Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #5 in Southend-on-Sea public Top 11% UK

St Bernard's High School

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

personMrs Allison Moise-Dixon

corporate_fareST BERNARD'S HIGH SCHOOL

location_onWestcliff-on-Sea, SS0 7JS

language Visit Website phone 1702343583

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2016

groups

Students

967

trending_up

Attainment 8

54.9

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GCSE Rank

#5 in Southend-on-Sea

#485 of 3,216 nationally

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St Bernard's High School is a Academy converter secondary school in Westcliff-on-Sea, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

St Bernard's High School 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 ST BERNARD'S HIGH SCHOOL. The school has approximately 1,021 pupils on roll, of whom 17% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 54.9, placing the school #5 in Southend-on-Sea and #485 of 3,216 nationally. 59.30% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 25.0% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 19 A-level subjects. 38.4% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 11.6% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.17 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2016. The school's current overall rating is Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 1.0× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 15.6:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there was 1 permanent exclusion. 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

54.9

Grade 5+ E&M

59.30%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)25.0%

Entering EBacc7.80%

EBacc APS4.25

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.57

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

55.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc52.10%

EBacc APS4.83

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.77

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

58.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc69%

EBacc APS5.24

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.61

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

59.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc68%

EBacc APS5.42

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc56%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.88

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

56.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc55%

EBacc APS5.02

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.4

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

53.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc51%

EBacc APS4.7

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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)97%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)96%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)93%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)97%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)95%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

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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

-0.17

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*1.2%

Achieving A*–A11.6%

Achieving A*–B38.4%

VA Banding Below average

Retention rate95.2%

A-level subjects offered19

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.01

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate80.00%

2023

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate86.60%

2022

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate96.1%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

21 March 2023

Inspection Report

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01 December 2020

Inspection Report

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05 October 2016

Inspection Report

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31 May 2012

Inspection Report

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14 February 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2016-10-05

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2012-05-31

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2006-10-05

None EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

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

Suspension Rate

0.6%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.6%(6 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 1,021 pupils. During this period, there were 6 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.6%, 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)	1,021	6	0.6%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,024	10	1.0%	7.8%	1
2023/24 (Summer term)	992	6	0.6%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	999	12	1.2%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	992	13	1.3%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	967	19	2.0%	6.6%	1
2022/23 (Spring term)	967	13	1.3%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	965	12	1.2%	5.9%	1
2021/22 (Summer term)	964	16	1.7%	4.7%	1
2021/22 (Spring term)	966	10	1.0%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	967	16	1.7%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	929	14	1.5%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	935	1	0.1%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	939	3	0.3%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	883	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	883	3	0.3%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	884	6	0.7%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	851	9	1.1%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	852	8	0.9%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	855	8	0.9%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	852	9	1.1%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	852	3	0.4%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	855	13	1.5%	3.7%	1
2016/17 (Summer term)	872	12	1.4%	3.0%	1
2016/17 (Spring term)	872	8	0.9%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	874	6	0.7%	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.

Specific Learning Difficulty 24 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 14 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 10 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 8 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 2 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 2 pupils

Hearing Impairment 1 pupils

Physical Disability 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.

78.0%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.

24.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree40%

agree42%

disagree10%

strongly disagree7%

don't know1%

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

strongly agree12%

agree45%

disagree26%

strongly disagree15%

don't know1%

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

strongly agree26%

agree27%

disagree16%

strongly disagree11%

don't know1%

not applicable18%

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

yes14%

no86%

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

strongly agree20%

agree50%

disagree20%

strongly disagree10%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree33%

agree48%

disagree11%

strongly disagree4%

don't know4%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree27%

agree59%

disagree11%

strongly disagree1%

don't know1%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree22%

agree55%

disagree10%

strongly disagree12%

don't know1%

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

strongly agree34%

agree45%

disagree15%

strongly disagree4%

don't know1%

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

strongly agree30%

agree59%

disagree5%

strongly disagree3%

don't know3%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree29%

agree45%

disagree10%

strongly disagree7%

don't know10%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes74%

no26%

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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

Faith Priority (Roman Catholic)

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

Westcliff High School for Girls

Southend High School for Girls

Southend High School for Boys

The Eastwood Academy

St Thomas More High School