Plume School
Secondary · Academy converter · Ages 11–18 · Maldon, Essex
Last distance offered · Year 7 2026
Every applicant was offered a place
From Essex County Council · offers on 2 March 2026
Year 7 last distance offered, 2023–2026 (miles)
All: every applicant was offered a place.
Plume School is a secondary school in Maldon, Essex for ages 11–18 (academy converter). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Good, from the inspection on 28 November 2023. Essex has published a last distance offered for this school for Year 7 2022 to 2026 entry.
Plume 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 | Every applicant was offered a place |
| Year 7 2025 | Every applicant was offered a place |
| 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
- For Year 7 in 2026, Plume had 274 first-choice applications for 288 offers; 273 offers went to first-choice families and 15 to families who ranked it second or lower.
- There are 15.7 pupils per teacher, against a middle figure of 18.3 across the 8 nearest secondary schools in Essex.
- In 2024/25, 37% of pupils got grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths, the 2nd lowest of 9 schools: this one and the 8 nearest secondary schools in Essex.
- A level results for 2024/25 averaged grade C+ (England B-), and progress from GCSE to A level was above average.
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
- Fambridge Road, Maldon, CM9 6AB
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–18
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Council
- Essex
- Pupils on roll
- 1,789 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 23.6% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 15.7
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Good Inspected 28 November 2023
Strengths
- “Pupils are proud to attend Plume School.”
- “They appreciate the support they receive from staff, particularly around their well-being.”
- “The school celebrates the diversity of its pupils.”
To improve
- “Published outcomes for 2023 show that pupils in key stage 4 did not achieve as highly as they should.”
- “However, this was principally the result of high levels of persistent absence by some pupils, and some disruption to the delivery of aspects of the curriculum.”
- “However, this is not consistently effective across all subjects.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 23 January 2024 (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) | 37% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 42.9 | 46 |
| A level average grade (2024/25) | C+ | 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: 274 first-preference applications, 288 offers in total, 273 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.
- Lift Maltings 5.0 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- William de Ferrers School 6.3 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Lift New Rickstones 6.4 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- The Sandon School 6.9 mi Requires improvement Last distance published
- Thurstable School 6.9 mi Not judged Last distance published
- The Boswells School 8.1 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Great Baddow High School 8.2 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Lift Greensward 8.5 mi School remains Good Last distance published