The Appleton School
Secondary · Academy converter · Ages 11–19 · Benfleet, Essex
Last distance offered · Year 7 2026
Not published
From Essex County Council · offers on 2 March 2026
Unlock every school · £9.99 Open on the map →The Appleton School is a secondary school in Benfleet, Essex for ages 11–19 (academy converter). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Standards maintained, from the inspection on 20 November 2024. Essex has published a last distance offered for this school for Year 7 2022 to 2026 entry.
The Appleton School catchment area: last distance offered
Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.
| Entry | Last distance offered |
|---|---|
| Year 7 2026 | Not published |
| Year 7 2025 | Not published |
| Year 7 2023 | Every applicant was offered a place |
| Year 7 2022 | Not published |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- There were 203 first-choice applications for 297 Year 7 offers in 2026; 197 offers went to first-choice families and 100 to families who ranked it second or lower.
- At Year 7 entry in 2026 there were 0.7 first choices per offer, the 10th lowest of 75 Essex secondary schools.
- In 2024/25, 32% got grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths (England 45%), with an Attainment 8 score of 39.6 (England 46).
Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Essex schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.
Key facts
- Address
- Croft Road, Benfleet, SS7 5RN
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–19
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Council
- Essex
- Pupils on roll
- 1,597 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 17.3% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 18.5
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Standards maintained Inspected 20 November 2024
Strengths
- “There is a welcoming culture in this school.”
- “Staff develop positive relationships with pupils.”
- “They know the pupils very well.”
To improve
- “National outcomes for pupils’ achievement in 2023 were below the national averages.”
- “Sometimes, teachers do not identify and clarify pupils’ misunderstandings.”
- “This means that, on occasion, pupils do not commit knowledge and subject-specific vocabulary to their longterm memory.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 13 January 2025 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| GCSE English and maths, grade 5 or above (2024/25) | 32% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 39.6 | 46 |
| A level average grade (2024/25) | B- | B- |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Year 7 entry: 203 first-preference applications, 297 offers in total, 197 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Nearby secondary schools
Straight-line distance, in Essex.
- The King John School 1.9 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- The Deanes 2.0 mi Good Last distance published
- The Basildon Upper Academy 2.1 mi Good
- The Cornelius Vermuyden School 2.6 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- The Basildon Lower Academy 2.8 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- The Sweyne Park School 3.0 mi Not judged Last distance published
- The FitzWimarc School 3.2 mi Good Last distance published
- Castle View School 3.4 mi Requires improvement Last distance published