Westcliff High School for Girls

Westcliff High School for Girls is a state grammar school and academy in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted, it has exceptional academic credentials; in 2014 its pupils achieved the second-highest GCSE results in England.

The school aims for high moral standards and national standing for its scholarship, producing leaders and thinkers with a lifelong passion for learning.

• Address: Westcliff High School for Girls, Kenilworth Gardens, Westcliff-On-Sea, SS0 0BS
• Local authority: Essex County Council
• School type: girls' grammar with a mixed sixth form
• Headteacher: Emma Matthews
• Number of pupils: 1,300+
• National rank (Sunday Times Parent Power): 62
• A level results: 81.1% A*–B
• GCSE results: 81.9% A*/A/9/8/7

Westcliff High School for Girls is a member of the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE). This means that the admissions arrangements are similar at all the grammar schools within the consortium, and all children applying to one of the 10 schools take the same 11 plus test.

If you would like your child to be considered for a place at Southend High School for Girls you will need to apply by completing two forms:

• Register for the 11 plus: you will need to register your child to take the CSSE 11 plus exam on the CSSE website. Registration opens on Thursday 16th May 2023 and closes on 30th June 2023.
• Register for a school place: you will need to submit the common application form (CAF) and name Westcliff High School for Girls as your preferred school of choice. You will be able to complete the form on the Essex County Council website between 1st September and 31st October 2023.

After your child takes the CSSE exam, a team of independent professional markers will double-mark and check the papers. Some scores will be age-standardised and then the results for each school will be ranked in order.

The pass mark can vary from year to year. In 2022, the pass mark at Westcliff High School for Girls was 303 for children living within the priority area, and 327 for children living outside the priority area.

The CSSE does not normally make secondary school offers to any child who has scored under a total standardised score of 303. However, some appeals outside of this criteria are successful.

If there are more spaces than those who have passed the CSSE 11 plus exam, then all successful applicants who have met the pass mark will be offered a place at the school. However, if there are more successful applicants than the 184 places available at the school, then the following oversubscription criteria will be applied.

Note that children who have an Education, Heath and Care (EHC) plan which names the school, and who have passed the 11 plus, will automatically be admitted to the school.

1. Looked After or previously Looked After children who have passed the exam

2. Children who primarily live within the school's priority area, who have passed the exam, and who qualify for preferential consideration. Up to 15 places are designated for children in this category

3. Children who primarily live within the school's priority area, and who have passed the exam. Up to 147 places are designated for children in both categories 2 and 3

4. Children who live outside of the priority area, who have passed the exam, and who qualify for preferential consideration. Up to 4 places are designated for children in this category.

5. Children who live outside of this priority area, and who have passed the exam. The remaining places up to 184 are available in this category.

'Preferential consideration' is available to children who pass the 11 plus test, are in receipt of Free School Meals or the Pupil Premium Grant at the time of test registration, and have indicated this when registering for the CSSE test.

The priority area for Westcliff High School for Girls covers the postcodes SS0, SS1, SS2, SS3, SS4, SS5, SS6, SS7, SS8 and SS9.