Helena Romanes School

Helena Romanes School demonstrates significant improvement since its last inspection, achieving a 'Good' rating across all domains. The school provides a supportive and engaging environment for pupils, who benefit from a well-planned curriculum that fosters personal development and effective learning. The leadership, under the executive headteacher, is committed to continual enhancement, supported by the Saffron Academy Trust. Despite the positive trajectory, challenges regarding pupils' reading habits and communication skills are acknowledged, with plans for further development in these areas yet to be fully implemented.

Strengths

• Pupils show enjoyment in attending school and benefit from diverse enrichment opportunities.
• Students in the sixth form receive strong support and achieve well.
• The school effectively adapts the curriculum to meet the needs of all learners.
• Behaviour expectations are high and consistently enforced by staff.
• The personal, social and health education curriculum is well planned.
• Strong pastoral support is provided to students who need it.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils do not read widely for pleasure, affecting their literacy and vocabulary development.
• Some students lack confidence and clarity in verbal communication.

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 Helena Romanes School attended 89.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 29.4% 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, 8.6% of pupils at Helena Romanes School 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 Helena Romanes School had 18.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.3% 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, 8.5% of pupils at Helena Romanes School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.8% 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 Helena Romanes School received £7,522 and spent £7,106 for each of its 1,311 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £504,000 (£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 Uttlesford · Essex local authority: places and applications

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

• Alec Hunter Academy Braintree
• Beckers Green Primary School Braintree
• Katherine Semar Junior School Saffron Walden
• Katherine Semar Infant School Saffron Walden
• R A Butler Infant School Saffron Walden
• R A Butler Junior School Saffron Walden
• Saffron Walden County High School Saffron Walden
• Honywood School Colchester

What is Helena Romanes School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Helena Romanes School is Good, from an inspection in November 2023.

When was Helena Romanes School last inspected by Ofsted?

Helena Romanes School was last inspected in November 2023.

How many pupils does Helena Romanes School have?

Helena Romanes School has 1,265 pupils on roll.

What age range does Helena Romanes School cover?

Helena Romanes School for pupils aged 4 to 18.

What are Helena Romanes School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 44.0, and 42% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Helena Romanes School?

Helena Romanes School is at Parsonage Downs, Great Dunmow, Essex, CM6 2AU.