Alec Hunter Academy
Academy sponsor led · 1,058 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.7
Academy converter
Helena Romanes School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,265of 1,593 places
- Free school meals
- 18.1%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 212
- Ofsted
- Good, 10 October 2023Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Helena Romanes School and Sixth Form Centre (URN 115373, until 1 April 2012).
What the data says
Of the 226 pupils who finished Year 11 at Helena Romanes School in 2023, 47% stayed on in Helena Romanes School’s own sixth form (Essex average 37%), 31% went to a further education college and 4% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 60 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 35% went to university (Essex 35%, England 37%), and 5% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally; 15% started an apprenticeship, well above the 7% England average.
Media Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 26% of the year group took it, against 4% of pupils across England.
A level grades average D+, well below the England average of B-; 0% of students achieved AAB or better including two facilitating subjects (England 18%). The largest A level subjects are Business Studies, Psychology and Sociology.
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 | Helena Romanes School | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 226 | 15,970 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 90% | 92% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 80% | 86% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 47% | 37% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 2% | 9% | 13% |
| — further education college | 31% | 38% | 37% |
| — other education | — | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 6% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 5% | 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 | Helena Romanes School | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 60 | 13,240 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 82% | 81% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 35% | 35% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 5% | 15% | 19% |
| Further education | 0% | 4% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 15% | 8% | 7% |
| Employment | 32% | 33% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 12% | 14% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Helena Romanes School | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 46.6 | 45.1 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 50% | 43% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 70% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 35% | 39% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.09 | 3.97 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 11% | 22% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 39.3 | 31.1 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 47.6 | 48.9 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 4% | 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 | 209 | 99% | 88% | 18% | 22% | 74% |
| English Language | 209 | 99% | 89% | 20% | 20% | 76% |
| English Literature | 208 | 98% | 86% | 18% | 21% | 81% |
| Combined Science | 163 | 77% | 65% | 2% | 9% | 56% |
| Geography | 127 | 60% | 41% | 16% | 25% | 59% |
| Business Studies | 90 | 42% | 18% | 21% | 20% | 73% |
| History | 76 | 36% | 41% | 25% | 26% | 66% |
| Design and Technology | 56 | 26% | 11% | 11% | 23% | 68% |
| Spanish | 55 | 26% | 19% | 31% | 27% | 85% |
| Media Studies | 55 | 26% | 4% | 9% | 20% | 53% |
| Physics | 45 | 21% | 23% | 33% | 46% | 98% |
| Chemistry | 44 | 21% | 23% | 30% | 47% | 100% |
| Biology | 44 | 21% | 23% | 25% | 45% | 100% |
| Physical Education | 40 | 19% | 11% | 10% | 24% | 50% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 30 | 14% | 8% | 33% | 21% | 80% |
| Computer Science | 30 | 14% | 13% | 30% | 30% | 73% |
| Fine Art | 26 | 12% | 9% | 31% | 28% | 62% |
| Religious Studies | 24 | 11% | 31% | 38% | 32% | 92% |
| Drama | 22 | 10% | 7% | 23% | 27% | 86% |
| French | 22 | 10% | 18% | 14% | 29% | 68% |
| Dance | 12 | 6% | 1% | 50% | 27% | 92% |
| Music | 9 | 4% | 5% | 0% | 33% | 11% |
| Modern Greek | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 33% | — |
| Art and Design | 1 | 0% | 7% | — | 24% | — |
| Russian | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Business Management | 23 | 30% | — |
| Sports / Movement Science | 23 | 30% | — |
| Childcare Skills | 16 | 21% | — |
| Health Studies | 15 | 20% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Helena Romanes School | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 153 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 76 | 6,944 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | D+ | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 24.99 | 34.68 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C- | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 0% | 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 | 29 | 38% | 13% |
| Psychology | 24 | 32% | 23% |
| Sociology | 19 | 25% | 13% |
| Economics | 12 | 16% | 13% |
| Biology | 11 | 14% | 20% |
| Law | 10 | 13% | 4% |
| English Language and Literature | 10 | 13% | 2% |
| Media Studies | 9 | 12% | 4% |
| Physical Education | 8 | 11% | 3% |
| Drama | 6 | 8% | 2% |
| Mathematics | — | — | 31% |
| Chemistry | — | — | 17% |
| Product Design | — | — | 2% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
| Religious Studies | — | — | 4% |
| Environmental Science | — | — | 1% |
| Geography | — | — | 10% |
| History | — | — | 13% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 38 | 50% | — |
| Finance / Accounting (General) | VRQ Level 3 | 27 | 36% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 14 | 18% | — |
| Mathematics (Numeracy) | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | 7 | 9% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 7 | 9% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 7 | 9% | — |
| Tourism | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 6 | 8% | — |
| Tourism | BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D) | — | — | — |
| Law | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Psychology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Law | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Psychology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - 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.