Davenant Foundation School, Loughton

Ofsted's report card from its 13 January 2026 inspection grades Davenant Foundation School on 7 areas: 6 strong standard and 1 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Strong standard. "High aspirations are at the heart of the school's offer."

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Pupils are eager to learn, so they want to come to school."

Curriculum and teaching - Strong standard. "The well-designed, thoughtfully implemented, highly ambitious curriculum prepares pupils consistently well for their next steps in education, employment and/or training."

Inclusion - Strong standard. "Leaders and staff are unrelentingly ambitious for all pupils, both personally and academically."

Leadership and governance - Strong standard. "Leaders and governors set high goals for every pupil."

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "Leaders are equally ambitious for pupils' personal development as they are for their academic achievement."

Post 16 provision - Expected standard. "The well-planned post-16 curriculum, taught by skilled teachers, combines a wide range of enrichment activities alongside academic studies."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "• Leaders should continue actions to raise post-16 students' attainment, including through the revised approaches to checks on students' learning already underway".

In 2026, pupils at Davenant Foundation School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 54.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.5 in Essex and 47 across England.

68% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 45% in Essex and 47% in England.

That is down from 56.7 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.47: pupils made 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 43.1, against 56.5 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 13.4 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 22 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and Geography.

For September 2026 entry, 212 families put Davenant Foundation School as their first choice and 532 named it as one of their preferences, for 185 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 39 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Davenant Foundation School are Debden Park High School (0.6 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 47.4); Roding Valley High School (1.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.2); Epping St John's Church of England School (2.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.6); and King Harold Business & Enterprise Academy (3.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 39.7).

Davenant Foundation School's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.

220 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Davenant Foundation School (as of April 2026): 94% would recommend the school, 91% say their child is happy there and 79% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (94%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (79%).

Of the 181 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 93% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 26% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

Of the 174 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 62% went on to university or other higher education, 8% to apprenticeships and 18% into work. 34% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

8.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 4.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (55%), Black (17%) and Mixed (7%).

In 2026, 71 pupils (5.9%) received SEN support and 43 (3.6%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.

The nearest Underground station is Theydon Bois Underground Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.

2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Davenant School (outside), 150 metres away.

In 2024/25, Davenant Foundation School issued 182 suspensions, 14.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Davenant Foundation School are Hereward Primary School (0.2 miles), St John Fisher Catholic Primary School (0.6 miles), Thomas Willingale Primary School and Nursery (0.9 miles) and Theydon Bois Primary School (1 mile). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.