Forest Hall School

Forest Hall School has been evaluated positively in its recent inspection, with notable strengths in safeguarding, inclusion, and personal development. Leaders maintain high expectations for all pupils and work to support those with special educational needs effectively. The school fosters a supportive environment where pupils feel safe and valued, contributing to their overall personal and academic growth. However, there are concerns regarding attendance and learning gaps, particularly for pupils who join the school later and those with special educational needs.

Strengths

• Strong safeguarding culture ensuring pupils feel safe.
• High expectations set by leaders for all pupils.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs.
• Well-integrated personal development opportunities.
• Strong relationships maintained with external agencies.
• Pupils develop confidence and resilience quickly.
• High-quality careers education enhances post-16 choices.

Areas for Improvement

• Significant gaps in learning for some pupils.
• Low attendance limits opportunities for many.
• Inconsistent identification and addressing of misconceptions in 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 Forest Hall School attended 87.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 37.8% 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, 21.8% of pupils at Forest Hall School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 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 Forest Hall School had 15.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.0% 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, 23.1% of pupils at Forest Hall School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 9.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has a SEN unit with 9 pupils and resourced provision with 9 pupils.

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 Forest Hall School received £9,644 and spent £9,360 for each of its 472 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £248,000 (£525 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of Bmat Education, income was £8,609 and spending £8,507 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

Forest Hall School is part of Bmat Education, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Magna Carta Primary Academy Stansted Mountfitchet
• Mark Hall Academy Harlow
• Burnt Mill Academy Harlow
• Cooks Spinney Primary Academy and Nursery Harlow
• Freshwaters Primary Academy Harlow
• Bmat Stem Academy Harlow
• Little Parndon Primary Academy Harlow
• Sir Frederick Gibberd College Harlow
• Roydon Primary Academy Harlow
• Epping St John's Church of England School Epping

What is Forest Hall School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Forest Hall School is Needs attention, from an inspection in April 2026.

When was Forest Hall School last inspected by Ofsted?

Forest Hall School was last inspected in April 2026.

How many pupils does Forest Hall School have?

Forest Hall School has 506 pupils on roll.

What age range does Forest Hall School cover?

Forest Hall School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Forest Hall School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 42.8, and 42% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Forest Hall School?

Forest Hall School is at Forest Hall Road, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, CM24 8TZ.