Westcliff High School for Boys Academy, Westcliff-on-Sea

In its own words: "Every School has its own traditions, its own ethos, its own identity, and its own purpose. The purpose of Westcliff High School for Boys (WHSB) is to provide an excellent education for our pupils, supporting them in their journey to adulthood by developing character and intellect within a happy and scholarly community."

From the headteacher's welcome: "I have a long association with the School having begun my teaching career here back in the early 1990s and I consider it an enormous privilege to be Headmaster of this School. Westcliff High School for Boys is a School rich in tradition with a fine academic, cultural and sporting record."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include drama, orchestra, chess, robotics, debating, Duke of Edinburgh and cadets.

Coming up: an open evening on Thursday 12 November 2026 at 6.30pm. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at Westcliff High School for Boys Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 77.2, 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 77.6.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.93: 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 76.7, against 77.2 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 0.5 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 19 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Physics, Chemistry and Biology.

Westcliff High School for Boys Academy 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, 280 families put Westcliff High School for Boys Academy as their first choice and 1028 named it as one of their preferences, for 182 places offered. That is 1.5 first choices for every place. 139 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

Westcliff High School for Boys Academy 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, Westcliff High School for Boys Academy 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 Westcliff High School for Boys Academy are Westcliff High School for Girls (under 0.1 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 73.8); St Thomas More High School (0.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 52.9); The Eastwood Academy (0.8 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 51.2); and Chase High School (0.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 38.5).

Westcliff High School for Boys Academy's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.

Westcliff High School for Boys Academy is run by its own single-school academy trust.

Of the 181 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 98% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 2% to a further education college, 1% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

Of the 176 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 82% went on to university or other higher education, 2% to apprenticeships and 11% into work. 49% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

5.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 36 pupils (2.8%) received SEN support and 2 (0.2%) 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 Chalkwell Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.

15 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Westcliff High School, 130 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Westcliff High School for Boys Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, Westcliff High School for Boys Academy issued 11 suspensions, 0.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Westcliff High School for Boys Academy are Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School (0.2 miles), Darlinghurst Academy (0.2 miles), Blenheim Primary School (0.4 miles) and Chalkwell Hall Infant School (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.