With applications to Havering secondary schools for the next academic year now open, here are some of the borough's top secondary schools rated by pupil progress.
On September 1, applications to Havering secondary schools opened to those looking to secure a place at their school of choice for the 2025 academic year.
The application window closes on October 31, with offers being made nationally on March 1 2025.
The Department for Education (DfE) revealed on September 2 that the 'single word judgements' used by Ofsted to rate schools from their inspections will no longer be used.
Schools that are due for inspection this year will now receive ratings based on the four existing subcategories, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership & management.
In light of the change, we have put together a list of secondary schools in Havering that saw positive progress in pupils in 2023 according to the DfE.
The data is sourced from Progress 8 scores of the schools, which are based on progress between the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6) and 4 (Year 11) in up to eight subjects compared to pupils across the country.
The compared subjects include English, maths, sciences, computer science, history, geography, and languages.
A score above zero indicates that pupils made more progress, on average, than pupils across England who got similar results at the end of Key Stage 2.
Sacred Heart of Mary Girls' School, Upminster
Pupils at the end of KS4 in 2024 at the Sacred Heart of Mary Girls' School performed well above average, receiving a 0.65 rating.
The DfE reported that at students attending the school "achieve over half a grade higher in each qualification on average, compared to similar pupils across the country".
The Coopers' Company and Coborn School, Upminster
This is another Upminster school where pupils at the end of their KS4 education in 2023 performed well above average.
The school is a state secondary school and sixth form with academy status.
The progress shown by pupils here gave it a 0.54 rating.
St Edward's Church of England Academy, Romford
This Romford-based school was the last from the school performance data for Havering secondary schools in the 2022/2023 academic year, to achieve a well above average rating.
Pupil progress here saw the DfE issue a 0.53 rating.
The Campion School, Hornchurch
The Campion School achieved an above average rating of 0.38 based on pupils' progress from the end of KS2 to the end of KS4 in 2023.
According to the DfE, schools with an above average rating "achieve up to half a grade higher in each qualification on average, compared to similar pupils across the country".
The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls, Romford
This Brentwood Road school achieved a 0.24 rating from pupil progress, ranking it above average.
It is the final secondary school on the Havering list to have been given an above average rating.
The DfE has stressed that a score below zero does not mean that pupils made no progress, but that compared with students with similar results at the end of KS 2, their progress was lower.
It should be noted that the data for the 2022-2023 academic year follows the Covid-19 pandemic, with a return to pre-pandemic qualification standards only being made this year.
The DfE added: “There are ongoing impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, which affected individual schools, colleges and pupils differently.
“Performance data should be considered alongside a range of other information about the school or college, which could include looking at school or college websites, reading Ofsted reports, and speaking to the school or college directly.”
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