Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School, Brentwood

In its own words: "'Duty' and we expect our students to fulfil their own personal duty in whatever vocation they are called to. We are proud to be an Ursuline school, part of a global network of Ursuline schools founded on the life and work of St Angela Merici."

Coming up: an open evening on Thursday 5 November 2026 at 6.30pm. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 63.2, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.5 in Essex and 47 across England.

84% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 45% in Essex and 47% in England.

That is up from 61 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 1.01: pupils made well above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 58.7, against 63.9 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 5.2 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 20 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and History.

For September 2026 entry, 134 families put Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School as their first choice and 515 named it as one of their preferences, for 175 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 18 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School are Brentwood County High School (0.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.7); Becket Keys Church of England Free School (0.6 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 55.5); St Martin's School Brentwood (1.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.9); and Shenfield High School (1.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42.4).

Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.

Of the 168 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 97% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 17% to a further education college, 1% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

Of the 76 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 67% went on to university or other higher education, 4% to apprenticeships and 12% into work. 34% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

10.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 9.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are Black (39%), White British (33%) and Mixed (7%).

In 2026, 61 pupils (6.2%) received SEN support and 7 (0.7%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.

The nearest railway station is Brentwood Rail Station, about 530 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).

16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Queen's Road (adjacent), 290 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 217 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Essex (97), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School issued 46 suspensions, 4.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School are Hogarth Primary School (0.6 miles); St Thomas of Canterbury Church of England Aided Primary School, Brentwood (0.6 miles); St Helen's Catholic Junior School (0.8 miles); and St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.