Harris Academy Kingswood

Woodlands School has been confirmed as a good school in its latest inspection, reflecting its effective educational provision. The headteacher, David Wright, along with the Compass Education Trust, oversees a supportive environment where pupils feel safe and enjoy a broad curriculum. Notably, the school has made significant strides in enhancing student behavior and engagement, with strong attendance to clubs and leadership opportunities increasing pupils' aspirations and personal development. However, some concerns about the depth of curriculum planning in a few subjects have been noted, indicating that improvements are still needed in certain areas.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy coming to school and feel safe.
• High expectations for pupil behavior lead to good conduct.
• A broad and ambitious curriculum is offered to all pupils.
• Effective support in reading interventions for struggling pupils.
• Strong provision for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
• Good opportunities for pupil leadership and extracurricular activities.

Areas for Improvement

• In a small number of curriculum areas, activities do not effectively consolidate prior knowledge.

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 Harris Academy Kingswood attended 92.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 22.6% 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, 9.5% of pupils at Harris Academy Kingswood 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 Harris Academy Kingswood had 17.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.2% 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, 9.8% of pupils at Harris Academy Kingswood were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.0% 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 Harris Academy Kingswood received £9,295 and spent £9,156 for each of its 1,497 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,618,000 (£1,081 per pupil).

Across all 58 schools of Harris Federation, income was £8,891 and spending £8,882 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 Basildon · Essex local authority: places and applications

Harris Academy Kingswood is part of Harris Federation, which runs 58 schools. The nearest others:

• Harris Academy Wickford Wickford
• Harris Academy Billericay Billericay
• Harris Academy Benfleet Benfleet
• Harris Academy Ockendon South Ockendon
• Harris Primary Academy Mayflower Chafford Hundred
• Harris Academy Chafford Hundred Grays
• Harris Primary Academy Chafford Hundred Grays
• Harris Academy Riverside Purfleet
• Harris Academy Rainham Rainham
• Harris Rainham Sixth Form Rainham

What is Harris Academy Kingswood's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Harris Academy Kingswood is Good, from an inspection in November 2023.

When was Harris Academy Kingswood last inspected by Ofsted?

Harris Academy Kingswood was last inspected in November 2023.

How many pupils does Harris Academy Kingswood have?

Harris Academy Kingswood has 1,513 pupils on roll.

What age range does Harris Academy Kingswood cover?

Harris Academy Kingswood for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Harris Academy Kingswood's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 44.4, and 43% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Harris Academy Kingswood?

Harris Academy Kingswood is at Woodlands Approach, Woodlands School, Basildon, Essex, SS16 5BA.