Debden Park High School

About Debden Park High School

Debden Park High School sits within Essex local authority, a large county with 86 secondary schools where it ranks 24th by Progress 8. In the more immediate Epping Forest area, it places 3rd out of 7 schools on the same measure. The top-performing peers in Essex are all selective or faith-based: King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford, Colchester Royal Grammar School, and Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School. Debden Park is a mixed, non-denominational state secondary with a sixth form, and it is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, 569 families applied for 180 places, with 183 putting it as first preference. That level of demand suggests strong local reputation. The school has capacity for 1120 pupils and currently enrols 1050, with 18.5 per cent eligible for free school meals, slightly above the national average. Headteacher Andrew Hogan leads a school that has seen its Ofsted rating shift from Outstanding in 2017 to Good in its most recent inspection in March 2025.

Academically, Debden Park delivers solidly above the local average. Its Progress 8 score of 0.02 means pupils achieve about as well as the national average, but that is notably stronger than the Essex LA average of -0.18. Attainment 8 sits at 48.4, and 73 per cent of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths, though the figure drops to 44.8 per cent for grade 5 or above. EBacc entry is relatively low at 21.8 per cent, with only 12.1 per cent achieving the full EBacc at grade 4 or above. The sixth form is a real strength: Ofsted rated it Outstanding, and the value-added score of 0.17 is classed as above average. Students average 33.02 points per entry, equivalent to a C+ grade, and the best three A-levels average out at C+ too. In the parent view survey, 82 per cent would recommend the school, and 87 per cent agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy there.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a swimming pool, astro turf, sports hall, music rooms, and a dedicated sixth form centre. Sports on offer include football, hockey, tennis, gymnastics, and martial arts, while clubs range from Model UN and Debate to DofE and Young Enterprise. SEND provision is comprehensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, speech and language needs, autistic spectrum disorder, and physical or sensory impairments. In the parent view, 74 per cent of those with SEND children agreed the school gives them the support they need, though 20 per cent disagreed. The school is oversubscribed by a ratio of 3.16 to one, so families applying will need to be aware of the competition. Debden Park suits families looking for a large, well-resourced comprehensive with a strong sixth form and a track record of performing above the local authority average, particularly for those who value personal development and extracurricular breadth alongside academic outcomes.

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