Buxton School
Foundation school · 1,065 pupils
85% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.2
Academy converter
Highams Park School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,592of 1,700 places
- Free school meals
- 24.6%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 234
- Ofsted
- Good, 22 May 2024Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Highams Park School (URN 103107, until 1 October 2011).
What the data says
Of the 235 pupils who finished Year 11 at Highams Park School in 2023, 60% stayed on in Highams Park School’s own sixth form (Waltham Forest average 35%), 19% went to a further education college and 2% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 148 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 72% went to university (Waltham Forest 42%, England 37%), and 31% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Media Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 21% of the year group took it, against 4% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were in line with the national picture: Attainment 8 of 47.5 against 46.1 across England and 45.3 in Waltham Forest, with 45% 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 Waltham Forest and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Highams Park School | Waltham Forest | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 235 | 2,805 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 94% | 93% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 92% | 92% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 60% | 35% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 13% | 28% | 13% |
| — further education college | 19% | 26% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 1% | 3% |
| Employment | — | 1% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 3% | 4% | 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 | Highams Park School | Waltham Forest | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 148 | 3,460 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 93% | 73% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 72% | 42% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 31% | 10% | 19% |
| Further education | 3% | 6% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 3% | 7% |
| Employment | 14% | 20% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 6% | 19% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Highams Park School | Waltham Forest | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 47.5 | 45.3 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 45% | 46% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 67% | 63% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 51% | 43% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.40 | 4.04 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 27% | 33% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 35.6 | 38.4 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 51.8 | 48.7 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 38% | 39% | 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 | 232 | 99% | 88% | 23% | 22% | 73% |
| English Language | 231 | 99% | 89% | 19% | 20% | 72% |
| English Literature | 226 | 97% | 86% | 15% | 21% | 75% |
| Combined Science | 175 | 75% | 65% | 9% | 9% | 61% |
| History | 121 | 52% | 41% | 22% | 26% | 56% |
| French | 104 | 44% | 18% | 36% | 29% | 85% |
| Geography | 102 | 44% | 41% | 28% | 25% | 71% |
| Business Studies | 101 | 43% | 18% | 10% | 20% | 52% |
| Design and Technology | 82 | 35% | 11% | 11% | 23% | 65% |
| Physics | 53 | 23% | 23% | 55% | 46% | 100% |
| Biology | 53 | 23% | 23% | 51% | 45% | 100% |
| Chemistry | 53 | 23% | 23% | 40% | 47% | 100% |
| Sociology | 49 | 21% | 4% | 20% | 21% | 53% |
| Media Studies | 48 | 21% | 4% | 29% | 20% | 81% |
| Computer Science | 36 | 15% | 13% | 0% | 30% | 31% |
| Physical Education | 31 | 13% | 11% | 6% | 24% | 39% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 31 | 13% | 8% | 16% | 21% | 42% |
| Fine Art | 29 | 12% | 9% | 24% | 28% | 69% |
| Religious Studies | 28 | 12% | 31% | 43% | 32% | 86% |
| Spanish | 20 | 9% | 19% | 50% | 27% | 85% |
| Music | 19 | 8% | 5% | 53% | 33% | 89% |
| Drama | 15 | 6% | 7% | 33% | 27% | 93% |
| Dance | 10 | 4% | 1% | 40% | 27% | 70% |
| Italian | 7 | 3% | 0% | 71% | 53% | 100% |
| Urdu | 3 | 1% | 1% | — | 42% | — |
| Polish | 3 | 1% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Turkish | 3 | 1% | 0% | — | 71% | — |
| Arabic | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Russian | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Persian | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 77% | — |
| Japanese | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| German | 1 | 0% | 5% | — | 33% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Business Management | 21 | 16% | — |
| Health Studies | 20 | 15% | — |
| Sports Studies | 6 | 5% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Highams Park School | Waltham Forest | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 352 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 131 | 1,313 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B- | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 35.99 | 31.81 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B- | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 17% | 9% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 44 | 34% | 31% |
| Sociology | 31 | 24% | 13% |
| Biology | 26 | 20% | 20% |
| Economics | 26 | 20% | 13% |
| Business Studies | 24 | 18% | 13% |
| Psychology | 21 | 16% | 23% |
| English Language | 20 | 15% | 4% |
| Chemistry | 19 | 15% | 17% |
| Media Studies | 19 | 15% | 4% |
| English Literature | 14 | 11% | 11% |
| Computer Science | 13 | 10% | 5% |
| Further Mathematics | 13 | 10% | 5% |
| Politics | 11 | 8% | 6% |
| Physics | 10 | 8% | 12% |
| Philosophy | 7 | 5% | 1% |
| Geography | 7 | 5% | 10% |
| Film Studies | 7 | 5% | 2% |
| History | 7 | 5% | 13% |
| Fine Art | 6 | 5% | 3% |
| Drama | 6 | 5% | 2% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| 3D Design | — | — | 1% |
| Turkish | — | — | 0% |
| Italian | — | — | 0% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 16 | 12% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma at Level 3 | 9 | 7% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | OCR Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma at Level 3 | 8 | 6% | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | 6 | 5% | — |
| Economics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Physics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | — | — | — |
| Chemistry | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Economics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Physics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | — | — | — |
Where Highams Park School is
Other secondary schools in Waltham Forest are shown for comparison; darker blue means more Year 11 leavers stayed in education. The last distance at which this school offered places is not yet on file — it comes from Waltham Forest’s allocation statistics.
Other secondary schools in Waltham Forest
Chingford Foundation School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,363 pupils
92% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.1
Connaught School for Girls
Academy converter · 550 pupils
96% stayed in education · Attainment 8 50.6
Eden Girls' School, Waltham Forest
Free schools · 617 pupils
98% stayed in education · Attainment 8 63.5
Frederick Bremer School
Community school · 888 pupils
90% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.7
George Mitchell School
Academy converter · 973 pupils
93% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.0
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.