Southend High School for Girls vs Westcliff High School for Boys Academy
Both are grammar schools in Southend-on-Sea, 3.3 miles apart. Side-by-side on official DfE, Ofsted and council admissions data.
Side by side
| Southend High School for Girls | Westcliff High School for Boys Academy | |
|---|---|---|
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary |
| Gender | Girls | Boys |
| Pupils on roll | 1,312 | 1,309 |
| Free school meals | 9.1% | 5.2% |
| Ofsted rating | Outstanding | Outstanding |
| Attainment 8 — 2025/26 | 74.7 | 77.2 |
| 11+ test board | GL Assessment | GL Assessment |
| Admission system | qualifying score is the minimum; places then go in score order (distance only breaks ties) | qualifying score is the minimum; places then go in score order (distance only breaks ties) |
| Places offered — 202627 | 217 | 182 |
| First preferences per place — higher means more competition for a first-preference place | 1.25 | 1.54 |
Qualifying scores
Southend High School for Girls
303 (2025 entry)
Lowest score inside priority area on National Offer Day. Outside area cutoff: 321. CSSE test.
Westcliff High School for Boys Academy
309 (2025 entry)
Lowest score inside priority area on National Offer Day. Outside area cutoff: 351. CSSE test.
Who gets priority
Where a school is oversubscribed, these are the first criteria applied, in order. This is usually what decides an application.
Southend High School for Girls
- Looked after and previously looked after children who pass the CSSE selection tests
- Children living in the SS0–SS9 postcodes who pass and are entitled to 'preferential consideration' (free school meals or pupil premium, declared when registering for the test) — up to 17 places, in…
- Other children living in the SS0–SS9 postcodes who pass — in score order, up to 179 places for the area in all
- Children living outside the SS0–SS9 postcodes who pass and are entitled to 'preferential consideration' — up to 4 places, in score order
- Other children living outside the SS0–SS9 postcodes who pass — in score order, for the remaining places
Source: school admissions policy.
Westcliff High School for Boys Academy
- Looked after and previously looked after children who pass the CSSE selection tests
- Children living in the SS0–SS9 postcodes who pass and are entitled to 'preferential consideration' (free school meals or pupil premium, declared when registering for the test) — up to 15 places, in…
- Other children living in the SS0–SS9 postcodes who pass — in score order, up to 148 places for the area in all
- Children living outside the SS0–SS9 postcodes who pass and are entitled to 'preferential consideration' — up to 4 places, in score order
- Other children living outside the SS0–SS9 postcodes who pass — in score order, for the remaining places
Source: school admissions policy.
Choosing between them
Southend High School for Girls is a girls school and Westcliff High School for Boys Academy is a boys school, so for many families the starting point is which one can admit their child. The figures on this page are the published ones — they describe intakes and results, not what either school would be like for your child. The right choice depends on your family's own priorities and circumstances.
Other Southend-on-Sea comparisons
- Southend High School for Boys vs Southend High School for Girls
- Southend High School for Boys vs Westcliff High School for Boys Academy
- Southend High School for Boys vs Westcliff High School for Girls
- Southend High School for Girls vs Westcliff High School for Girls
- Westcliff High School for Boys Academy vs Westcliff High School for Girls
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