Alec Hunter Academy
Academy sponsor led · 1,058 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.7
Academy sponsor led
The James Hornsby School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,040of 900 places
- Free school meals
- 48.0%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 202
- Ofsted
- Report card, 3 February 2026Read the Ofsted report
Curriculum and teaching Expected standardAchievement Needs attentionAttendance and behaviour Expected standardPersonal development and wellbeing Strong standardInclusion Expected standardLeadership and governance Expected standardPost-16 provision Not applicableSafeguarding Met
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: The James Hornsby High School (URN 131654, until 1 October 2012).
What the data says
Of the 172 pupils who finished Year 11 at The James Hornsby School in 2023, 1% moved to a sixth form college, 66% to a further education college and 2% started an apprenticeship.
Photography is unusually popular at GCSE: 23% of the year group took it, against 6% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 38.9 against 46.1 across England and 45.1 in Essex, with 26% 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 James Hornsby School | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 172 | 15,970 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 87% | 92% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 81% | 86% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 15% | 37% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 1% | 9% | 13% |
| — further education college | 66% | 38% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 8% | 5% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 5% | 3% | 3% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | The James Hornsby School | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 38.9 | 45.1 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 26% | 43% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 46% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 47% | 39% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.44 | 3.97 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 42% | 22% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 31.9 | 31.1 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 43.8 | 48.9 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 5% | 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 | 194 | 96% | 89% | 12% | 20% | 52% |
| Mathematics | 192 | 95% | 88% | 11% | 22% | 54% |
| Combined Science | 179 | 89% | 65% | 11% | 9% | 56% |
| English Literature | 178 | 88% | 86% | 13% | 21% | 56% |
| Geography | 93 | 46% | 41% | 20% | 25% | 58% |
| History | 91 | 45% | 41% | 16% | 26% | 44% |
| French | 73 | 36% | 18% | 14% | 29% | 63% |
| Business Studies | 56 | 28% | 18% | 20% | 20% | 63% |
| Photography | 46 | 23% | 6% | 4% | 19% | 65% |
| Sociology | 26 | 13% | 4% | 19% | 21% | 73% |
| Spanish | 26 | 13% | 19% | 31% | 27% | 88% |
| Fine Art | 25 | 12% | 9% | 12% | 28% | 84% |
| Biology | 6 | 3% | 23% | 0% | 45% | 0% |
| Turkish | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 71% | — |
| Polish | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Art and Design | 1 | 0% | 7% | — | 24% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 56 | — | — |
| Childcare Skills | 39 | — | — |
| Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined) | 36 | — | — |
| Sports Studies | 34 | — | — |
| Speech and Drama | 24 | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 22 | — | — |
| Multimedia | 19 | — | — |
| Beauty Care / Services | 16 | — | — |
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.