School Chooser

Sanders Draper

Secondary · ages 11-16MixedAcademy732 pupilsHornchurchHavering
School Chooser Score
40
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 30 to 51
Out of 100. Better than 41% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, January 2023
Strong pass in English and maths31%England 46%
Attendance94.4%England 91.4%
Pupils from low-income families25%About the same as most schools in England
Places186 spare732 pupils, 918 places
Pupils per teacher18.5School workforce census

Sanders Draper is a sponsored academy in Hornchurch for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 732 pupils and room for 918. About 25 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 40 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 41% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Suttons Lane, Hornchurch, RM12 6RT01708 443068sandersschool.org.ukMr Stuart Brooks headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 10 January 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

114 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE score44.4
England 46.8
Official name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and maths31%
England 46%
Official name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and maths66%
England 66%
Official name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-0.37In each subject, pupils here finished about half a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2023/24, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2025 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
Trend
Average GCSE score
2018 to 2025
2018: 46.546.520182019: 43.243.220192022: 48.848.820222023: 44.744.720232024: 41.941.920242025: 44.444.42025
Since 2018: -2.1Steady overall
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018†HaveringEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11114128139127112104
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 844.441.944.748.843.246.548.146.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-0.37-0.45-0.66-0.57-0.24
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths31%36%40%53%34%43%49%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths66%61%68%76%54%65%70%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score4.073.934.124.633.673.454.364.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry65%59%58%62%26%23%61%41%
Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged38.531.529.040.330.941.0
Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged45.946.049.052.148.047.9
Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers26.322.528.126.318.5
Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers61.656.362.352.456.7

† These results are for Sanders School, the school this one replaced in September 2018. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Subjects

Results came out for 14 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.

Subjects that did worse than the England average: Art and Design (19% here, 58% across England), Physical Education (24% here, 56% across England), French (39% here, 60% across England), Geography (37% here, 51% across England).

What is taught hereOffers music.
LanguagesFrench72

The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.

Every subject against England, 2025
Mathematics114 entries · 14th of 18 in Havering
40%England 53%
English Language114 entries · 15th of 18 in Havering
50%England 54%
Combined Science112 entries · 11th of 18 in Havering
31%England 36%
English Literature111 entries · 15th of 18 in Havering
50%England 58%
French72 entries · 10th of 14 in Havering
39%England 60%
History52 entries · 10th of 18 in Havering
58%England 52%
Geography52 entries · 15th of 18 in Havering
37%England 51%
Business52 entries · 13th of 16 in Havering
39%England 51%
Statistics50 entries · 2nd of 3 in Havering
70%England 51%
Design & Technology40 entries · 7th of 11 in Havering
38%England 50%
Physical Education29 entries · 11th of 12 in Havering
24%England 56%
Art and Design27 entries · 14th of 15 in Havering
19%England 58%
Music12 entries
17%England 61%
Drama10 entries
70%England 60%
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
Mathematics11414%40%72%53%2,483 of 3,211
English Language11411%50%75%54%1,784 of 3,210
Combined Science11211%31%59%36%1,758 of 3,084
English Literature1119%50%71%58%2,071 of 3,202
French727%39%58%60%1,654 of 1,974
History5219%58%73%52%1,069 of 3,126
Geography5215%37%56%51%2,307 of 3,116
Business5215%39%56%51%1,237 of 1,806
Statistics5012%70%90%51%186 of 375
Design & Technology400%38%55%50%986 of 1,478
Physical Education297%24%52%56%1,413 of 1,559
Art and Design274%19%48%58%2,716 of 2,818
Music120%17%33%61%
Drama1010%70%100%60%

In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. Every gap at this school is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At GCSE, 2025

Average GCSE scoreLow-income pupils vs other pupils
38.545.9
Gap 7.4England 12.2
Strong pass in English and mathsLow-income pupils vs other pupils
13%35%
Gap 22 ptsEngland 22 pts
Average GCSE scoreBoys vs girls
43.345.4
Gap 2.1England 3.0
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Open to all. There is no entrance test.

Plenty of spare places700 pupils for 960 places, 2024/25
73% full

260 places were empty (27% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 11% since 2021/22.

Will my child get a place?

The last child to get a place lived 2.3 miles away in 2026, 1.2 miles away in 2025, 2.2 miles away in 2024. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2026. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child living 2.3 miles from the school. Living closer than that didn't guarantee a place, but living much further away meant missing out that year.

EntryPlacesApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Secondary1504791542.3 milesLA
2025 Secondary1505341501.2 milesLA
2024 Secondary1805701802.2 milesLA
2023 Secondary1504431501.8 milesLA

The distances are the council's own, usually measured in a straight line from home to the school gate. If the distance is getting shorter each year, the school is getting harder to get into. See which councils we have this data for.

