Harris Academy Wickford, Wickford

In 2025, pupils at Harris Academy Wickford averaged an Attainment 8 score of 35.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.9 in Essex and 46.8 across England.

25% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 44% in Essex and 46% in England.

That is down from 38.2 in 2024.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.5: pupils made well below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2025.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 27.5, against 41.7 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 14.2 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Art and Design.

For September 2026 entry, 135 families put Harris Academy Wickford as their first choice and 566 named it as one of their preferences, for 185 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places, so in 2026 a family who put it first could expect an offer unless the school's other criteria ruled them out.

Demand has been fairly steady: 135 first choices in 2021, against 135 in 2026.

Across Essex, 83% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 97% were offered one of the schools they named.

In 2025, families in Essex lodged 807 appeals against secondary school offers; 645 reached a hearing and 99 succeeded (15.3% of those heard).

The nearest other state secondary schools to Harris Academy Wickford are Beauchamps High School (1.5 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 48.1); The Basildon Lower Academy (2.3 miles, Requires improvement); De La Salle School (2.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 41.8); and The Basildon Upper Academy (2.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 28.7).

Harris Academy Wickford's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.

Harris Academy Wickford is one of 59 schools run by Harris Federation, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 51.3 in 2023/24, with a Progress 8 score of 0.48 (zero is the national average).

132 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Harris Academy Wickford (as of September 2025): 83% would recommend the school, 92% say their child is happy there and 63% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (92%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (63%).

Of the 224 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2022/23, 88% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 65% to a further education college, 4% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.

Of the 51 students who left the sixth form in 2022/23, 39% went on to university or other higher education, 14% to apprenticeships and 31% into work. 9% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

21.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals (the average state school: 24.5%), and 6.8% speak English as an additional language (average: 18.5%), according to the 2025 school census.

In 2025, 132 pupils (11.6%) received SEN support and 49 (4.3%) had an education, health and care plan, against 15.6% and 3.9% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism. The school has a SEN unit for pupils with particular needs.

Harris Academy Wickford employed 68 teachers in 2024, roughly one for every 17 pupils. Their average salary was £49,911.

Its 2026 funding allocation works out at £7,125 per pupil (£8 million in total), including £302,075 of pupil premium for disadvantaged pupils.

The nearest railway station is Wickford Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Harris Academy Wickford stands in is among the 30% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 174 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Essex (98), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2023/24, Harris Academy Wickford issued 94 suspensions, 8.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 2.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Harris Academy Wickford are Grange Primary School (under 0.1 miles), North Crescent Primary School (0.6 miles), Wickford Primary School (0.7 miles) and Oakfield Primary School (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.