Orsett Heath Academy, Grays
Orsett Heath Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Grays, part of South West Essex Community Education Trust Limited. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2023. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 6th-highest of the 7 schools in Grays with published results, and 2,333rd of 3,298 across England. It was 47% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Thurrock (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Orsett Heath Academy in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Orsett Heath Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 42, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.2 in Thurrock and 47 across England.
41% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 46% in Thurrock and 47% in England.
That is down from 47 in 2025.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 30.2, against 45.8 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 15.6 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 21 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Business Studies.
Getting a place at Orsett Heath Academy
For September 2026 entry, 256 families put Orsett Heath Academy as their first choice and 866 named it as one of their preferences, for 235 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 57 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Orsett Heath Academy are The Hathaway Academy (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 45.5); William Edwards School (1 mile, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 41.8); Grays Convent High School (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 51.5); and The Gateway Academy (1.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50).
Orsett Heath Academy's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
The Hathaway AcademyWilliam Edwards SchoolGrays Convent High SchoolThe Gateway Academy
The trust
Orsett Heath Academy is one of 6 schools run by South West Essex Community Education Trust Limited, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 43.6 in 2024/25.
All 6 schools in South West Essex Community Education Trust Limited
Who goes there
6.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (67%), Black (8%) and Asian (7%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Grays Rail Station, about 1.7 miles away in a straight line.
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Buxton Road (se-bound), 200 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Orsett Heath Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Orsett Heath Academy issued 111 suspensions, 19.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Orsett Heath Academy are Woodside Academy (0.4 miles), Deneholm Primary School (0.5 miles), Little Thurrock Primary School (0.6 miles) and Stifford Clays Primary School (1 mile). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Woodside AcademyDeneholm Primary SchoolLittle Thurrock Primary SchoolStifford Clays Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its October 2023 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Leadership & management.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development.
About
The Orsett Heath Academy is a coeducational secondary free school academy in Grays, Essex, England. It is the newest member of the South West Essex Community Education Trust and was built under the leadership of nearby William Edwards School.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
23.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Attainment 8 has declined from 47.0 to 42.0 (2025 to 2026), while gCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 48% to 41% (2025 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 42.0 | 40.7% |
| Disadvantaged(29) | - | 30.2 | 17.2% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(89) | - | 45.8 | 48.3% |
| Boys(64) | - | 37.3 | 32.8% |
| Girls(54) | - | 47.5 | 50% |
Show more breakdowns (1)
| Non mobile(114) | - | 42.0 | 40.4% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 1 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
Exclusions & Suspensions
0
Permanent exclusions
0.00%
Exclusion rate
111
Suspensions
19.68%
Suspension rate
45 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 564 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Orsett Heath Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Orsett Heath Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Orsett Heath Academy is in Thurrock; for families living there:
- Thurrock's school travel policy: Home to school travel and transport policy
- How to apply: apply for school travel support
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 6 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Thurrock is 12 (the median across 58 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Orsett Heath Academy
Will you get a place at Orsett Heath Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Orsett Heath Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Orsett Heath Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Orsett Heath Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Thurrock, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Orsett Heath Academy for 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025 and 2026 entry.
- How many families in Thurrock got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
47%
Available places
568 pupils
1,200 places
632 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Grays
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Grays
Across Thurrock council
Places available
2,395
Applications
2,478
Got 1st preference
74.8%
Got preferred school
92.7%
All secondary applications across Thurrock council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
119
SEN Support
37
EHC Plans
22.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
699
Total Pupils
408
Boys
291
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
40
Teachers
17.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,327
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,029
Per pupil
£5130k
Total funding
£131k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.1%
Overall absence
20.2%
Persistent absence
595
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Orsett Heath Academy
Showing 10 of 12 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Orsett Heath Academy
What are GCSE results like at Orsett Heath Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Orsett Heath Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 42. 41% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Orsett Heath Academy's Ofsted rating?
Orsett Heath Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2023.
What is the catchment area for Orsett Heath Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Orsett Heath Academy is oversubscribed, Thurrock allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Orsett Heath Academy?
Orsett Heath Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 47% of its 1200 places.
How big are the classes at Orsett Heath Academy?
Classes at Orsett Heath Academy average 25 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Orsett Heath Academy?
Orsett Heath Academy has around 699 pupils on roll. 23% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Orsett Heath Academy?
7.1% of sessions were missed at Orsett Heath Academy in 2024/25. 20.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Orsett Heath Academy?
Apply through Thurrock's coordinated admissions process, naming Orsett Heath Academy on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Orsett Heath Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 6 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Thurrock is 12 (the median across 58 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Orsett Heath Academy?
Orsett Heath Academy is at Stanford Road, Grays, RM16 4DG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)