The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls

The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls is a friendly, welcoming 11-18 girls' school where pupils and sixth-form students feel safe, cared for and a strong sense of belonging. Inspectors found exceptional behaviour and personal development, highly effective leadership and governance, and strong SEND support. The curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced, and pupils generally achieve well and are prepared for their next steps. The quality of education is good overall, but there is one clear area for development: in a small number of subjects, assessment is not used consistently enough to check pupils' understanding before new content is introduced. This means misconceptions can be missed and gaps in knowledge can develop. The school has correctly identified this as a priority. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. It is part of LIFE Education Trust, and inspectors found staff, parents and governors positive about the school's leadership and direction. Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Strengths

• Highly ambitious, carefully sequenced curriculum that builds knowledge over time
• Pupils and sixth-form students recall prior learning highly proficiently
• Teaching in most subjects builds effectively on prior learning
• Accurate SEND identification and well-trained adaptive teaching
• Strong reading culture with focused support and effective tutor-led sessions
• Excellent behaviour and highly positive attitudes to learning
• Calm sixth-form environment and consistently implemented behaviour policy
• High attendance and effective support for pupils who struggle to attend
• Thoughtfully structured PSHE and strong personal development
• High-quality enrichment, including the Appleby Gallery, choir, dance, debating and cooking
• Comprehensive careers programme from Year 7 with Future Ready sessions
• Effective safeguarding culture and well-understood reporting systems
• Staff professional development is a high priority and staff and parents are positive
• Knowledgeable governors and trust provide effective challenge and support

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment is inconsistent in a small number of subjects, so misconceptions are not always identified and addressed and knowledge gaps can develop

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 The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls attended 93.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 17.8% 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, 1.7% of pupils at The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No 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 The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls had 17.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.8% 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, 3.5% of pupils at The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.2% 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 The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls received £8,896 and spent £8,462 for each of its 1,394 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £2,145,000 (£1,539 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of Life Education Trust, income was £8,392 and spending £8,145 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 Havering · Havering local authority: places and applications

The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls is part of Life Education Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Benhurst Primary School Hornchurch
• Dame Tipping Church of England Primary School Romford
• Dr Walker's CofE Primary School Ongar
• Margaretting Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Ingatestone
• Roxwell Church of England Primary School Chelmsford
• Ford End Church of England Primary School Chelmsford
• Chappel CofE Controlled Primary School Colchester
• Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, Eight Ash Green and Aldham Colchester
• Fordham All Saints CofE Voluntary Controlled Primary School Colchester
• Langenhoe Community Primary School Colchester

What is The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls last inspected by Ofsted?

The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls have?

The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls has 1,381 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls cover?

The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 52.8, and 56% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls?

The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls is at Brentwood Road, Romford, Essex, RM1 2RR.