The Cornelius Vermuyden School has closed (Sunday 31 May 2026).
The information below is kept for reference. The school at this address is now The Cornelius Vermuyden School.
The Cornelius Vermuyden School, Canvey Island
The Cornelius Vermuyden School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Canvey Island. It was rated Inadequate at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2023. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2026 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 74th-highest of the 80 schools in Essex with published results, and 3,077th of 3,298 across England. It was 79% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Inadequate (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Well below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 4 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Essex (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 8 Oct 2026
The Cornelius Vermuyden School in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at The Cornelius Vermuyden School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 35.6, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.5 in Essex and 47 across England.
21% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 45% in Essex and 47% in England.
That is up from 32.2 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -1.34: pupils made well below 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 29.1, against 38.9 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 9.8 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 21 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Geography.
Getting a place at The Cornelius Vermuyden School
For September 2026 entry, 64 families put The Cornelius Vermuyden School as their first choice and 159 named it as one of their preferences, for 74 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at The Cornelius Vermuyden School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to The Cornelius Vermuyden School are The Cornelius Vermuyden School (0.1 miles); Castle View School (1.2 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 40.9); The King John School (2.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 51.6); and Harris Academy Benfleet (2.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 39).
Each of them had higher 2026 results than The Cornelius Vermuyden School.
The Cornelius Vermuyden SchoolCastle View SchoolThe King John SchoolHarris Academy Benfleet
What parents say
52 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Cornelius Vermuyden School (as of April 2026): 64% would recommend the school, 64% say their child is happy there and 53% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (69%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (53%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 160 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 79% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 76% to a further education college, 6% to an apprenticeship and 4% into work.
Who goes there
3.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (86%) and Mixed (6%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Benfleet Rail Station, about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Dinant Avenue (opposite), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Cornelius Vermuyden School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Cornelius Vermuyden School issued 860 suspensions, 118.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; 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
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 7 months agoOverall
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2026 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The school has transformed into a warm, caring community where pupils feel safe and proud to belong. Behaviour and attendance have improved dramatically, with calm classrooms and pupils now wanting to come to school. Teachers are receiving strong professional support to teach well, and pupils with SEND are getting the tailored help they need to access learning and make progress.
Key Strengths
- Safeguarding culture has transformed from weak to deeply embedded, with all staff clear on their responsibilities and pupils feeling safe and trusted to report concerns
- Behaviour has improved significantly - the school is now calm and orderly with pupils being polite and respectful
- Support for pupils with SEND has strengthened, with better identification of needs and adapted teaching helping these pupils enjoy school and attend more regularly
- Leadership has created an inclusive, warm community where pupils are proud to belong and staff work collaboratively
- Curriculum is now ambitious and well-ordered, with broad options at key stage 4 including vocational pathways alongside academic study
Areas for Improvement
- Teachers' checks on pupil understanding do not always identify misconceptions effectively
- Feedback given to pupils at the point of learning is sometimes not helpful, allowing misconceptions to become embedded
- Adaptations to teaching for some key groups (beyond SEND) are not always as effective as needed
- More time is needed for teachers to help pupils fully close gaps in their knowledge
- Attendance still requires further improvement, despite successful recent actions
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is now effective. The school has developed from having structural weaknesses to creating a deeply embedded safeguarding culture where all staff proactively identify and report concerns, and pupils trust staff to help them.
The Cornelius Vermuyden School is in special measures but making effective progress under new leadership. Leaders and trustees are taking action to remove the special measures designation, with improvements evident in safeguarding, behaviour, attendance, curriculum, and support for pupils with SEND.
About
Cornelius Vermuyden School is a secondary school with academy status for boys and girls ages 11–16. Located on Canvey Island, Essex, the school is named after the Dutch land engineer Sir Cornelius Vermuyden (1595-1683) who reclaimed large areas of fenland in England, and supervised the construction of the sea walls around Canvey in 1623.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
29.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
52 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at April 2026 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has declined from -0.76 to -1.34 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 36.8 to 35.6 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has remained stable at around 21% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 35.6 | 21% |
| Disadvantaged(54) | - | 29.1 | 11.1% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(108) | - | 38.9 | 25.9% |
| Boys(68) | - | 36.0 | 22.1% |
| Girls(94) | - | 35.4 | 20.2% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(6) | - | 38.2 | 33.3% |
| Non mobile(155) | - | 36.0 | 20.6% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 1 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 160 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
0
Permanent exclusions
0.00%
Exclusion rate
860
Suspensions
118.29%
Suspension rate
195 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 727 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with The Cornelius Vermuyden School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Cornelius Vermuyden School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Cornelius Vermuyden School is in Essex; for families living there:
- Essex's school travel policy: Education Transport Policy
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at The Cornelius Vermuyden School
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
79%
Available places
711 pupils
900 places
189 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Canvey Island
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Canvey Island
Across Essex council
Places available
17,590
Applications
16,568
Got 1st preference
83.4%
Got preferred school
97.0%
All secondary applications across Essex council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
106
SEN Support
26
EHC Plans
20.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
634
Total Pupils
285
Boys
349
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
41
Teachers
17.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,459
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,729
Per pupil
£6117k
Total funding
£278k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
12.4%
Overall absence
37.9%
Persistent absence
781
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about The Cornelius Vermuyden School
What are GCSE results like at The Cornelius Vermuyden School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at The Cornelius Vermuyden School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 35.6. 21% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is The Cornelius Vermuyden School's Ofsted rating?
The Cornelius Vermuyden School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2026, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2023, it was rated Inadequate.
What is the catchment area for The Cornelius Vermuyden School?
No fixed boundary. When The Cornelius Vermuyden School is oversubscribed, Essex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at The Cornelius Vermuyden School?
The Cornelius Vermuyden School was not full in 2025: it ran at 79% of its 900 places.
How big are the classes at The Cornelius Vermuyden School?
Classes at The Cornelius Vermuyden School average 26.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Cornelius Vermuyden School?
The Cornelius Vermuyden School has around 634 pupils on roll. 29% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Cornelius Vermuyden School?
12.4% of sessions were missed at The Cornelius Vermuyden School in 2024/25. 37.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Cornelius Vermuyden School?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming The Cornelius Vermuyden School 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.
Where is The Cornelius Vermuyden School?
The Cornelius Vermuyden School is at Dinant Avenue, Canvey Island, Essex, SS8 9QS.