Best secondary schools in Southend-on-Sea
12 of 12 secondary schools ranked by Progress 8 · all Southend-on-Sea schools · primary schools
Ranked on Progress 8, 2023/24 — the most recent year each school has published. Official data, not our opinion — but the ranking is only as good as the measure, and a single number never describes a school. We hold real catchment boundaries for 10 of them.
- 9 of 12 rated Good or Outstanding
- 5 oversubscribed on first preference
- 2 Good or better and undersubscribed — the overlooked ones
- Median Progress 8: 0.38 (best 0.93)
| # | School | Progress 8 | Ofsted | Places | Catchment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Westcliff High School for Boys Academy Westcliff-on-Sea grammar | 0.93 | Outstanding | oversubscribed 1.54 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | mapped |
| 2 | Westcliff High School for Girls Westcliff-on-Sea grammar | 0.9 | Outstanding | oversubscribed 1.29 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | mapped |
| 3 | Southend High School for Boys Southend-on-Sea grammar | 0.74 | Outstanding | oversubscribed 1.74 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | mapped |
| 4 | Southend High School for Girls Southend-on-Sea grammar | 0.74 | Outstanding | oversubscribed 1.25 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | mapped |
| 5 | St Bernard's High School Westcliff-on-Sea | 0.57 | Good | about even 1.05 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | approximate |
| 6 | The Eastwood Academy Leigh-on-Sea | 0.44 | Outstanding improving | oversubscribed 1.63 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | mapped |
| 7 | St Thomas More High School Westcliff-on-Sea | 0.32 | Good improving | about even 1.13 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | approximate |
| 8 | Belfairs Academy Leigh-on-Sea | -0.31 | Requires improvement declining | undersubscribed 0.47 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | mapped |
| 9 | Southchurch High School Southend-On-Sea | -0.72 | Requires improvement | undersubscribed 0.75 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | mapped |
| 10 | Cecil Jones Academy Southend-on-Sea hidden gem | -0.75 | Good | undersubscribed 0.82 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | mapped |
| 11 | Shoeburyness High School Southend-on-Sea hidden gem | -0.89 | Good | undersubscribed 0.78 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | mapped |
| 12 | Chase High School Westcliff-on-Sea | -0.93 | Not judged | undersubscribed 0.62 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | mapped |
Applying in Southend-on-Sea
Knowing which school is best is only half of it — these are the deadlines that decide whether you can apply at all.
- Selective / 11+ test date 2026-09-19 · 2027 entry CSSE examination (English + Mathematics papers, one sitting)
- Selective test results released 2026-10-15 · 2027 entry Results posted to parents mid-October 2026 (exact day not pre-published)
- Secondary application deadline 2026-10-31 · 2027 entry Common Application Form deadline (national)
- Primary (Reception) application deadline 2027-01-15 · 2027 entry Primary (Reception) application deadline for September 2027 entry. National statutory deadline 15 January 2027; apply via your home local authority.
- Secondary National Offer Day 2027-03-01 · 2027 entry National Offer Day — school allocations announced
- Primary National Offer Day 2027-04-16 · 2027 entry Primary National Offer Day for September 2027 entry — Reception place offers (16 April).
Rankings compare published results. They do not tell you which school your child will get into — that depends on where you live, sibling and faith priority, and how many people apply this year. Ask below, or check the Southend-on-Sea admission criteria.
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