Alec Hunter Academy
Academy sponsor led · 1,058 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.7
Academy converter
Saffron Walden County High School
- Pupils on roll
- 2,157of 2,050 places
- Free school meals
- 10.3%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 303
- Ofsted
- Outstanding, 26 March 2024Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Saffron Walden County High School (URN 115324, until 1 June 2011).
What the data says
Of the 300 pupils who finished Year 11 at Saffron Walden County High School in 2023, 75% stayed on in Saffron Walden County High School’s own sixth form (Essex average 37%), 11% went to a further education college and 2% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 321 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 60% went to university (Essex 35%, England 37%), and 35% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were well above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 59.7 against 46.1 across England and 45.1 in Essex, with 66% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Physical Education is unusually popular at GCSE: 25% of the year group took it, against 11% of pupils across England.
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 | This school | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 300 | 15,970 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 94% | 92% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 89% | 86% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 75% | 37% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 3% | 9% | 13% |
| — further education college | 11% | 38% | 37% |
| — other education | — | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 4% | 5% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 2% | 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 | This school | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 321 | 13,240 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 91% | 81% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 60% | 35% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 35% | 15% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 4% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 8% | 7% |
| Employment | 23% | 33% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 7% | 14% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 59.7 | 45.1 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 66% | 43% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 85% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 55% | 39% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 5.57 | 3.97 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 11% | 22% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 40.7 | 31.1 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 62.0 | 48.9 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 6% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 299 | 99% | 88% | 40% | 22% | 88% |
| English Language | 299 | 99% | 89% | 33% | 20% | 87% |
| English Literature | 297 | 98% | 86% | 38% | 21% | 91% |
| Combined Science | 237 | 78% | 65% | 26% | 9% | 85% |
| History | 205 | 68% | 41% | 50% | 26% | 84% |
| Religious Studies | 126 | 42% | 31% | 42% | 32% | 87% |
| Geography | 122 | 40% | 41% | 43% | 25% | 83% |
| French | 93 | 31% | 18% | 60% | 29% | 91% |
| Business Studies | 83 | 27% | 18% | 39% | 20% | 90% |
| Physical Education | 75 | 25% | 11% | 29% | 24% | 85% |
| Physics | 62 | 20% | 23% | 85% | 46% | 100% |
| Chemistry | 62 | 20% | 23% | 90% | 47% | 100% |
| Biology | 62 | 20% | 23% | 89% | 45% | 100% |
| Drama | 48 | 16% | 7% | 56% | 27% | 98% |
| 3D Design | 45 | 15% | 2% | 31% | 16% | 87% |
| German | 43 | 14% | 5% | 35% | 33% | 91% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 42 | 14% | 8% | 17% | 21% | 64% |
| Computer Science | 42 | 14% | 13% | 62% | 30% | 90% |
| Art and Design | 35 | 12% | 7% | 34% | 24% | 100% |
| Music | 29 | 10% | 5% | 79% | 33% | 97% |
| Design and Technology | 28 | 9% | 11% | 36% | 23% | 93% |
| Spanish | 24 | 8% | 19% | 71% | 27% | 100% |
| Latin | 23 | 8% | 1% | 96% | 74% | 100% |
| Textiles | 18 | 6% | 2% | 44% | 27% | 89% |
| Dance | 9 | 3% | 1% | 78% | 27% | 89% |
| Russian | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Italian | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | 47 | 17% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 11 | 4% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | This school | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 618 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 279 | 6,944 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 39.97 | 34.68 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 20% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 78 | 28% | 31% |
| History | 47 | 17% | 13% |
| Business Studies | 47 | 17% | 13% |
| Psychology | 42 | 15% | 23% |
| Geography | 40 | 14% | 10% |
| English Literature | 38 | 14% | 11% |
| Economics | 38 | 14% | 13% |
| Biology | 36 | 13% | 20% |
| Physics | 32 | 11% | 12% |
| Chemistry | 32 | 11% | 17% |
| English Language | 28 | 10% | 4% |
| Geology | 26 | 9% | 0% |
| Media Studies | 24 | 9% | 4% |
| Sociology | 23 | 8% | 13% |
| Film Studies | 22 | 8% | 2% |
| Politics | 20 | 7% | 6% |
| Further Mathematics | 20 | 7% | 5% |
| Drama | 19 | 7% | 2% |
| 3D Design | 17 | 6% | 1% |
| Environmental Science | 14 | 5% | 1% |
| Computer Science | 14 | 5% | 5% |
| Philosophy | 12 | 4% | 1% |
| Classical Civilisation | 11 | 4% | 1% |
| Spanish | 9 | 3% | 2% |
| Photography | 9 | 3% | 3% |
| Music | 9 | 3% | 0% |
| Music Technology | 8 | 3% | 0% |
| Art and Design | 8 | 3% | 1% |
| French | 7 | 3% | 1% |
| Product Design | 7 | 3% | 2% |
| Physical Education | 6 | 2% | 3% |
| Textiles | — | — | 1% |
| German | — | — | 0% |
| Religious Studies | — | — | 4% |
| Russian | — | — | 0% |
| Latin | — | — | 0% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics (Numeracy) | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | 52 | 19% | — |
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 39 | 14% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 30 | 11% | — |
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 20 | 7% | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 19 | 7% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 11 | 4% | — |
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 11 | 4% | — |
| Tourism | VRQ Level 3 | 9 | 3% | — |
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma at Level 3 | 8 | 3% | — |
| Multimedia | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 6 | 2% | — |
| Chemistry | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Psychology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Chemistry | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Psychology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D) | — | — | — |
| Applied Sciences | VRQ 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.