SchoolScoresIndependent school guide

Hurstmere School

Academy · Secondary, ages 11 to 16 · Boys only

Part of THE HOWARD ACADEMY TRUST

Hurst Road, Sidcup, DA15 9AW

020 8300 5665 · School website · Map and directions

OfstedRequires improvementInspected 27 September 2022, before conversion
Grade 5 or above in English and maths42%England 45% · 2024/25
Pupils893Room for 1,065
First-choice applications per place0.6118 for 202 places, September 2026

Ofsted inspection

Ofsted rated this school Requires improvement at the inspection that started on 27 September 2022. This inspection was of the school before it changed to its current form (for example, before becoming an academy).

This inspection used Ofsted's older format with four grades: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement and Inadequate. Newer inspections use report cards. What changed.

AreaGrade
Quality of educationRequires improvement
Behaviour and attitudesRequires improvement
Personal developmentRequires improvement
Leadership and managementRequires improvement
SafeguardingEffective

Read the full Ofsted reports for this school

Source: Ofsted state-funded schools inspection data.

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Results

GCSEs (key stage 4, age 16), 2024/25

195 pupils in this year group.

42% — 12 points below the Bexley average, and 4 points below the England average.

MeasureThis schoolBexleyEngland
Grade 5 or above in English and maths 42% 54% 45%
Attainment 8 scoreAverage of each pupil's grades across 8 GCSE-level subjects, with English and maths counted twice. Around 50 means grade 5s on average. 42.1 50.6 46.1
EBacc average point scoreAverage points across the English Baccalaureate subjects: English, maths, sciences, a language and history or geography. 3.6 4.5 4.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths, over time
30% 40% 50% 60% England 2022/23: 45%England 2023/24: 46%England 2024/25: 45% This school 2022/23: 45%This school 2024/25: 42% This school England 45% 2022/23 45% 2023/24 – 2024/25 42%

Progress 8 isn't shown. DfE didn't publish it for 2024/25 because this year group's key stage 2 tests in 2020 were cancelled, and older progress scores aren't comparable.

Source: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25. England figures are for state-funded schools.

After Year 11

Where pupils went next. DfE measures this for pupils who finished in an earlier year, so these figures describe a previous year group.

208 pupils in this year group.

These results were published under the school's previous registration (URN 137368), before it changed to its current form.

95% — about the same as the Bexley average, and 2 points above the England average.

Where pupils went after Year 11
This school 42%35%
England 36%13%35%
MeasureThis schoolBexleyEngland
Stayed in education, an apprenticeship or workPupils recorded in sustained education, apprenticeship or employment in the year after finishing Year 11. 95% 94% 93%
School sixth form 42% 58% 36%
Sixth form college 4% 8% 13%
Further education college 35% 21% 35%
Apprenticeship 7% 2% 3%
Work 6% 3% 4%

Source: DfE key stage 4 destination measures, 2023/24 performance tables. England figures are for state-funded schools.

Admissions

Apply through the council where you live, even if the school is in a different council area. This school is in Bexley. The national closing date for secondary applications is 31 October, and offers are sent on 1 March.

How hard is it to get in?

For the September 2026 intake there were fewer first-choice applications than places.

Places offered202
Families who put it first118
Of those, offered a place118 (100%)
Families who listed it at all426

First-choice applications per place: 2024: 0.6 · 2025: 0.6 · 2026: 0.6

This isn't your chance of getting a place. That depends on the school's admissions rules (for example siblings, distance or faith) and where you live. Source: DfE applications and offers, September 2026 intake.

Admissions dates and schools in Bexley

Pupils, staff and SEND

PupilsThis schoolBexleyEngland
Eligible for free school meals in the last 6 years
 16.9% 23.1%* 28.9%
With an education, health and care plan
 2.1% 2.3%* 3.1%
Receiving special educational needs support
 20.4% 10.6%* 13.4%
English as an additional language
 8.0% 18.3%* 19.2%
Overall absence (sessions missed)
 7.2% 6.7%* 8.4%
Persistently absent (missed 10% or more)
 19.6% 18.1%* 23.4%
Suspensions per 100 pupils
 17.4 13.7 21.2
Pupils suspended at least once
 7.7% 5.8% 7.3%
Pupils permanently excluded4 pupils 0.41% 0.13% 0.23%
Pupils per teacher
 17.6 17.3 16.7
Pupils per adult (teachers and support staff)
 14.1 13.6 11.8
Teachers who left during the year
 24.1% 17.3%* 14.2%*

Comparisons are with secondary schools. Scales run from lower (left) to higher (right) figures. For absence and suspensions lower is better, so their scales run green to red; blue scales describe the school's pupils and staff and aren't good or bad. * Calculated by SchoolScores from the council's or England's schools, weighted by pupils (or teachers, for turnover); other figures are published by DfE. Sources: DfE school census 2024/25; DfE pupil absence 2024/25; DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions 2024/25; DfE school workforce census 2025/26; DfE teacher turnover 2024/25.

Nearby secondary schools

Straight-line distance. Distance isn't the same as a catchment area.

Questions parents ask

What is Hurstmere School's Ofsted rating?

Hurstmere School was rated Requires improvement by Ofsted at its inspection in 27 September 2022.

How did Hurstmere School do in its GCSEs?

In 2024/25, 42% of pupils grade 5 or above in English and maths, 4 points below the England average of 45%.

Is Hurstmere School oversubscribed?

For the September 2026 intake, 118 families put Hurstmere School as their first choice for 202 places: fewer first-choice applications than places. 118 of those families were offered a place. Whether you get a place depends on the school's admissions rules and where you live.

Sources

Spotted a mistake? Report it and we'll check it against the source.

Page updated 26 September 2026.