Schools near Westcliff-on-Sea
12 open schools in Westcliff-on-Sea, Southend-on-Sea · Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and admission criteria · see all Southend-on-Sea schools · grammar schools in Westcliff-on-Sea
Westcliff-on-Sea has 12 state schools: 6 primary, 5 secondary, part of Southend-on-Sea's wider catchment. 12 have a published Ofsted rating, and 11 of those are rated Good or Outstanding. 2 are state grammar schools and set an entrance test.
Undersubscribed schools rated Good or Outstanding
These schools didn't fill on first preference in the latest admissions year, despite an Ofsted rating of Good or Outstanding — worth a look if you're chasing the same handful of famous names everyone else applies to.
How places are allocated in Southend-on-Sea
Primary schools: Explicit: 'Most primary schools in the City have a defined catchment area, except for the faith schools.' (source)
Most schools use the local authority's default scheme rather than a school-specific catchment map — see each school's page for its own designated/catchment area where one is published.
Southend-on-Sea entrance test format
Southend's grammar schools use the CSSE (Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex) shared 11+ exam: 1. English (60 minutes) — comprehension, applied reasoning and a short continuous-writing element, marked out of 60. 2. Mathematics (60 minutes) — Key Stage 2-based problems, marked out of 60. No verbal or non-verbal reasoning — CSSE tests curriculum English and maths only, with written (not purely multiple-choice) answers. One registration (csse.org.uk) and one mid-September sitting covers all CSSE schools across Southend and Essex. Scores are age-standardised, with a combined ~303+ historically the consideration threshold.
Key dates
| Entry year | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Sept 2028 | Application deadline | 2027-10-31 |
| Sept 2028 | Primary application deadline | 2028-01-15 |
| Sept 2028 | Offer day | 2028-03-01 |
| Sept 2028 | Primary offer day | 2028-04-17 |
| Sept 2027 | Registration opens | 2026-05-12 (passed) |
| Sept 2027 | Registration closes | 2026-06-19 (passed) |
| Sept 2027 | Test date | 2026-09-19 |
| Sept 2027 | Results released | 2026-10-15 |
| Sept 2027 | Application deadline | 2026-10-31 |
| Sept 2027 | Primary application deadline | 2027-01-15 |
| Sept 2027 | Offer day | 2027-03-01 |
| Sept 2027 | Primary offer day | 2027-04-16 |
| Sept 2026 | Registration opens | 2025-05-08 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Registration closes | 2025-06-30 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Test date | 2025-09-21 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Results released | 2025-10-11 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Application deadline | 2025-10-31 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Primary application deadline | 2026-01-15 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Offer day | 2026-03-01 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Primary offer day | 2026-04-16 (passed) |
Out-of-area applications
Southend's four grammar schools (Southend High School for Boys, Southend High School for Girls, Westcliff High School for Boys, Westcliff High School for Girls) select through the CSSE (Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex) shared 11+ exam — the same single test used by the Essex grammar schools. One registration (csse.org.uk, historically mid-May to mid-June of Year 5) and one sitting covers every CSSE school in both areas. Children living outside Southend (including London boroughs and Essex) can register and sit the exam. The Southend schools have historically allocated a significant share of places by score rank, but several also use priority areas or residence criteria — check each school's published oversubscription criteria. Apply via your home LA's Common Application Form by 31 October.
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