Ofsted: Not judged trending_up Places Available emoji_events #39 in Essex public Top 25% UK

Sir Frederick Gibberd College

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

personMs Dee Conlon

corporate_fareBMAT EDUCATION

location_onHarlow, CM18 6RN

language Visit Website phone 1279307235

verified

Ofsted

Not judged

Inspected 2024

groups

Students

652

trending_up

Attainment 8

leaderboard

GCSE Rank

#42 in Essex

#1,939 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Sir Frederick Gibberd College is a Free schools secondary school in Harlow, serving ages 11-19.

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School Summary

Sir Frederick Gibberd College is a free schools in Harlow, Essex, admitting pupils aged 11-19. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of BMAT EDUCATION. The school has approximately 843 pupils on roll, of whom 29% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 44, placing the school #42 in Essex and #1,939 of 3,216 nationally. 43.80% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 18.4% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2024. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Requires improvement, behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement, personal development Good, and leadership and management Requires improvement.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.8× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 19.8:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 2 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 10.3 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

Grade 5+ E&M

43.80%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)18.4%

Entering EBacc48.20%

EBacc APS4.1

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.09

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

46.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc41.40%

EBacc APS4.12

2023

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc-%

EBacc APS-

2022

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc-%

EBacc APS-

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc-%

EBacc APS-

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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.

2024

Students

2023

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate100.00%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

03 December 2024

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

1 Evaluations

2024-12-03

S5 Inspection EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Requires improvement

Development

Good

Leadership

Requires improvement

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

8.1%per term

warning Above Average

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

6.2%(52 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

2pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 843 pupils. During this period, there were 68 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 8.1%, which is above 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)	843	68	8.1%	7.3%	2
2024/25 (Autumn term)	850	106	12.5%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	766	56	7.3%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	779	73	9.4%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	835	57	6.8%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	650	56	8.6%	6.6%	2
2022/23 (Spring term)	652	50	7.7%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	663	43	6.5%	5.9%	1
2021/22 (Summer term)	441	21	4.8%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	440	12	2.7%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	442	9	2.0%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	238	9	3.8%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	239	2	0.8%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	242	5	2.1%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	119	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	119	2	1.7%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	120	0	0.0%	4.2%	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 43 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 24 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 17 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 9 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 8 pupils

Physical Disability 6 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 5 pupils

Hearing Impairment 3 pupils

Visual 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.

90.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

95.0%Positive

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

17.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree59%

agree34%

disagree4%

strongly disagree1%

don't know2%

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

strongly agree27%

agree45%

disagree18%

strongly disagree5%

don't know5%

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

strongly agree38%

agree15%

disagree14%

strongly disagree4%

don't know1%

not applicable27%

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

yes26%

no74%

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

strongly agree45%

agree21%

disagree21%

strongly disagree10%

dont know3%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree55%

agree36%

disagree4%

don't know4%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree48%

agree38%

disagree12%

strongly disagree1%

don't know2%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree30%

agree43%

disagree15%

strongly disagree6%

don't know5%

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

strongly agree29%

agree43%

disagree19%

strongly disagree7%

don't know2%

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

strongly agree44%

agree45%

disagree6%

strongly disagree2%

don't know3%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree31%

agree39%

disagree19%

strongly disagree4%

don't know7%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes82%

no18%

Top Secondary Schools in Essex

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

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King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford

Outstanding

location_on Chelmsford, CM1 3SX

emoji_events #1 in LA

Chelmsford County High School for Girls

Outstanding

location_on Chelmsford, CM1 1RW

emoji_events #2 in LA

Colchester Royal Grammar School

Inadequate

location_on Colchester, CO3 3ND

emoji_events #3 in LA

Colchester County High School for Girls

Outstanding

location_on Colchester, CO3 3US

emoji_events #4 in LA

Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School

Good

location_on Brentwood, CM14 4EX

emoji_events #5 in LA

Saffron Walden County High School

Outstanding

location_on Saffron Walden, CB11 4UH

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in Essex arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

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 Essex

King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford

Chelmsford County High School for Girls

Colchester Royal Grammar School

Colchester County High School for Girls

Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School

Saffron Walden County High School