Alec Hunter Academy
Academy sponsor led · 1,058 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.7
Academy converter
The King John School
- Pupils on roll
- 2,098of 2,000 places
- Free school meals
- 13.4%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 324
- Ofsted
- Report card, 20 January 2026Read the Ofsted report
Curriculum and teaching Strong standardAchievement Expected standardAttendance and behaviour Strong standardPersonal development and wellbeing Strong standardInclusion Strong standardLeadership and governance Strong standardPost-16 provision Strong standardSafeguarding Met
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: The King John School (URN 115319, until 1 April 2011).
What the data says
Of the 333 pupils who finished Year 11 at The King John School in 2023, 52% stayed on in The King John School’s own sixth form (Essex average 37%), 34% went to a further education college and 4% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 182 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 46% went to university (Essex 35%, England 37%), and 16% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally; 16% started an apprenticeship, well above the 7% England average.
Sociology is unusually popular at GCSE: 22% of the year group took it, against 4% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 49.6 against 46.1 across England and 45.1 in Essex, with 50% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Essex and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | The King John School | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 333 | 15,970 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 92% | 92% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 87% | 86% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 52% | 37% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | 9% | 13% |
| — further education college | 34% | 38% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 3% | 3% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | The King John School | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 182 | 13,240 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 88% | 81% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 46% | 35% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 16% | 15% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 4% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 16% | 8% | 7% |
| Employment | 26% | 33% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 7% | 14% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | The King John School | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 49.6 | 45.1 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 50% | 43% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 76% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 50% | 39% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.29 | 3.97 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 17% | 22% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 38.9 | 31.1 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 51.7 | 48.9 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 3% | 9% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 322 | 99% | 89% | 16% | 20% | 79% |
| Mathematics | 321 | 99% | 88% | 19% | 22% | 80% |
| English Literature | 319 | 98% | 86% | 17% | 21% | 79% |
| Combined Science | 260 | 80% | 65% | 7% | 9% | 60% |
| Geography | 164 | 51% | 41% | 10% | 25% | 61% |
| History | 148 | 46% | 41% | 29% | 26% | 66% |
| Spanish | 94 | 29% | 19% | 7% | 27% | 59% |
| Business Studies | 92 | 28% | 18% | 11% | 20% | 62% |
| Sociology | 72 | 22% | 4% | 28% | 21% | 74% |
| French | 70 | 22% | 18% | 9% | 29% | 67% |
| Statistics | 60 | 19% | 5% | 43% | 20% | 98% |
| Physics | 59 | 18% | 23% | 51% | 46% | 100% |
| Biology | 59 | 18% | 23% | 53% | 45% | 100% |
| Chemistry | 59 | 18% | 23% | 59% | 47% | 100% |
| Media Studies | 44 | 14% | 4% | 25% | 20% | 82% |
| Fine Art | 37 | 11% | 9% | 51% | 28% | 97% |
| Physical Education | 33 | 10% | 11% | 18% | 24% | 79% |
| Dance | 25 | 8% | 1% | 20% | 27% | 80% |
| Photography | 23 | 7% | 6% | 26% | 19% | 78% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 19 | 6% | 8% | 53% | 21% | 95% |
| Film Studies | 18 | 6% | 1% | 17% | 20% | 89% |
| Religious Studies | 18 | 6% | 31% | 72% | 32% | 100% |
| Drama | 17 | 5% | 7% | 65% | 27% | 100% |
| Design and Technology | 15 | 5% | 11% | 47% | 23% | 100% |
| Music | 12 | 4% | 5% | 8% | 33% | 67% |
| 3D Design | 11 | 3% | 2% | 0% | 16% | 55% |
| German | 1 | 0% | 5% | — | 33% | — |
| Turkish | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 71% | — |
| Russian | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance / Accounting (General) | 67 | 32% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 63 | 30% | — |
| Engineering Studies | 39 | 19% | — |
| Beauty Care / Services | 34 | 16% | — |
| Childcare Skills | 30 | 14% | — |
| Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined) | 30 | 14% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 16 | 8% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | The King John School | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 462 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 207 | 6,944 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B- | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 37.58 | 34.68 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B- | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 7% | 18% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Studies | 70 | 34% | 13% |
| Mathematics | 58 | 28% | 31% |
| Media Studies | 47 | 23% | 4% |
| Psychology | 42 | 20% | 23% |
| Sociology | 40 | 19% | 13% |
| Law | 36 | 17% | 4% |
| English Literature | 30 | 14% | 11% |
| Biology | 28 | 14% | 20% |
| Economics | 21 | 10% | 13% |
| History | 20 | 10% | 13% |
| Geography | 19 | 9% | 10% |
| Film Studies | 17 | 8% | 2% |
| Chemistry | 15 | 7% | 17% |
| Physical Education | 13 | 6% | 3% |
| Physics | 12 | 6% | 12% |
| French | 9 | 4% | 1% |
| Product Design | 9 | 4% | 2% |
| Dance | 8 | 4% | 0% |
| English Language | 8 | 4% | 4% |
| Religious Studies | 7 | 3% | 4% |
| Drama | 7 | 3% | 2% |
| Photography | 6 | 3% | 3% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finance / Accounting (General) | VRQ Level 3 | 51 | 25% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 20 | 10% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 19 | 9% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 19 | 9% | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | 14 | 7% | — |
| Film / Video / Television Production | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 12 | 6% | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | 9 | 4% | — |
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 8 | 4% | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 6 | 3% | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Tourism | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| French | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| French | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Essex
Anglo European School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,533 pupils
96% stayed in education · Attainment 8 55.6
Beauchamps High School
Foundation school · sixth form · 1,486 pupils
83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 48.1
Becket Keys Church of England Free School
Free schools · sixth form · 1,152 pupils
93% stayed in education · Attainment 8 56.0
Bmat Stem Academy
University technical college · sixth form · 240 pupils
84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 28.1
Brentwood County High School
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 1,097 pupils
78% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.2
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.