The Ongar Academy
Secondary · Free schools · Ages 11–18 · Ongar, 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.
The Ongar Academy is a secondary school in Ongar, Essex for ages 11–18 (free schools). Its latest Ofsted outcome is School remains Good, from the inspection on 1 November 2023. Essex has published a last distance offered for this school for Year 7 2022 to 2026 entry.
The Ongar 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 | 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
- Every Year 7 applicant in 2026 was offered a place, as also happened at 59 of the 71 other Essex secondary schools with a published Year 7 2026 outcome.
- In 2024/25, 26% got grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths (England 45%), 2nd lowest of 9 schools: this one and the 8 nearest secondary schools in Essex.
- Year 7 2026 had 90 first-choice applications for 107 offers, and 17 offers went to families who ranked it second or lower.
- Free school meal eligibility stands at 27.4% of pupils, against a middle figure of 19.7% across 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
- Fyfield Road, Ongar, CM5 0AN
- Type
- Free schools
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–18
- Council
- Essex
- Pupils on roll
- 467 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 27.4% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 13.7
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
School remains Good Inspected 1 November 2023
Strengths
- “Pupils enjoy attending The Ongar Academy.”
- “They feel increasingly positive about the school after an unsettled period.”
- “They appreciate the high expectations the school now has of behaviour.”
To improve
- “However, due to staffing changes, there has been a delay in the school completing precise enough checks on how well pupils are able to read.”
- “This means that, for the few pupils who struggle to learn to read, they are not catching up as quickly as leaders would expect.”
- “However, the development of careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) is at an early stage.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 5 December 2023 (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) | 26% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 37.4 | 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: 90 first-preference applications, 107 offers in total, 90 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.
- Passmores Academy 6.0 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Shenfield High School 6.5 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Epping St John's Church of England School 6.6 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Mark Hall Academy 6.6 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Becket Keys Church of England Free School 6.6 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Anglo European School 6.6 mi Good Last distance published
- St Mark's West Essex Catholic School 7.0 mi Good Last distance published
- Stewards Academy - Science Specialist, Harlow 7.1 mi Requires improvement Last distance published