Alec Hunter Academy
Academy sponsor led · 1,058 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.7
Academy sponsor led
Brentwood County High School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,097of 1,405 places
- Free school meals
- 21.0%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 146
- Ofsted
- Report card, 10 March 2026Read the Ofsted report
Curriculum and teaching Expected standardAchievement Expected standardAttendance and behaviour Expected standardPersonal development and wellbeing Expected standardInclusion Strong standardLeadership and governance Expected standardPost-16 provision Expected standardSafeguarding Met
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Brentwood County High School (URN 140982, until 31 August 2017).
What the data says
Of the 99 pupils who finished Year 11 at Brentwood County High School in 2023, 37% stayed on in Brentwood County High School’s own sixth form (Essex average 37%), 39% went to a further education college and 6% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 188 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 48% went to university (Essex 35%, England 37%), and 7% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
A level grades average C-, well below the England average of B-; 9% of students achieved AAB or better including two facilitating subjects (England 18%). The largest A level subjects are Sociology, Psychology and Biology.
Physical Education is unusually popular at GCSE: 21% of the year group took it, against 11% of pupils across England.
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 | Brentwood County High School | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 99 | 15,970 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 86% | 92% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 78% | 86% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 37% | 37% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 1% | 9% | 13% |
| — further education college | 39% | 38% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 8% | 5% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 6% | 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 | Brentwood County High School | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 188 | 13,240 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 92% | 81% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 48% | 35% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 7% | 15% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 4% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 10% | 8% | 7% |
| Employment | 31% | 33% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 14% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Brentwood County High School | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 43.2 | 45.1 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 43% | 43% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 62% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 50% | 39% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.87 | 3.97 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 16% | 22% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 34.4 | 31.1 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 45.0 | 48.9 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 18% | 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 | 142 | 97% | 89% | 17% | 20% | 72% |
| Mathematics | 140 | 96% | 88% | 16% | 22% | 69% |
| English Literature | 136 | 93% | 86% | 17% | 21% | 74% |
| Combined Science | 106 | 73% | 65% | 1% | 9% | 51% |
| History | 72 | 49% | 41% | 24% | 26% | 68% |
| Geography | 58 | 40% | 41% | 19% | 25% | 60% |
| Spanish | 44 | 30% | 19% | 20% | 27% | 57% |
| French | 39 | 27% | 18% | 5% | 29% | 33% |
| Biology | 35 | 24% | 23% | 34% | 45% | 94% |
| Physics | 33 | 23% | 23% | 36% | 46% | 100% |
| Chemistry | 33 | 23% | 23% | 27% | 47% | 100% |
| Physical Education | 30 | 21% | 11% | 3% | 24% | 70% |
| Computer Science | 30 | 21% | 13% | 17% | 30% | 37% |
| Psychology | 28 | 19% | 3% | 14% | 22% | 71% |
| Sociology | 27 | 18% | 4% | 7% | 21% | 74% |
| Art and Design | 21 | 14% | 7% | 19% | 24% | 81% |
| Music | 9 | 6% | 5% | 11% | 33% | 44% |
| Chinese | 1 | 1% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Business Management | 54 | 53% | — |
| Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined) | 49 | 49% | — |
| Health Studies | 18 | 18% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 17 | 17% | — |
| Sports Studies | 13 | 13% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Brentwood County High School | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 228 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 101 | 6,944 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C- | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 27.81 | 34.68 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C- | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 9% | 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 | 31% | 13% |
| Psychology | 24 | 24% | 23% |
| Biology | 21 | 21% | 20% |
| Mathematics | 17 | 17% | 31% |
| Economics | 13 | 13% | 13% |
| History | 11 | 11% | 13% |
| Chemistry | 11 | 11% | 17% |
| Politics | 11 | 11% | 6% |
| Media Studies | 10 | 10% | 4% |
| Computer Science | 9 | 9% | 5% |
| Accounting/Finance | 8 | 8% | 1% |
| Physics | 7 | 7% | 12% |
| Geography | 7 | 7% | 10% |
| Business Studies | 7 | 7% | 13% |
| English Language and Literature | 6 | 6% | 2% |
| Art and Design | 6 | 6% | 1% |
| Law | — | — | 4% |
| Chinese | — | — | 0% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 42 | 42% | — |
| Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined) | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 17 | 17% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 17 | 17% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 17 | 17% | — |
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 16 | 16% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 13 | 13% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 9 | 9% | — |
| Law / Legal Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 9 | 9% | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | 8 | 8% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | — | — | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | — | — | — |
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 Ursuline Convent High School
Academy converter · sixth form · 991 pupils
98% stayed in education · Attainment 8 61.0
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.