Alec Hunter Academy
Academy sponsor led · 1,058 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.7
Academy converter
St Mark's West Essex Catholic School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,099of 1,120 places
- Free school meals
- 21.0%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 170
- Ofsted
- Good, 22 February 2023Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: St Mark's West Essex Catholic School (URN 115374, until 1 August 2011).
What the data says
Of the 167 pupils who finished Year 11 at St Mark's West Essex Catholic School in 2023, 54% stayed on in St Mark's West Essex Catholic School’s own sixth form (Essex average 37%), 37% went to a further education college and 4% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 88 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 74% went to university (Essex 35%, England 37%), and 6% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
German is unusually popular at GCSE: 47% of the year group took it, against 5% of pupils across England.
A level grades average D+, well below the England average of B-; 2% of students achieved AAB or better including two facilitating subjects (England 18%). The largest A level subjects are Psychology, Sociology and Business Studies.
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 | 167 | 15,970 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 96% | 92% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 90% | 86% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 54% | 37% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | 9% | 13% |
| — further education college | 37% | 38% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 1% | 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 | 88 | 13,240 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 94% | 81% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 74% | 35% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 6% | 15% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 4% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 8% | 7% |
| Employment | 16% | 33% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 14% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 46.3 | 45.1 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 39% | 43% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 61% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 73% | 39% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.32 | 3.97 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 18% | 22% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 42.3 | 31.1 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 47.1 | 48.9 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 23% | 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 Literature | 166 | 98% | 86% | 14% | 21% | 77% |
| Mathematics | 166 | 98% | 88% | 14% | 22% | 67% |
| English Language | 166 | 98% | 89% | 10% | 20% | 72% |
| Religious Studies | 158 | 93% | 31% | 28% | 32% | 70% |
| Combined Science | 124 | 73% | 65% | 8% | 9% | 58% |
| Geography | 85 | 50% | 41% | 19% | 25% | 66% |
| German | 80 | 47% | 5% | 4% | 33% | 55% |
| Business Studies | 72 | 42% | 18% | 13% | 20% | 54% |
| History | 71 | 42% | 41% | 17% | 26% | 59% |
| Physical Education | 49 | 29% | 11% | 14% | 24% | 65% |
| French | 45 | 26% | 18% | 29% | 29% | 89% |
| Chemistry | 42 | 25% | 23% | 45% | 47% | 95% |
| Biology | 42 | 25% | 23% | 21% | 45% | 93% |
| Physics | 42 | 25% | 23% | 31% | 46% | 95% |
| Design and Technology | 39 | 23% | 11% | 18% | 23% | 62% |
| Computer Science | 22 | 13% | 13% | 9% | 30% | 64% |
| Drama | 22 | 13% | 7% | 0% | 27% | 45% |
| Art and Design | 19 | 11% | 7% | 21% | 24% | 58% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 17 | 10% | 8% | 12% | 21% | 47% |
| Music | 16 | 9% | 5% | 0% | 33% | 50% |
| Polish | 6 | 4% | 1% | 100% | 84% | 100% |
| Arabic | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Russian | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Italian | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Bengali | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 35% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | 49 | 49% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 11 | 11% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | This school | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 202 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 99 | 6,944 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | D+ | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 22.29 | 34.68 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C- | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 2% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 31 | 31% | 23% |
| Sociology | 29 | 29% | 13% |
| Business Studies | 16 | 16% | 13% |
| Law | 13 | 13% | 4% |
| Politics | 13 | 13% | 6% |
| Media Studies | 11 | 11% | 4% |
| Biology | 11 | 11% | 20% |
| Economics | 9 | 9% | 13% |
| Mathematics | 9 | 9% | 31% |
| Chemistry | 8 | 8% | 17% |
| Physical Education | 8 | 8% | 3% |
| Physics | 7 | 7% | 12% |
| Religious Studies | 6 | 6% | 4% |
| Product Design | 6 | 6% | 2% |
| Polish | — | — | 0% |
| German | — | — | 0% |
| Geography | — | — | 10% |
| Turkish | — | — | 0% |
| English Literature | — | — | 11% |
| Drama | — | — | 2% |
| Computer Science | — | — | 5% |
| Art and Design | — | — | 1% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | GCE AS level (All) | 50 | 51% | — |
| Sociology | GCE AS level (All) | 40 | 40% | — |
| Media Studies | GCE AS level (All) | 27 | 27% | — |
| Business Studies | GCE AS level (All) | 21 | 21% | — |
| Psychology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | 19 | 19% | — |
| Law | GCE AS level (All) | 19 | 19% | — |
| Politics | GCE AS level (All) | 18 | 18% | — |
| Media Studies | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | 16 | 16% | — |
| Biology | GCE AS level (All) | 14 | 14% | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 14 | 14% | — |
| English Literature | GCE AS level (All) | 13 | 13% | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | 12 | 12% | — |
| Sociology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | 11 | 11% | — |
| Chemistry | GCE AS level (All) | 10 | 10% | — |
| Economics | GCE AS level (All) | 10 | 10% | — |
| Religious Studies | GCE AS level (All) | 10 | 10% | — |
| English Literature | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | 8 | 8% | — |
| Physics | GCE AS level (All) | 8 | 8% | — |
| Computer Science | GCE AS level (All) | 7 | 7% | — |
| Law | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | 6 | 6% | — |
| Biology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Chemistry | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Computer Science | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Economics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Politics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| History | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Religious Studies | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Physics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Drama | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Geography | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| German | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| History | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Small Business Management | BTEC Technical Certificate L2 - Band E - P-D | — | — | — |
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.