Hedingham School and Sixth Form vs Thomas Gainsborough School
At a glance
Hedingham School and Sixth Form in Essex and Thomas Gainsborough School in Suffolk are 7.6 miles apart in a straight line.
Thomas Gainsborough School had the higher Attainment 8 score in 2025-26 (provisional): 46.7 against 43.5 (a gap of 3.2 points).
Progress 8 was not published for 2025-26 (provisional) so this comparison relies on attainment.
Overall absence in 2024-25 was 10.4% at Hedingham School and Sixth Form and 8.3% at Thomas Gainsborough School.
Hedingham School and Sixth Form has 1,155 pupils for 1,168 published places (99%) and Thomas Gainsborough School has 1,615 for 1,400 (115%).
Built from the figures in the table below. Sources and years are given next to every figure.
Side by side
| Measure | Hedingham School and Sixth Form | Thomas Gainsborough School |
|---|---|---|
| Ofsted | ||
| Overall Ofsted grade Ofsted MI, inspections to 31 May 2026 | No graded inspection in our data | No graded inspection in our data |
| School profile | ||
| Type GIAS (DfE), March 2026 extract | Academy converter | Academy converter |
| Phase and age range GIAS (DfE), March 2026 extract | Secondary, ages 11-18 | Secondary, ages 11-18 |
| Location GIAS (DfE), March 2026 extract | Halstead, Essex | Sudbury, Suffolk |
| Pupils on roll GIAS (DfE), March 2026 extract | 1,155 | 1,615 |
| Results and attendanceEach row shows the latest year both schools have a figure for. "Stronger" marks a gap big enough to matter in a year both schools report. Rounding-level differences are not marked. Attainment figures reflect each school's intake as well as its teaching. Progress 8 is the only measure here that adjusts for pupils' starting points. | ||
| Attainment 8 (average score) DfE KS4 results, 2025-26 (provisional) | 43.5 | 46.7 Stronger |
| Progress 8 score DfE KS4 results, 2023-24 Progress 8 was not published for the 2025-26 (provisional) results because the Department for Education did not calculate it for that cohort. The last published year is shown. | -0.27 | +0.21 Stronger |
| Grade 5+ in English and maths DfE KS4 results, 2025-26 (provisional) | 40% | 44% Stronger |
| Grade 4+ in English and maths DfE KS4 results, 2025-26 (provisional) | 62% | 66% Stronger |
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 DfE KS4 results, 2025-26 (provisional) | 193 | 277 |
| A-level average point score DfE A-level results, 2024-25 | 28.39 | 36.08 Stronger |
| A-level average grade DfE A-level results, 2024-25 | C | B- |
| A-level students in the point score measure DfE A-level results, 2024-25 | 68 | 116 |
| Overall absence (lower is better) DfE pupil absence, 2024-25 | 10.4% | 8.3% Stronger |
| Persistent absence (lower is better) DfE pupil absence, 2024-25 Share of pupils missing 10% or more of sessions. | 26.6% | 21.5% Stronger |
| Intake and admissionsNot marked as stronger or weaker. These rows describe who a school serves and how its places are filled. They do not measure teaching quality so a higher or lower figure is not better. | ||
| Pupils eligible for free school meals GIAS (DfE), March 2026 extract | 15.1% | 19.4% |
| Published capacity (places) GIAS (DfE), March 2026 extract | 1,168 | 1,400 |
| Pupils on roll as % of capacity GIAS (DfE), March 2026 extract, pupils divided by capacity | 99% | 115% |
| Admissions policy GIAS (DfE), March 2026 extract | Non-selective | Non-selective |
| Religious character GIAS (DfE), March 2026 extract | None recorded | None recorded |
"Not published" means the figure is not published or is suppressed for that school and year. It does not mean zero.
Trends over time
Solid blue line with round markers: Hedingham School and Sixth Form. Dashed amber line with square markers: Thomas Gainsborough School. Years with no published figure for either school are left off the axis.
Show these figures as a table
| Year | Hedingham School and Sixth Form | Thomas Gainsborough School |
|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 46.2 | 50.3 |
| 2023-24 | 42.2 | 48.4 |
| 2024-25 | 39.9 | 46.1 |
| 2025-26 (provisional) | 43.5 | 46.7 |
Source: DfE key stage 4 results, 2022-23 to 2025-26. The latest year is provisional.
Show these figures as a table
| Year | Hedingham School and Sixth Form | Thomas Gainsborough School |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 5.2% | 4.9% |
| 2021-22 | 9.1% | 8.9% |
| 2022-23 | 8.7% | 8.5% |
| 2023-24 | 9.2% | 9.5% |
| 2024-25 | 10.4% | 8.3% |
Source: DfE pupil absence, 2018-19 to 2024-25.
Show these figures as a table
| Year | Hedingham School and Sixth Form | Thomas Gainsborough School |
|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 37% | 55% |
| 2023-24 | 37% | 52% |
| 2024-25 | 27% | 46% |
| 2025-26 (provisional) | 40% | 44% |
Source: DfE key stage 4 results, 2022-23 to 2025-26. The latest year is provisional.
Admissions: how the two schools differ
Distance between the schools: 7.6 miles in a straight line between the two school sites. The coordinates come from the GIAS (DfE) March 2026 extract. This is not a walking or driving distance and it does not show which school your address is in catchment for.
How full they are: pupils on roll divided by published capacity from the GIAS (DfE) March 2026 extract. Both figures cover every year group (including any sixth form). Treat the percentage as a rough guide to demand rather than the size of the Year 7 intake.
Hedingham School and Sixth Form
- Capacity
- 1,168 places
- Pupils on roll
- 1,155
- Full
- 99% (close to capacity)
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious character
- None recorded
Source: GIAS (DfE), March 2026 extract. Each school's own admissions policy sets its oversubscription criteria. It is published by Essex (official admissions page) or by the school.
Check the catchment for your postcode Hedingham School and Sixth Form catchment pageThomas Gainsborough School
- Capacity
- 1,400 places
- Pupils on roll
- 1,615
- Full
- 115% (at or over capacity)
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious character
- None recorded
Source: GIAS (DfE), March 2026 extract. Each school's own admissions policy sets its oversubscription criteria. It is published by Suffolk (official admissions page) or by the school.
Check the catchment for your postcode Thomas Gainsborough School catchment pageSources
- Key stage 4 results (Attainment 8, Progress 8, English and maths): Key stage 4 performance, Academic year 2025/26 release, covering 2022-23 to 2025-26, downloaded 2026-10-30.
- A-level results: 16 to 19 performance, Academic year 2024/25 release, covering 2021-22 to 2024-25, downloaded 2026-10-30.
- Pupil absence: Pupil absence in schools in England, Academic year 2024/25 (published 2026-03-26) release, covering 2018-19 to 2024-25, downloaded 2026-10-30.
- Ofsted: Ofsted Management Information, state-funded schools inspections and outcomes, latest inspections to 31 May 2026. The inspection year is shown beside each grade. Reports: Hedingham School and Sixth Form, Thomas Gainsborough School.
- School details, capacity, pupils, free school meals, admissions policy, location: GIAS (DfE), March 2026 extract: Hedingham School and Sixth Form, Thomas Gainsborough School. Distance is calculated by catchment.school from those coordinates.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Attainment 8 and Progress 8 are only comparable between schools within the same year.