Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #49 in Essex public Top 31% UK

Plume School

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

personMr Tom Baster

corporate_farePLUME SCHOOL

location_onMaldon, CM9 6AB

language Visit Website phone 1621854681

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2023

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Students

1,706

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Attainment 8

42.9

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GCSE Rank

#46 in Essex

#2,103 of 3,216 nationally

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Plume School is a Academy converter secondary school in Maldon, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.0×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Plume School is an academy converter in Maldon, Essex, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of PLUME SCHOOL. The school has approximately 1,786 pupils on roll, of whom 26% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 42.9, placing the school #46 in Essex and #2,103 of 3,216 nationally. 37.00% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 13.8% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 23 A-level subjects. 41.0% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 13.3% at A*–A. A-level value added: +0.22 — students made above-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2023. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.0× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 16.1:1. There are 2 teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 2 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 3.6 per 1,000 pupils per term.

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

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

42.9

Grade 5+ E&M

37.00%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)13.8%

Entering EBacc17.30%

EBacc APS3.57

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.37

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

43.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc13.80%

EBacc APS3.63

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.54

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc27%

EBacc APS3.82

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.35

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

45.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc24%

EBacc APS3.84

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc31%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.14

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc28%

EBacc APS3.71

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.01

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

45.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc38%

EBacc APS3.92

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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

89%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)81%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)78%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment8%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)8%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)88%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)85%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)87%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

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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 above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

107

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*3.4%

Achieving A*–A13.3%

Achieving A*–B41.0%

VA Banding Above average

Retention rate97.2%

A-level subjects offered23

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.59

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils do significantly better than expected at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate85.00%

2023

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate94.40%

2022

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate92.2%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

28 November 2023

Inspection Report

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16 January 2018

Inspection Report

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15 July 2014

Inspection Report

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16 January 2014

Inspection Report

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14 February 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2023-11-28

S5 Inspection EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2018-01-16

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2014-01-16

None Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

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

3.5%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

2.6%(47 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 1,786 pupils. During this period, there were 62 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 3.5%, 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)	1,786	62	3.5%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,793	66	3.7%	7.8%	2
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,730	99	5.7%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,736	191	11.0%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,747	182	10.4%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,681	143	8.5%	6.6%	2
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,706	199	11.7%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,727	148	8.6%	5.9%	1
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,717	95	5.5%	4.7%	1
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,727	142	8.2%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,726	104	6.0%	4.4%	1
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,719	106	6.2%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,734	32	1.8%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,747	89	5.1%	3.9%	2
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,702	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,702	91	5.3%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,701	132	7.8%	4.2%	1
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,672	123	7.4%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,679	176	10.5%	3.8%	1
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,678	168	10.0%	3.8%	2
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,634	127	7.8%	3.4%	1
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,638	68	4.2%	3.0%	1
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,644	53	3.2%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,678	111	6.6%	3.0%	1
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,696	126	7.4%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,709	136	8.0%	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 93 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 80 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 48 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 42 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 20 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 15 pupils

Physical Disability 5 pupils

Visual Impairment 4 pupils

Multi-Sensory Impairment 4 pupils