Alec Hunter Academy
Secondary · Academy sponsor led · Ages 11–16 · Braintree, 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, 2025–2026 (miles)
All: every applicant was offered a place.
Alec Hunter Academy is a secondary school in Braintree, Essex for ages 11–16 (academy sponsor led). Its latest Ofsted outcome is School remains Good, from the inspection on 9 November 2022. Essex has published a last distance offered for this school for Year 7 2022 to 2026 entry.
Alec Hunter Academy 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 | Not published |
| Year 7 2022 | Not published |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- The school has 13.8% of pupils eligible for free school meals, against a middle figure of 22.6% across the 8 nearest secondary schools in Essex.
- For Year 7 in 2026 there were 227 first-choice applications for 202 offers; 189 offers went to first-choice families, and 38 first-choice families were not offered a place.
- In 2024/25, 49% got grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths (England 45%), the highest of 9 schools: this one and the 8 nearest secondary schools in Essex.
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
- Stubbs Lane, Braintree, CM7 3NR
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–16
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Council
- Essex
- Pupils on roll
- 1,058 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 13.8% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 17.4
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
School remains Good Inspected 9 November 2022
Strengths
- “Pupils are happy at Alec Hunter Academy, and most attend well.”
- “The school’s motto, ‘Kindness above all else’, is reflected in the relationships between staff and pupils.”
- “Parents and pupils say the school is welcoming.”
To improve
- “When teachers do not provide opportunities for pupils to practise or test their new knowledge, pupils do not remember what they have been taught in sufficient detail.”
- “Despite this, there are a number of pupils who are persistently absent and miss too much school.”
- “More still needs to be achieved for these pupils to return to school.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 19 December 2022 (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) | 49% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 45.7 | 46 |
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: 227 first-preference applications, 202 offers in total, 189 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.
- Notley High School and Braintree Sixth Form 1.2 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Tabor Academy 1.8 mi Requires improvement Last distance published
- Lift New Rickstones 4.5 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Honywood School 4.8 mi Good Last distance published
- Lift Maltings 5.8 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- The Ramsey Academy, Halstead 6.0 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Hedingham School and Sixth Form 7.8 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Thurstable School 8.2 mi Not judged Last distance published