Ofsted: Outstanding schoolGrammar School trending_up High Demand emoji_events #2 in Southend-on-Sea public Top 1% UK

Westcliff High School for Girls

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMrs Emma Matthews

corporate_fareSOUTH EAST ESSEX ACADEMY TRUST

location_onWestcliff-on-Sea, SS0 0BS

language Visit Website phone 1702476026

verified

Ofsted

Outstanding

Inspected 2024

groups

Students

1,333

trending_up

Attainment 8

75.6

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GCSE Rank

#2 in Southend-on-Sea

#51 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Westcliff High School for Girls is a Academy converter secondary school in Westcliff-on-Sea, serving ages 11-18. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted — the highest possible grade. Highly competitive: 1.6× more applications than places — plan well ahead.

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School Summary

Westcliff High School for Girls is an academy converter in Westcliff-on-Sea, Southend-on-Sea, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of SOUTH EAST ESSEX ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 1,342 pupils on roll, of whom 9% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 75.6, placing the school #2 in Southend-on-Sea and #51 of 3,216 nationally. 97.30% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 70.8% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 25 A-level subjects. 70.0% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 39.6% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.22 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2024. The school's current overall rating is Outstanding. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Outstanding, behaviour and attitudes Outstanding, personal development Outstanding, and leadership and management Outstanding.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.6× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 19.3:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 0.8 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

75.6

Grade 5+ E&M

97.30%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)70.8%

Entering EBacc92.40%

EBacc APS7.28

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.9

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

76.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc94.80%

EBacc APS7.46

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.89

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

78.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc98%

EBacc APS7.61

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.69

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

79.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc93%

EBacc APS7.69

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc96%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.77

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc73%

EBacc APS7.13

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.86

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

76.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc94%

EBacc APS7.43

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

99%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)99%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)0%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

99%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)99%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)0%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

99%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)98%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)98%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)98%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

-0.22

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

208

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*12.5%

Achieving A*–A39.6%

Achieving A*–B70.0%

VA Banding Below average

Retention rate99.0%

A-level subjects offered25

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.25

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

181

Retention rate100.00%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

242

Retention rate97.90%

2022

Avg Grade

B+

Students

203

Retention rate99.5%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

06 February 2024

Inspection Report

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14 February 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2024-02-06

S5 Inspection EIF

Outstanding

Education

Outstanding

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Outstanding

2010-10-06

S5 Inspection EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

2008-02-20

None EIF

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

0.8%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.7%(10 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,342 pupils. During this period, there were 11 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.8%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,342	11	0.8%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,341	11	0.8%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,297	14	1.1%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,300	6	0.5%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,297	11	0.8%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,329	6	0.5%	6.6%	1
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,333	9	0.7%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,336	13	1.0%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,344	4	0.3%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,348	9	0.7%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,350	9	0.7%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,300	8	0.6%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,302	2	0.2%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,304	6	0.5%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,269	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,269	9	0.7%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,271	4	0.3%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,267	3	0.2%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,270	5	0.4%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,271	3	0.2%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,227	1	0.1%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,228	3	0.2%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,226	1	0.1%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,172	2	0.2%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,175	4	0.3%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,177	4	0.3%	3.1%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 16 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 15 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 5 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 4 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 3 pupils

Physical Disability 3 pupils

Hearing Impairment 2 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils

Multi-Sensory Impairment 1 pupils

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Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

83.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

93.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

10.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree46%

agree42%

disagree9%

strongly disagree1%

don't know2%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree24%

agree39%

disagree22%

strongly disagree12%

don't know4%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree24%

agree20%

disagree11%

strongly disagree6%

don't know5%

not applicable35%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes11%

no89%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree41%

agree18%

disagree12%

strongly disagree24%

dont know6%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree63%

agree29%

disagree6%

strongly disagree1%

don't know2%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree52%

agree35%

disagree7%

strongly disagree1%

don't know5%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree37%

agree33%

disagree22%

strongly disagree7%

don't know1%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree52%

agree39%

disagree8%

strongly disagree1%

don't know1%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree57%

agree39%

disagree3%

strongly disagree1%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree42%

agree39%

disagree10%

strongly disagree3%

don't know7%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes82%

no18%

Top Secondary Schools in Southend-on-Sea

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

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Westcliff High School for Boys Academy

Outstanding

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Outstanding

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Southend High School for Boys

Outstanding

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St Bernard's High School

Good

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The Eastwood Academy

Outstanding

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St Thomas More High School

Good

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View all schools in Southend-on-Sea arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Selective Admission (Grammar)

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Southend-on-Sea

Westcliff High School for Boys Academy

Southend High School for Girls

Southend High School for Boys

St Bernard's High School

The Eastwood Academy

St Thomas More High School