is Highams Park School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Highams Park School is Good, from an inspection in July 2024.

When was Highams Park School last inspected by Ofsted?

Highams Park School was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does Highams Park School have?

Highams Park School has 1,592 pupils on roll.

What age range does Highams Park School cover?

Highams Park School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Highams Park School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 49.1, and 51% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Highams Park School?

Highams Park School is at 34 Handsworth Avenue, Highams Park, London, Essex, E4 9PJ.