What a home within 1.7 miles of the school costs

Typical sale price within 1.7 miles of the school£460,000half sold for £400k to £570k
Homes sold2,076December 2023 to December 2025, Land Registry
Compared with the district+3%a typical home in the district sells for £445,000

Every home sold within that distance of the school (the typical cut-off over the last three years), of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll732Census January 2026
Places91880% full
Pupils from low-income families25%25% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English15%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support19%141 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan5%39 pupils with a plan
Average class size25.329 classes, January 2026; England 22.8
Classes with more than 30 pupils21%share of one-teacher classes; England 12%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)25%£202,400 extra funding in 2026/27; England 30%
Boys and girls355 / 377
White British pupils72%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (52), Specific learning difficulty (40), emotional and mental health (35), language and communications needs (23), Autistic spectrum disorder (9), Physical disability (7).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll732705667664624663
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals25%26%27%26%25%24%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language15%16%14%14%12%11%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support21%21%13%14%13%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans4%4%4%3%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.

Attendance94.4%
England 91.4%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school14.1%
England 23.9%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils7.22024/25, 2 permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.4%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.6%5.6%6.4%7.7%3.9%5.5%8.6%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.2%3.7%4.0%5.5%2.7%4.0%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.4%1.9%2.3%2.2%1.2%1.5%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence14.1%14.3%16.9%21.9%8.6%14.7%23.9%
SuspensionsSuspension rate7.28.18.414.47.1
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions22020

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 139 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training91%and stayed there for at least six months

Among pupils from low-income families it was 67%, compared with 97% for everyone else.

Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers
Still in education, work or training91%96%91%94%
Education78%89%84%89%
Apprenticeship5%3%4%1%
Work8%4%3%4%
Not in education, work or training4%4%9%4%

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers39.5full-time equivalent, 41 people
Pupils per teacher18.5Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers90%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants9.7full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£59,634
Teachers who left in the year24%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher3.52024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£7,851England £7,965. Total £5.6m
Income per pupil£9,154England £8,423. Total £6.5m
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,260England £4,444
Money in reserve13%A healthy amount put by: £838k, £1,185 per pupil. England 10%
Money in against money out+£921kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,851spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m19212 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate46 per 1,000 people49% lower than the England average
Typical house price£445,000Havering
Nearest bus stop240 mVaughan Avenue, 6 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Abbs Cross Academy and Arts CollegeAcademy600 m882Good 202240Compare
Hornchurch High SchoolAcademy0.9 miles661Not inspected84Compare
Sacred Heart of Mary Girls' SchoolAcademy1.3 miles848No overall grade 202493Compare
The Brittons AcademyAcademy1.5 miles730Good 202224Compare
Gaynes SchoolAcademy1.6 miles501Good 202261Compare
The Frances Bardsley Academy for GirlsAcademy1.8 miles1,381No overall grade 202480Compare
Emerson Park AcademyAcademy1.8 miles1,020Good 202242Compare
Brook Sixth Form and AcademyUniversity technical college2.0 miles273No overall grade 202428Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Sanders Draper with the 47 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 47 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats41%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 40 is 7 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 47 · highest 85100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 47 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Sanders Draper, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Orsett Heath AcademyFree school7.0 miles699Good 202351Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 40 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 40% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 30 to 51. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years20%in line
-0.06
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 114 pupils
Ofsted inspection18% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.02
Ofsted grade, 3.7 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.12
DfE progress measure; 114 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.05
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.10
2024/25; 737 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.05
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 114 pupils
What pupils do next5%in line
0.00
139 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Sanders Draper a good school?

It is about average. Sanders Draper scores 40 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 41% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 30 to 51, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Sanders Draper's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Sanders Draper good at its last full inspection on 10 January 2023.

How good are Sanders Draper's GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 31% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 44.4, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished about half a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.

How many pupils does Sanders Draper have?

732 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 918 places, so it is 80% full.

Is Sanders Draper oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?

Yes. For September 2026 the last place went to a child living 2.3 miles away. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.

What is attendance like at Sanders Draper?

Pupils were in school 94.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 14% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Sanders Draper?

The average class had 25.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 21% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

Does Sanders Draper have a sixth form?

No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 91% of 2022/23 leavers were still in education, work or training six months on.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Suttons Lane, Hornchurch, RM12 6RT
Telephone
01708 443068
Website
www.sandersschool.org.uk
Headteacher
Mr Stuart Brooks
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Secondary school, ages 11-16
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Multi-academy trust
Sfaet Ltd (5 schools)
Local authority
Havering
Ward
Hacton
Constituency
Hornchurch and Upminster
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2018 (new provision)
URN
146309 · LAESTAB 3114016 · UKPRN 10080932
Formerly
Sanders School

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from