Forest Hall School, Stansted Mountfitchet
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data. Admissions policy: Non-selective
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Overall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
Forest Hall School excels at supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils, creating a genuinely inclusive environment where pupils with special needs flourish alongside their peers. The school prioritises pupil wellbeing with excellent mental health services and a dedicated pastoral team that pupils trust and value. Staff have high expectations for all pupils and provide targeted support to help them overcome barriers to learning.
Key Strengths
- Exceptional pastoral support and mental health services with highly trained welfare team
- Strong inclusive culture where pupils with SEND and vulnerabilities thrive and build confidence
- Excellent behaviour and safety record with calm, orderly classrooms and rare bullying
- Impressive personal development programme covering healthy relationships, democracy, and online safety
- Well-attended clubs including debating, creative and sports activities
Areas for Improvement
- Too many pupils have attendance issues which limits their learning and future opportunities
- Some gaps in pupils' learning go unnoticed as teachers don't always check systematically that key knowledge is secured
- Overall exam outcomes don't reflect pupils' actual progress, partly due to high numbers of late joiners and pupils with SEND
- Inconsistent teaching quality in some areas needs further embedding
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - the school has created an open, positive culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and all legal requirements are fulfilled.
Extracurricular Activities
Debating club, creative activities, sports activities, educational visits, house system with mixed-age tutor groups, student executive team
Forest Hall School is a welcoming secondary school with strong inclusive practices and excellent pastoral support. The school successfully supports pupils with wide-ranging needs, though attendance and consistent academic achievement across all pupils remain areas requiring improvement.
At a Glance
30.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
23.6
Avg class size
20
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
78%
Available places
506 pupils
648 capacity
142 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Stansted Mountfitchet
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Stansted Mountfitchet
Admissions Demand - Essex
Places available
17,576
Applications
16,788
Got 1st preference
83.8%
Got preferred school
97.1%
Secondary admissions across Essex (2025/26)
Inspection History(8)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
12.17706%
Overall absence
37.81676%
Persistent absence
513
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Forest Hall School
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