Southend High School for Girls, Southend-on-Sea

From the headteacher's welcome: "The school has over a hundred years of history , tradition and success - educating the brightest young minds. As Headteacher, I’m passionate about the learning and development of our students and am delighted that you’ve shown an interest in our wonderful school. SHSG is a unique school ."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball, tennis, athletics, choir and Duke of Edinburgh.

Coming up: an open day on Monday 26 October 2026, an open day on Wednesday 4 November 2026 and an open evening on Wednesday 4 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at Southend High School for Girls averaged an Attainment 8 score of 74.7, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 55 in Southend-on-Sea and 47 across England.

99% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 59% in Southend-on-Sea and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 75.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.74: 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 74.1, against 74.8 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 0.7 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 25 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Biology, Chemistry and Physics.

Southend High School for Girls is a grammar school: places go to children who reach the required standard in its entrance test, and only then are the oversubscription criteria applied.

For September 2026 entry, 271 families put Southend High School for Girls as their first choice and 943 named it as one of their preferences, for 217 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 110 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

Southend High School for Girls admits pupils through an entrance test - in Southend-on-Sea, the CSSE (Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex) test. Children have to be registered for it in advance, normally in the spring or summer of Year 5; the test itself is usually sat in September of Year 6, and results come out in October, before the 31 October deadline for naming secondary schools.

Passing the test makes a child eligible rather than guaranteeing a place: when more children pass than there are places, Southend High School for Girls ranks them by the criteria in its admissions policy, which can include test score and distance. Check Southend-on-Sea's admissions pages and the school's own policy for this year's registration deadline - a child who is not registered in time cannot sit the test.

Southend-on-Sea has 4 state grammar schools in all, so a child who passes may have several selective schools to choose between.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Southend High School for Girls are Southchurch High School (0.2 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 44.5); Cecil Jones Academy (0.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 35.4); Shoeburyness High School (1.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 38.9); and St Bernard's High School (2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 51.5).

Southend High School for Girls's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.

Of the 178 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 99% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 5% to a further education college and 1% into work.

Of the 182 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 74% went on to university or other higher education, 6% to apprenticeships and 14% into work. 37% 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%), according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 19 pupils (1.4%) received SEN support and 5 (0.4%) 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 autism.

The nearest railway station is Southend East Rail Station, about 960 metres away (roughly a 12-minute walk).

6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Arlington Road (adjacent), 60 metres away.

In 2024/25, Southend High School for Girls issued 7 suspensions, 0.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Southend High School for Girls are Hamstel Junior School (0.4 miles), Hamstel Infant School and Nursery (0.4 miles), Greenways Primary School (0.5 miles) and Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.