1
Southend High School for Girls
Secondary • Academy converter • Southend-on-Sea • Essex • SS2 4UZ
Outstanding
Top 10 Secondary schools in Essex
Updated for the latest inspections (median graded year: 2022)
Unlock exact pupil counts, FSM%, full inspection dates, interactive map & CSV export with
AllSchools Pro.
This Top 10 showcases secondary schools in the county of Essex. It’s built from the latest graded Ofsted inspections. We rank Outstanding (grade 1) above Good (grade 2), then prioritise newer inspections. As tie-breakers, we consider the “Quality of education” sub-judgement (where available), then %FSM and school size.
Total secondary schools
134
Outstanding
23
Good
86
Median inspection year
2022
Ofsted grade mix (graded schools)
O: 18% · G: 68% · RI: 13% · I: 1%
2
Southend High School for Boys
Secondary • Academy converter • Southend-on-Sea • Essex • SS0 0RG
Outstanding
3
Jo Richardson Community School
Secondary • Community school • Dagenham • Essex • RM9 4UN
Outstanding
4
The Warren School
Secondary • Academy sponsor led • Romford • Essex • RM6 6SB
Outstanding
5
All Saints Catholic School and Technology College
Secondary • Voluntary aided school • Dagenham • Essex • RM8 1JT
Outstanding
6
Saffron Walden County High School
Secondary • Academy converter • Saffron Walden • Essex • CB11 4UH
Outstanding
7
Harris Academy Chafford Hundred
Secondary • Academy converter • Grays • Essex • RM16 6SA
Outstanding
8
Westcliff High School for Girls
Secondary • Academy converter • Westcliff-on-Sea • Essex • SS0 0BS
Outstanding
9
Barking Abbey School, A Specialist Sports and Humanities College
Secondary • Community school • Barking • Essex • IG11 9AG
Outstanding
10
Chelmsford County High School for Girls
Secondary • Academy converter • Chelmsford • Essex • CM1 1RW
Outstanding
How we rank these schools
- Headline Ofsted grade: Outstanding (1) outranks Good (2), then RI (3), then Inadequate (4).
- More recent graded inspection dates rank higher.
- Where available, we use the Quality of education sub-judgement as a tie-breaker.
- Lower free school meals (%) may break remaining ties.
- Larger roll (pupil count) is a final tie-breaker.
Only the ten highest-ranked schools are shown; we also list “near misses” just below.
About Ofsted grades
- Outstanding (1): Highest judgement across key areas.
- Good (2): Strong effectiveness; meets standards consistently.
- Requires improvement (3): Not yet good; clear areas to improve.
- Inadequate (4): Significant weaknesses found.
Ungraded Section 8 visits check whether the previous graded judgement still stands, but they don’t replace it.
Data freshness & coverage
We refresh inspections and school snapshots regularly. If a school was inspected very recently, its report may not yet appear here.
Top-10 pages only appear for areas with at least 10 secondary schools that have a graded Ofsted inspection.
Map of the Top 10
🔒 Interactive map is a Pro feature.
Upgrade
Also highly rated nearby
- Colchester County High School for Girls Outstanding • Jan 2024
- Westcliff High School for Boys Academy Outstanding • Jan 2024
-
🔒 8 more near-miss schoolsUnlock
Explore more secondary schools
Unlock Full School Data — Advanced Search & Exports
Apply deep filters (phase, type, trust, region, town, postcode-area) and export clean CSV/Excel/PDF reports — all ad-free and ready for your analysis.
Advanced filters
Full dataset access
CSV & Excel export
Ad-free browsing
Upgrade to Pro today and lock in today’s rate — all future tools included.
Built for professionals
All the data you need — export-ready for reports, dashboards and presentations.
- Full dataset access: pupil counts, FSM %, inspection history & more.
- Export tools: one-click CSV, Excel & PDF for immediate download.
- Search & filter across: region, district, city, county, local authority, trust, school type, gender, religion—and combinations.
- Refine by metrics: number of pupils, capacity, % FSM, postcode-area & more.