Sacred Heart of Mary Girls' School, Upminster

In its own words: "The Sacred Heart of Mary Girls’ School is a Catholic learning community with a strong family ethos and Jesus Christ at its centre. We seek to ensure that all may have life, life to the full."

From the headteacher's welcome: "It is with great pleasure that I introduce our school to you. The Sacred Heart of Mary Girls’ School is a warm and caring learning community with a strong family ethos and a distinctive Catholic identity."

In 2026, pupils at Sacred Heart of Mary Girls' School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 59.5, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 48.5 in Havering and 47 across England.

73% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 50% in Havering and 47% in England.

That is down from 62.2 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.71: 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 46.1, against 60.7 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 14.6 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 21 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and Other Modern Languages.

For September 2026 entry, 170 families put Sacred Heart of Mary Girls' School as their first choice and 475 named it as one of their preferences, for 119 places offered. That is 1.4 first choices for every place. 59 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Sacred Heart of Mary Girls' School are The Coopers' Company and Coborn School (0.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 58.1); Gaynes School (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 51.7); Emerson Park Academy (0.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 41.3); and Hall Mead School (0.9 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 51.5).

Sacred Heart of Mary Girls' School's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.

122 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Sacred Heart of Mary Girls' School (as of September 2025): 94% would recommend the school, 97% say their child is happy there and 84% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (99%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (84%).

Of the 121 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 99% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 16% to a further education college.

Of the 107 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 55% went on to university or other higher education, 8% to apprenticeships and 30% into work. 23% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

12.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 25.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (47%), Black (20%) and Mixed (11%).

In 2026, 74 pupils (8.7%) received SEN support and 14 (1.7%) 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 Upminster Station, about 540 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).

4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Upminster Windmill, 120 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 103 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and vehicle crime. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Havering (201).

In 2024/25, Sacred Heart of Mary Girls' School issued 22 suspensions, 2.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Sacred Heart of Mary Girls' School are St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (0.2 miles), Upminster Infant School (0.3 miles), Upminster Junior School (0.3 miles) and Branfil Primary School (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.