Alec Hunter Academy
Academy sponsor led · 1,058 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.7
Academy converter
The Sandon School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,218of 1,253 places
- Free school meals
- 15.3%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 208
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement, 19 March 2024Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: The Sandon School (URN 115379, until 1 August 2011).
What the data says
Of the 213 pupils who finished Year 11 at The Sandon School in 2023, 40% stayed on in The Sandon School’s own sixth form (Essex average 37%), 42% went to a further education college and 3% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 97 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 56% went to university (Essex 35%, England 37%), and 14% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally; 13% started an apprenticeship, well above the 7% England average.
Fine Art is unusually popular at GCSE: 26% of the year group took it, against 9% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were in line with the national picture: Attainment 8 of 46.6 against 46.1 across England and 45.1 in Essex, with 42% 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 | The Sandon School | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 213 | 15,970 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 91% | 92% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 86% | 86% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 40% | 37% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 4% | 9% | 13% |
| — further education college | 42% | 38% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 7% | 5% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 2% | 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 | The Sandon School | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 97 | 13,240 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 94% | 81% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 56% | 35% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 14% | 15% | 19% |
| Further education | 0% | 4% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 13% | 8% | 7% |
| Employment | 24% | 33% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 3% | 14% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | The Sandon School | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 46.6 | 45.1 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 42% | 43% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 70% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 25% | 39% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.92 | 3.97 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 13% | 22% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 32.4 | 31.1 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 48.7 | 48.9 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 8% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 208 | 100% | 89% | 15% | 20% | 75% |
| Mathematics | 208 | 100% | 88% | 14% | 22% | 75% |
| English Literature | 205 | 99% | 86% | 12% | 21% | 71% |
| Combined Science | 149 | 72% | 65% | 3% | 9% | 62% |
| History | 101 | 49% | 41% | 19% | 26% | 70% |
| Fine Art | 55 | 26% | 9% | 15% | 28% | 75% |
| Physics | 53 | 25% | 23% | 26% | 46% | 100% |
| Biology | 53 | 25% | 23% | 32% | 45% | 100% |
| Business Studies | 53 | 25% | 18% | 26% | 20% | 70% |
| Chemistry | 53 | 25% | 23% | 28% | 47% | 100% |
| Physical Education | 53 | 25% | 11% | 21% | 24% | 70% |
| Geography | 52 | 25% | 41% | 29% | 25% | 77% |
| Spanish | 44 | 21% | 19% | 14% | 27% | 75% |
| Sociology | 39 | 19% | 4% | 21% | 21% | 82% |
| French | 35 | 17% | 18% | 23% | 29% | 80% |
| Computer Science | 35 | 17% | 13% | 11% | 30% | 80% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 34 | 16% | 8% | 15% | 21% | 71% |
| Photography | 33 | 16% | 6% | 15% | 19% | 94% |
| Drama | 30 | 14% | 7% | 3% | 27% | 83% |
| Design and Technology | 29 | 14% | 11% | 31% | 23% | 79% |
| Music | 13 | 6% | 5% | 23% | 33% | 85% |
| Film Studies | 11 | 5% | 1% | 18% | 20% | 73% |
| Religious Studies | 10 | 5% | 31% | 40% | 32% | 70% |
| German | 1 | 0% | 5% | — | 33% | — |
| Citizenship Studies | 1 | 0% | 3% | — | 19% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Business Management | 59 | 64% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 25 | 27% | — |
| Health Studies | 22 | 24% | — |
| Dance: General | 15 | 16% | — |
| Personal Health | 11 | 12% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | The Sandon School | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 169 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 92 | 6,944 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 30.54 | 34.68 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 12% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 35 | 38% | 23% |
| Chemistry | 25 | 27% | 17% |
| Biology | 21 | 23% | 20% |
| History | 20 | 22% | 13% |
| Economics | 19 | 21% | 13% |
| Law | 18 | 20% | 4% |
| Mathematics | 13 | 14% | 31% |
| Photography | 11 | 12% | 3% |
| Fine Art | 10 | 11% | 3% |
| Physical Education | 8 | 9% | 3% |
| Geography | 7 | 8% | 10% |
| Politics | 7 | 8% | 6% |
| English Literature | 6 | 7% | 11% |
| Physics | 6 | 7% | 12% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
| Computer Science | — | — | 5% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 24 | 26% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 15 | 16% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | 8 | 9% | — |
| Music performance: Group | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | — | — | — |
| French | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| French | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Essex
Anglo European School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,533 pupils
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.