Sir Frederick Gibberd College

Sir Frederick Gibberd College is a secondary free school in the BMAT Education trust that had not previously been inspected under section 5. It has experienced significant disruption: its new building was condemned, pupils spent time learning in marquees and at another school, and the sixth form was disbanded before reopening in September 2024. Inspectors found that the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management require improvement, while personal development and sixth-form provision are good. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The sixth form is a notable strength, with a broad and ambitious curriculum, expert teaching, avid readers, student leadership and mentoring roles, and work placements that match students' aspirations. Personal development is well considered, with an extensive extra-curricular offer, trips and pupils who are respectful of difference. The school site is calm and orderly, pupils are highly resilient, and the trust has supported improvements in SEND identification and support plans. However, curriculum delivery is variable and staff do not consistently adapt to pupils' differing needs or prior knowledge. Early reading and phonics support has been slow and limited, and targeted SEND strategies are used inconsistently. Behaviour for learning is not strong enough, with a substantial rise in suspensions and repeat suspensions for some pupils. Leaders' use of information and record-keeping is partial or incomplete, which hampers improvement, and the local governing body is not yet holding the school to account sufficiently. Younger pupils also lack independent careers information, advice and guidance, and safeguarding record-keeping is inconsistent, although vulnerable pupils are kept safe.

Strengths

• Sixth-form curriculum is broad, ambitious and well delivered, with expert teaching.
• Sixth-form students are avid readers and benefit from leadership and mentoring roles.
• Personal development programmes are well considered and include an extensive extra-curricular offer and trips.
• Pupils are respectful of difference and confident in their understanding of protected characteristics and multiculturalism.
• The school site is calm and orderly, and pupils' conduct in lessons is compliant.
• Pupils are highly resilient and appreciate staff efforts to support their well-being.
• The trust has strengthened SEND identification procedures and improved the quality of support plans.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with an established safeguarding culture and prompt action by the safeguarding team.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum delivery is variable and teachers do not consistently adapt to pupils' differing needs and prior knowledge.
• Early reading and phonics support has been slow and limited, leaving some struggling readers without timely help.
• Targeted SEND strategies are used inconsistently, which hampers some pupils' access to the curriculum.
• Behaviour for learning is not well cultivated, and suspension rates have risen substantially, including repeat suspensions.
• Leaders' record-keeping and use of information are partial or incomplete, limiting strategic improvement.
• The local governing body has not focused sufficiently on its monitoring role and does not help hold the school to account effectively.
• Younger pupils do not yet receive independent careers information, advice and guidance.
• Safeguarding record-keeping is inconsistent, with unclear chronology of actions in some cases.

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 Sir Frederick Gibberd College attended 91.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 22.9% 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, 15.1% of pupils at Sir Frederick Gibberd College were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 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 Sir Frederick Gibberd College had 14.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.2% 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, 12.3% of pupils at Sir Frederick Gibberd College were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.7% 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 Sir Frederick Gibberd College received £7,960 and spent £8,016 for each of its 846 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £444,000 (£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 Harlow · Essex local authority: places and applications

Sir Frederick Gibberd College is part of Bmat Education, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

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

What is Sir Frederick Gibberd College's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sir Frederick Gibberd College is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Sir Frederick Gibberd College last inspected by Ofsted?

Sir Frederick Gibberd College was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Sir Frederick Gibberd College have?

Sir Frederick Gibberd College has 880 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sir Frederick Gibberd College cover?

Sir Frederick Gibberd College for pupils aged 11 to 19.

What are Sir Frederick Gibberd College's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 44.7, and 42% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Sir Frederick Gibberd College?

Sir Frederick Gibberd College is at Tendring Road, Harlow, Essex, CM18 6RN.