Alec Hunter Academy
Academy sponsor led · 1,058 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.7
Academy converter
Hedingham School and Sixth Form
- Pupils on roll
- 1,177of 1,168 places
- Free school meals
- 15.9%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 192
- Ofsted
- School remains Good, 3 March 2023Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Hedingham School and Sixth Form (URN 115209, until 1 January 2013).
What the data says
Of the 193 pupils who finished Year 11 at Hedingham School and Sixth Form in 2023, 47% stayed on in Hedingham School and Sixth Form’s own sixth form (Essex average 37%), 29% went to a further education college and 3% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 86 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 36% went to university (Essex 35%, England 37%), and 6% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Media Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 33% of the year group took it, against 4% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 39.9 against 46.1 across England and 45.1 in Essex, with 27% 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 | This school | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 193 | 15,970 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 95% | 92% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 90% | 86% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 47% | 37% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 12% | 9% | 13% |
| — further education college | 29% | 38% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 3% | 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 | 86 | 13,240 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 86% | 81% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 36% | 35% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 6% | 15% | 19% |
| Further education | 3% | 4% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 8% | 7% |
| Employment | 38% | 33% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 8% | 14% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 39.9 | 45.1 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 27% | 43% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 53% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 6% | 39% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.17 | 3.97 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 18% | 22% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 24.6 | 31.1 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 43.3 | 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 | 188 | 98% | 89% | 8% | 20% | 62% |
| Mathematics | 188 | 98% | 88% | 6% | 22% | 65% |
| English Literature | 186 | 97% | 86% | 7% | 21% | 51% |
| Combined Science | 134 | 70% | 65% | 4% | 9% | 40% |
| Geography | 93 | 48% | 41% | 11% | 25% | 46% |
| Business Studies | 85 | 44% | 18% | 4% | 20% | 34% |
| History | 68 | 35% | 41% | 15% | 26% | 40% |
| Media Studies | 63 | 33% | 4% | 14% | 20% | 75% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 51 | 27% | 8% | 8% | 21% | 71% |
| Physics | 50 | 26% | 23% | 12% | 46% | 72% |
| Biology | 50 | 26% | 23% | 16% | 45% | 84% |
| Chemistry | 49 | 26% | 23% | 14% | 47% | 67% |
| Fine Art | 47 | 24% | 9% | 26% | 28% | 79% |
| 3D Design | 38 | 20% | 2% | 3% | 16% | 53% |
| Graphic Communication | 29 | 15% | 1% | 10% | 23% | 48% |
| Computer Science | 27 | 14% | 13% | 7% | 30% | 44% |
| French | 19 | 10% | 18% | 5% | 29% | 47% |
| Music | 16 | 8% | 5% | 0% | 33% | 19% |
| Textiles | 14 | 7% | 2% | 0% | 27% | 7% |
| Religious Studies | 11 | 6% | 31% | 0% | 32% | 91% |
| Drama | 6 | 3% | 7% | 0% | 27% | 100% |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | 132 | 100% | — |
| Childcare Skills | 38 | 56% | — |
| Dance: General | 35 | 51% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 20 | 29% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | This school | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 178 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 68 | 6,944 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 28.39 | 34.68 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 13% | 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 | 21 | 31% | 23% |
| Biology | 19 | 28% | 20% |
| Media Studies | 15 | 22% | 4% |
| Mathematics | 14 | 21% | 31% |
| Chemistry | 10 | 15% | 17% |
| Business Studies | 10 | 15% | 13% |
| Physics | 9 | 13% | 12% |
| Geography | 8 | 12% | 10% |
| Sociology | 7 | 10% | 13% |
| English Literature | 6 | 9% | 11% |
| Fine Art | 6 | 9% | 3% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| History | — | — | 13% |
| Computer Science | — | — | 5% |
| Politics | — | — | 6% |
| Photography | — | — | 3% |
| 3D Design | — | — | 1% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 29 | 43% | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | 13 | 19% | — |
| Photography | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | 9 | 13% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 9 | 13% | — |
| Photography | GCE AS level (All) | 9 | 13% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 8 | 12% | — |
| Multimedia | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 7 | 10% | — |
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 7 | 10% | — |
| Geography | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Childcare Skills | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Geography | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Multimedia | OCR Cambridge Technical Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Applied Sciences | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Essex
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Beauchamps High School
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83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 48.1
Becket Keys Church of England Free School
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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.