UK Schools
Harwich and Dovercourt High School
Harwich and Dovercourt High School is a mixed secondary academy in Harwich, Essex County Council, teaching 1,075 pupils aged 11 to 16. Ofsted graded achievement as Urgent improvement at its most recent inspection in January 2026. In 2024–2025, GCSE Attainment 8 was 37.6 (England 46.1). The 2025–2026 school year runs from 2 September 2025 to 17 July 2026.
Ofsted inspection
The latest published Ofsted judgement for Harwich and Dovercourt High School.
Scale: Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement
Term dates & holidays 2025–2026
Autumn, spring and summer terms, half-terms, INSET days and bank holidays for Harwich and Dovercourt High School.
- 1 Inset Day
- 2 Autumn Term begins
- 27–31 Autumn Half Term
- 27–28 Inset Days
- 19 Autumn Term ends
- 22–31 Christmas Holiday
- 25 Christmas Day
- 26 Boxing Day
- 1–2 Christmas Holiday
- 1 New Year's Day
- 5 Spring Term begins
- 16–20 Spring Half Term
- 23 Inset Day
- 27 Spring Term ends
- 30–31 Easter Holiday
- 1–10 Easter Holiday
- 3 Good Friday
- 6 Easter Monday
- 13 Summer Term begins
- 4 Early May Bank Holiday
- 25–29 Summer Half Term
- 25 Spring Bank Holiday
- 17 Summer Term ends
- 20 Inset Day
- 21–31 Summer Holiday
- 1–31 Summer Holiday
- 31 Summer Bank Holiday
Key dates (2025–2026)
- Inset Day Sep 1, 2025 Inset Day
- Autumn Term begins Sep 2, 2025 Term
- Autumn Half Term Oct 27-31, 2025 Holiday
- Inset Days Nov 27-28, 2025 Inset Day
- Autumn Term ends Dec 19, 2025 Term
- Christmas Holiday Dec 22, 2025 - Jan 2, 2026 Holiday
- Spring Term begins Jan 5, 2026 Term
- Spring Half Term Feb 16-20, 2026 Holiday
- Inset Day Feb 23, 2026 Inset Day
- Spring Term ends Mar 27, 2026 Term
- Easter Holiday Mar 30 - Apr 10, 2026 Holiday
- Summer Term begins Apr 13, 2026 Term
- Early May Bank Holiday May 4, 2026 Holiday
- Summer Half Term May 25-29, 2026 Holiday
- Summer Term ends Jul 17, 2026 Term
- Inset Day Jul 20, 2026 Inset Day
- Summer Holiday Jul 21 - Aug 31, 2026 Holiday
- New Year's Day Jan 1, 2026 Event
- Good Friday Apr 3, 2026 Event
- Easter Monday Apr 6, 2026 Holiday
- Spring Bank Holiday May 25, 2026 Holiday
- Summer Bank Holiday Aug 31, 2026 Holiday
- Christmas Day Dec 25, 2025 Holiday
- Boxing Day Dec 26, 2025 Event
Exam results & performance
The measures that carry the most signal. Open a section to compare Harwich and Dovercourt High School with Essex County Council and England.
Key stage 4 (GCSE) 37.6 Attainment 8 score
Year 11 results across eight qualifications, including English and maths.
This school Essex County Council England
16 to 18 (A level & sixth form) 20 A level average point score
Results for students finishing post-16 study.
This school Essex County Council England
Attendance 33% Persistently absent pupils
Absence across the whole school year.
This school Essex County Council England
What pupils do after GCSEs 86% In education, apprenticeship or work
Still in education, an apprenticeship or work a year after key stage 4.
This school Essex County Council England
What students do after 16 to 18 study 54% In education, apprenticeship or work
Destinations the year after finishing post-16 study.
This school Essex County Council England
About this data source & caveats
Progress 8 is not published for 2024–2025. This year group missed their key stage 2 tests in 2020, so there is no baseline to measure progress from.
Attendance comparisons are pupil-weighted averages we calculate from every school’s published absence figure — the DfE absence file has no local authority or England rows of its own.
We show the headline measures only. Threshold and curriculum-policy figures — grade 4+ in English and maths, EBacc entry and points, the per-subject key stage 2 breakdown, academic and applied splits at 16 to 18 — reflect admissions and curriculum choices more than school quality, so they are left to GOV.UK. Progress measures matter most because they compare pupils with others who started at the same level; attainment on its own largely tracks a school’s intake.
Figures are the Department for Education’s official published results for Harwich and Dovercourt High School. Results are suppressed where too few pupils were entered. England figures are the average for state-funded schools. “Top x%” is this school’s position among all schools in England with a published figure for that measure — the DfE does not publish league table rankings.
Source: Compare school and college performance, Department for Education. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Location & catchment area
Indicative only. This is a nearest-school (Voronoi) estimate — the area closer to Harwich and Dovercourt High School than to any other secondary school. Real admissions depend on the school’s own policy (straight-line distance, siblings, faith, feeder schools and available places) and change each year. Always confirm with the school and local authority admissions team.