Westcliff High School for Boys Academy

About Westcliff High School for Boys Academy

Westcliff High School for Boys Academy holds an Ofsted Outstanding rating across every category in its most recent inspection, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision. That inspection took place in November 2023, and the school has maintained the top grade it also received in its previous inspection back in 2007. The most telling exam metric is its Progress 8 score of 0.93, which is classified as well above average nationally. To put that in context, the average Progress 8 score for secondary schools in Southend-on-Sea is 0.12, so Westcliff Boys is performing significantly ahead of its local authority peers. The school ranks first out of ten schools in Southend-on-Sea on this measure, and sits in the top four per cent of schools nationally. It also ranks twelfth out of 350 schools in the East of England region, making it one of the strongest academic performers in the area.

At Key Stage 4, the school achieves an Attainment 8 score of 77.3, and 100 per cent of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths, with 98.3 per cent reaching grade 5 or above. The EBacc average point score is 7.52, and 95.6 per cent of pupils entered the EBacc combination of subjects. In the sixth form, the school’s average points per entry is 45.55, equivalent to an A- grade, and the best three A-levels average out at 46.29 points, also an A-. The value-added score for sixth form is 0.08, which is banded as average, meaning students make typical progress relative to their prior attainment. The school’s Progress 8 breakdown shows particularly strong progress in the EBacc subjects (1.1) and in maths (0.94), while English progress is a more modest 0.55. The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 181 places in the 2025/26 admissions year, it received 1023 applications, with 283 first-preference applications and 148 first-preference offers.

The school is a boys’ state secondary with a co-educational sixth form, and it has a capacity of 1300 pupils, currently with 1292 on roll. It offers a wide range of facilities including science labs, a theatre, a sports hall, tennis courts, music rooms, a library, and a dedicated sixth form centre. Sports on offer include football, swimming, rowing, basketball, and martial arts, while clubs range from coding and chess to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and Model United Nations. The school provides support for a broad spectrum of special educational needs, including dyslexia, autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language difficulties, and physical disabilities. With only six per cent of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school’s intake is less disadvantaged than many local schools. This is a selective grammar school that suits families seeking a highly academic environment with strong outcomes across the board, particularly for boys who thrive in a single-sex setting through to sixth form.

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