Sir Frederick Gibberd College
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Sir Frederick Gibberd College is a free school in Harlow for boys and girls aged 11 to 19. It has 880 pupils, 80 more than it has places for. About 29 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 13 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 16% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.
Tendring Road, Harlow, CM18 6RN01279 307235sirfrederickgibberdcollege.orgMs Jo Doyle headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 3 December 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
112 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 112 | 116 | 0 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 44.0 | 46.2 | – | 46.0 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -0.09 | – | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 44% | 47% | – | 44% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 63% | 71% | – | 65% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 4.10 | 4.12 | – | 4.06 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 48% | 41% | – | 39% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 29.3 | 35.4 | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 49.1 | 49.5 | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 30.5 | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 61.7 | – | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 17 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.
Strongest subjects
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Art and Design (0% here, 58% across England), Physical Education (32% here, 56% across England), Computer Science (43% here, 56% across England), English Literature (46% here, 58% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 112 | 17% | 50% | 67% | 53% | 1,681 of 3,211 |
| English Literature | 112 | 18% | 46% | 70% | 58% | 2,291 of 3,202 |
| English Language | 112 | 17% | 48% | 63% | 54% | 1,923 of 3,210 |
| Combined Science | 83 | 1% | 28% | 46% | 36% | 2,056 of 3,084 |
| Geography | 61 | 21% | 57% | 72% | 51% | 968 of 3,116 |
| Spanish | 45 | 31% | 60% | 71% | 54% | 800 of 1,941 |
| Social Studies | 44 | 18% | 52% | 68% | 54% | 555 of 1,043 |
| Art and Design | 31 | 0% | 0% | 13% | 58% | 2,816 of 2,818 |
| Computer Science | 30 | 17% | 43% | 63% | 56% | 1,262 of 1,861 |
| Chemistry | 29 | 38% | 93% | 100% | 81% | 917 of 2,537 |
| Biology | 29 | 55% | 100% | 100% | 82% | 268 of 2,570 |
| History | 29 | 41% | 55% | 62% | 52% | 1,233 of 3,126 |
| Physics | 29 | 38% | 90% | 97% | 82% | 1,137 of 2,546 |
| Physical Education | 19 | 0% | 32% | 42% | 56% | – |
| Latin | 13 | 54% | 69% | 85% | 82% | – |
| Food Preparation & Nutrition | 12 | 33% | 50% | 58% | 52% | – |
| Music | 8 | 25% | 75% | 88% | 61% | – |
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.
A level and sixth-form results, 2024
1 students finished sixth-form courses.
All sixth-form measures, year by year
| Measure | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Students | 1 | 24 |
| Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry | – | 35.40 |
| Average A level grade | NE | B- |
| Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS | – | 35.40 |
| AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects | – | 29% |
| Stayed and finishedRetained and assessed | – | 100% |
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. 2 of the 3 gaps are 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
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.
874 places were empty (51% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 87% since 2021/22.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Essex council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
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.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (37), Autistic spectrum disorder (24), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (19), Specific learning difficulty (19), Physical disability (8), Other difficulty or disability (7).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 880 | 843 | 779 | 652 | 440 | 239 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 28% | 26% | 25% | 24% | 23% | 24% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 20% | 20% | 14% | 12% | 10% | 11% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 12% | 10% | 8% | 9% | 15% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 4% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 8.8% | 6.3% | 5.4% | 4.3% | 2.6% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 5.1% | 4.3% | 4.1% | 3.4% | 2.2% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 3.7% | 2.0% | 1.3% | 0.9% | 0.5% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 22.9% | 17.9% | 12.4% | 8.4% | 4.8% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 29.8 | 23.9 | 22.9 | 9.6 | 6.7 | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – |
What pupils do next
After sixth form
Where the 21 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
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.
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
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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Mark's West Essex Catholic School | Academy | 660 m | 1,099 | Good 2023 | 57 | Compare |
| Stewards Academy - Science Specialist, Harlow | Academy | 0.6 miles | 978 | Requires improvement 2024 | 4 | Compare |
| Bmat Stem Academy | University technical college | 0.7 miles | 240 | Good 2023 | 2 | Compare |
| Passmores Academy | Academy | 1.1 miles | 1,199 | Good 2024 | 9 | Compare |
| Burnt Mill Academy | Academy | 1.3 miles | 959 | Good 2023 | 41 | Compare |
| Mark Hall Academy | Academy | 2.0 miles | 867 | No overall grade 2025 | 11 | Compare |
| Epping St John's Church of England School | Academy | 4.3 miles | 1,036 | Report card 2026 | 32 | Compare |
| The John Warner School | Academy | 4.4 miles | 726 | Inadequate 2022 | 2 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Sir Frederick Gibberd College with the 45 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 45 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 45 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Sir Frederick Gibberd College, 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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burnt Mill Academy | Academy | 1.3 miles | 959 | Good 2023 | 41 | Compare |
| Frederick Bremer School | Council | 12.2 miles | 888 | Good 2024 | 47 | Compare |
| Willowfield School | Council | 13.4 miles | 1,035 | Report card 2026 | 46 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 13 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 13% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 9 to 19. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. 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 at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | in line | -0.03 | 2025 and 2024 results; 112 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | well below | -0.32 | Ofsted grade, 1.8 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | in line | -0.04 | DfE progress measure; 112 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | well below | -0.33 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | -0.01 | 2024/25; 844 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | in line | -0.02 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 112 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 0% | no data | – | |
| What parents say | 0% | 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 Sir Frederick Gibberd College a good school?
The figures are weak. Sir Frederick Gibberd College scores 13 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 16% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 9 to 19, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.
What is Sir Frederick Gibberd College's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Sir Frederick Gibberd College not judged at its last full inspection on 3 December 2024.
How good are Sir Frederick Gibberd College's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 44% 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 44.0, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished about level with children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Sir Frederick Gibberd College have?
880 pupils aged 11 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 800 places, so it is 110% full.
Is Sir Frederick Gibberd College oversubscribed?
Probably not. 874 places were empty in 2024/25 (51% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Sir Frederick Gibberd College?
Pupils were in school 91.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 23% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Sir Frederick Gibberd College?
The average class had 23.1 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. No class had more than 30 pupils.
Does Sir Frederick Gibberd College have a sixth form?
Yes. The average A level grade in 2024 was NE.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Tendring Road, Harlow, CM18 6RN
- Telephone
- 01279 307235
- Website
- www.sirfrederickgibberdcollege.org
- Headteacher
- Ms Jo Doyle
- Type of school
- Free school (Free schools, free schools)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-19, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- BMAT Education (12 schools)
- Local authority
- Essex
- Ward
- Passmores
- Constituency
- Harlow
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 2 September 2019
- URN
- 143697 · LAESTAB 8814019 · UKPRN 10083783
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.