The Sydney Russell School

The Sydney Russell School is a large all-through school (2,640 pupils across primary, secondary and sixth form) that performs strongly across almost all areas. Personal development and wellbeing is judged exceptional, with pupils benefiting from a rich, carefully sequenced programme of life skills, careers education, enrichment and student leadership that has a profound impact, particularly on disadvantaged pupils. Achievement is strong: primary outcomes are significantly above national averages, pupils make excellent progress by the end of Year 11, and disadvantaged pupils achieve well compared to their peers nationally. Attendance is high and persistent absence is well below average.

Strengths

• Exceptional personal development and wellbeing provision that profoundly benefits pupils, especially those experiencing disadvantage
• Pupils achieve highly across all phases, with primary outcomes well above national averages and excellent progress by the end of Year 11
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve well and participate fully in the life of the school
• Attendance is high and persistent absence is well below national averages
• Pupils behave extremely well, are respectful and feel safe and included
• The curriculum is broad, well sequenced and taught by skilled, knowledgeable teachers
• High-quality early years provision that builds strong foundations in communication, language and learning
• Inclusion is effective, with precise support for pupils with SEND, including those in the specially resourced provision
• Strong and supportive leadership and governance, with a positive staff culture and effective use of trust support

Areas for Improvement

• Progress and attainment in the sixth form are not yet consistently strong, partly because recent improvements in teaching are not fully embedded
• Some strengths in post-16 teaching are new and have not been sustained long enough to ensure all students, including the highest prior attainers, make excellent progress

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 Sydney Russell School attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 11.6% 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, 1.3% of pupils at The Sydney Russell School 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 Sydney Russell School had 16.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.0% 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, 11.0% of pupils at The Sydney Russell School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 7 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 The Sydney Russell School received £9,130 and spent £8,845 for each of its 2,640 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £3,518,000 (£1,333 per pupil).

Across all 18 schools of Partnership Learning, income was £9,377 and spending £9,407 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 Barking And Dagenham · Barking and Dagenham local authority: places and applications

The Sydney Russell School is part of Partnership Learning, which runs 20 schools. The nearest others:

• The James Cambell Primary School Dagenham
• Oxlow Bridge School Dagenham
• Brook Sixth Form and Academy Dagenham
• Eastbury Primary School Barking
• Thames View Junior School Barking
• Riverside Bridge School Barking
• Riverside School Barking
• Riverside Primary School Barking
• Park Primary Academy Rainham
• Greatfields School Barking

What is The Sydney Russell School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Sydney Russell School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was The Sydney Russell School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Sydney Russell School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does The Sydney Russell School have?

The Sydney Russell School has 2,568 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Sydney Russell School cover?

The Sydney Russell School for pupils aged 4 to 18.

What are The Sydney Russell School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 50.9, and 55% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

What are The Sydney Russell School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 83% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Sydney Russell School?

The Sydney Russell School is at Parsloes Avenue, Dagenham, Essex, RM9 5QT.