Helena Romanes School

Type Other schools / Academy converter
Age Range 4-18
Religion Unknown
Address Parsonage Downs
Great Dunmow
Essex
CM6 2AU
Phone 01371872560
Reference Number 137975

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.

General Makeup

Number of pupils 1309
Boy/Girl ratio Boys: 51.26%
Girls: 48.74%
Percentage of students eligible for free school meals 18%
Percentage of students where English is not their first language 5%

Class Sizes

Average size of one teacher classes 24.1
Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher 18.3

Year Groups

Year Boys Girls Total
1 14 5 19
2 8 9 17
3 5 12 17
4 5 2 7
5 Unknown 6 6
6 Unknown Unknown Unknown
7 105 102 207
8 102 102 204
9 110 94 204
10 124 120 244
11 111 102 213
12 31 37 68
13 42 42 84

Ethnicities

Ethnicity Percentage
White, British 86.2%
White, Other 3.3%
White & Asian 1.7%
Mixed, Other 1.6%
Unclassified 1.5%
Indian 1.1%
African 1%
White & Black (Caribbean) 0.8%
Asian, Other 0.6%
White & Black (African) 0.5%
Chinese 0.2%
Irish 0.2%
Caribbean 0.2%
Pakistani 0.1%

Overall Ofsted Rating Good
 >  Quality of education Good
  >  Behaviour & Attitude Good
  >  Personal Development Good
  >  Leadership & Management Good
  >  Early Years Provision Good
  >  Sixth Form Provision Good
Last Report Date 10 Oct 2023
Date Report
10 Oct 2023 School inspection:
08 Oct 2019 School inspection:
10 Mar 2016 Short inspection
06 May 2015 Monitoring visit
13 Nov 2012 Full inspection:
10 Aug 2012 Academy conversion letter
17 Oct 2011 Curriculum and development visit
Previously as Helena Romanes School and Sixth Form Centre
17 Oct 2011 Curriculum and development visit
10 May 2010 Full inspection:
10 May 2010 Full inspection:
04 Feb 2009 Curriculum and development visit
04 Feb 2009 Curriculum and development visit
13 Nov 2006 Full inspection:
13 Nov 2006 Full inspection:
26 Mar 2001 Full inspection
26 Mar 2001 Full inspection

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.

Attainment 8 Score

Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:

  • English
  • Maths
  • 3 subjects from qualifications that count towards the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), like sciences, language and history
  • 3 more GCSE qualifications (including EBacc subjects) or technical awards from a list approved by the Department for Education

Each grade a pupil gets is assigned a point score from 9 (the highest) to 1 (the lowest). These scores are added up, with English and maths counted twice.

School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
46.6

GCSE Results

Metric School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Grade 5 or above in English and maths 49.5%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4 (or A-C) 62.7%

Attainment 8 Score

Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:

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GCSE Results

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Points

Points Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Average Points 25.33
Average Points (best 3) 27.46

Grades

School Local Nationwide
Average Grade C- C+ C+
Average Grade (best 3) C- C+ C+
Percentage Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Students getting AAB or better 0%
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2025 Admissions

Number of Applications Number of Offers
First Preference
Second Preference 13 2
Third Preference 27 2
From another Local Authority 0 0

Previous Years

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2025 Admissions

Number of Applications Number of Offers
First Preference
Second Preference 64 20
Third Preference 47 1
From another Local Authority 0 0

Previous Years

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Destinations after GCSE's

Staying in Education
 >  Further Education
 >  School Sixth Form
 >  Sixth Form College
 >  Other Education
Apprenticeships
Employment
Not in education or employment
Unknown

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