Brook Sixth Form and Academy

About Brook Sixth Form and Academy

Brook Sixth Form and Academy was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2024, a significant step up from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2019. The inspection gave the school Outstanding marks for personal development and for behaviour and attitudes, while quality of education and sixth-form provision were both judged Good. The most telling academic metric is Progress 8, which measures how much pupils improve between the end of primary school and GCSEs compared with pupils nationally. Here, the school scores -0.6, meaning students achieve about half a grade less per subject than the national average. That puts Brook 12th out of 13 secondary schools in Barking and Dagenham, and in the bottom 5 per cent of schools in London. The local authority average Progress 8 score is 0.23, so the school is performing well below its neighbours. Attainment 8, the average GCSE grade across eight subjects, sits at 38.4, which equates roughly to a grade 4 (low C) per subject.

At A-level, the picture is more mixed. The school’s value-added score for sixth form is 0.02, which is bang on the national average, and its progress banding is rated Average. The average points per entry is 24.55, which works out at a D+ grade, and the best three A-levels average out at a C-. Only 24 pupils took A-levels in the 2023/24 academic year, so the cohort is small. No students achieved the AAB combination that top universities often look for. At GCSE level, 56.3 per cent of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths, but only 31.3 per cent managed a grade 5 or above. No pupils entered the EBacc suite of academic subjects, which is unusual and suggests a curriculum that prioritises other routes. The school’s Ebacc APS score of 2.68 is low, reflecting limited take-up of languages and humanities at GCSE.

The school is a 14-19 provider with capacity for 600 pupils but currently has just 237 on roll, so it is significantly under-subscribed. It serves a high-needs population: 42.5 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average. The school lists SEND provisions for dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social and emotional mental health, speech and language needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. Facilities are generous for a state school, including a swimming pool, tennis courts, astro turf, a theatre, art studios, and a sixth-form centre. Parents who responded to Ofsted’s Parent View survey were overwhelmingly positive: 85 per cent would recommend the school, and 92 per cent agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy there. Behaviour was a particular strength in the inspection, and 85 per cent of parents felt their child was safe. This school will suit families who value strong pastoral care and a broad range of extracurricular activities over top-tier academic results.

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