Alec Hunter Academy
Academy sponsor led · 1,058 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.7
Academy converter
Debden Park High School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,046of 1,120 places
- Free school meals
- 19.6%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 179
- Ofsted
- School remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next, 25 March 2025Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Debden Park High School (URN 131876, until 1 April 2011).
What the data says
Of the 171 pupils who finished Year 11 at Debden Park High School in 2023, 41% stayed on in Debden Park High School’s own sixth form (Essex average 37%), 44% went to a further education college and 2% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 79 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 47% went to university (Essex 35%, England 37%), and 15% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Photography is unusually popular at GCSE: 31% of the year group took it, against 6% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 48.3 against 46.1 across England and 45.1 in Essex, with 50% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Essex and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Debden Park High School | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 171 | 15,970 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 94% | 92% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 88% | 86% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 41% | 37% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 1% | 9% | 13% |
| — further education college | 44% | 38% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 6% | 5% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 1% | 3% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Debden Park High School | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 79 | 13,240 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 92% | 81% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 47% | 35% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 15% | 15% | 19% |
| Further education | 0% | 4% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 8% | 7% |
| Employment | 41% | 33% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 6% | 14% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Debden Park High School | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 48.3 | 45.1 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 50% | 43% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 74% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 17% | 39% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.06 | 3.97 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 19% | 22% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 36.2 | 31.1 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 51.2 | 48.9 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 11% | 9% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 179 | 100% | 88% | 15% | 22% | 77% |
| English Literature | 179 | 100% | 86% | 25% | 21% | 74% |
| English Language | 179 | 100% | 89% | 21% | 20% | 74% |
| Combined Science | 122 | 68% | 65% | 7% | 9% | 52% |
| Geography | 110 | 61% | 41% | 21% | 25% | 57% |
| History | 90 | 50% | 41% | 39% | 26% | 72% |
| Photography | 56 | 31% | 6% | 9% | 19% | 79% |
| Chemistry | 55 | 31% | 23% | 38% | 47% | 82% |
| Physics | 55 | 31% | 23% | 31% | 46% | 75% |
| Biology | 55 | 31% | 23% | 40% | 45% | 80% |
| Business Studies | 53 | 30% | 18% | 25% | 20% | 60% |
| Physical Education | 51 | 28% | 11% | 8% | 24% | 71% |
| Art and Design | 26 | 15% | 7% | 27% | 24% | 81% |
| Sociology | 25 | 14% | 4% | 36% | 21% | 92% |
| Spanish | 24 | 13% | 19% | 13% | 27% | 63% |
| Film Studies | 22 | 12% | 1% | 27% | 20% | 73% |
| Religious Studies | 20 | 11% | 31% | 30% | 32% | 85% |
| Design and Technology | 20 | 11% | 11% | 10% | 23% | 50% |
| Drama | 18 | 10% | 7% | 17% | 27% | 44% |
| Computer Science | 18 | 10% | 13% | 56% | 30% | 89% |
| French | 10 | 6% | 18% | 40% | 29% | 80% |
| Turkish | 3 | 2% | 0% | — | 71% | — |
| Russian | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Polish | 1 | 1% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Italian | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multimedia | 23 | 27% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 21 | 25% | — |
| Dance: General | 13 | 15% | — |
| Music performance: Group | 11 | 13% | — |
| Sports / Movement Science | 9 | 11% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Debden Park High School | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 171 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 84 | 6,944 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C+ | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 32.06 | 34.68 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C+ | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 8% | 18% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sociology | 31 | 37% | 13% |
| Psychology | 26 | 31% | 23% |
| Mathematics | 24 | 29% | 31% |
| Business Studies | 24 | 29% | 13% |
| English Literature | 22 | 26% | 11% |
| History | 18 | 21% | 13% |
| Film Studies | 16 | 19% | 2% |
| Chemistry | 15 | 18% | 17% |
| Biology | 13 | 15% | 20% |
| Physics | 12 | 14% | 12% |
| Geography | 11 | 13% | 10% |
| Economics | 10 | 12% | 13% |
| Politics | 9 | 11% | 6% |
| Computer Science | 6 | 7% | 5% |
| Turkish | — | — | 0% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | 26 | 31% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 19 | 23% | — |
| Speech and Drama | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Music performance: Group | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Economics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| History | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| History | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Essex
Anglo European School
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96% stayed in education · Attainment 8 55.6
Beauchamps High School
Foundation school · sixth form · 1,486 pupils
83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 48.1
Becket Keys Church of England Free School
Free schools · sixth form · 1,152 pupils
93% stayed in education · Attainment 8 56.0
Bmat Stem Academy
University technical college · sixth form · 240 pupils
84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 28.1
Brentwood County High School
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 1,097 pupils
78% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.2
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.