Jo Richardson Community School

Barking and Dagenham · RM9 4UN

General information Secondary School · 11-19 years Who goes here 1696 pupils, 38% FSM

Educational attainment Ofsted: Outstanding

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN SEN unit · 8.8% on SEN support Behaviour Typical record Staff 6.3% turnover Financials £11,631 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

FOI Transparency How openly this school shares data

Cooperative 70 /100

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Jo Richardson Community School

General Information

Address: Gale Street, Castle Green, Dagenham, RM9 4UN – View on map
Phone: 02082706222
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Ms Lisa Keane
Age range: 11-19 years
Furthest place offered from (Sept 2026 entry): 2.18 km away From the council's own Sept 2026 admissions data - not a fixed catchment boundary, and no guarantee for future years, since it shifts with demand each year.
Demand for places (Year 7, September 2026): 296 families put it first for 299 places – 10 for every 10 places. 85% of them were offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 12 · 2025 12 · 2026 10
Sixth form: Yes
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

1696 pupils out of 1700 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 553
% eligible for free school meals: 38.0%
Pupil mix: 8 in 10 (similar to the Barking and Dagenham average)
English as an additional language: 32% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 6.3% a year (Barking and Dagenham 15.1%, typical in England 15.5%) Low turnover
Where they went: about 58% moved to another school, 42% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. "Low turnover" means it's among the quarter of similar schools in England where teachers are most likely to stay.

Supply and cover teaching

Classes taught mainly by supply or cover staff for half a term or more: 4523 (a full term or more: 2992)
Teaching posts vacant or only temporarily filled during the year: 0
Days of supply or agency teacher cover: 227
Data year: 2025/26 (from the school, under Freedom of Information)

Government figures only count teachers on contracts of 28 days or more, so a class covered by a run of supply teachers doesn't show up in them – which is why we ask schools directly.

Behaviour

Typical record 2025/26

About this Behaviour status

Based on real data requested under Freedom of Information, compared against other schools of the same type that have also responded - not a judgement on any single figure alone.

Reading the numbers: higher figures below often mean a school records thoroughly and takes concerns seriously, rather than more incidents happening. A school reporting unusually low figures sometimes has a reporting gap rather than a problem-free intake. If a figure stands out, it's worth asking the school how it records.

Data year: 2025/26
Bullying incidents: <5
Physical aggression / violence incidents: 34
Child protection referrals: 30
Safeguarding concerns: 1304
Racist incidents: <5
Suspensions (fixed-term exclusions): 117
Permanent exclusions: 3
Sexual harassment or sexual violence between pupils (recorded incidents): <5 (led to a suspension or exclusion: 38) – a higher number can mean a school takes reports seriously and records them carefully

See the bullying figures for every school in Barking and Dagenham →

Figures may show "<5" for some schools.

What does "<5" mean?

A figure shown as "<5" means the real number is below 5 - the standard convention for this kind of data, used to avoid identifying individual pupils. Different schools may also record and define incidents differently, so read comparisons with care.

2nd of 2 secondary schools in Barking and Dagenham for behaviour

#1Barking Abbey School, A Specialist Sports and Humanities College100%
#2Jo Richardson Community School0%

Click to see the full ranking

Behaviour ranking

Each school's score (out of 100) reflects how it compares to other schools in the area across all reported behaviour metrics — bullying, physical aggression, safeguarding referrals and racist incidents. A higher score means fewer reported incidents relative to peers. Ranked by real FOI-reported figures. Schools that have declined to provide this data sit at the bottom — refusing a legal request is treated as worse than any honestly-reported result.

Rank School Score

#1Barking Abbey School, A Specialist Sports and Humanities College100%
#2Jo Richardson Community School0%

Across Barking and Dagenham: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 36 (1.7 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.7)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 6
Suspensions for bullying: 20 (0.9 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.9)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 3 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.8)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state secondary schools in Barking and Dagenham, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 6.2%
Persistently absent pupils: 18.3%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

SEN unit for Autism 26 places · 26 pupils at the last count

Places are usually for children with an EHC Plan and are arranged through the council, not the normal school application.

Pupils on SEN Support: 8.8%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 3.6%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Moderate learning difficulty: 47 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 39 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 36 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 12 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 7 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 44 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 8 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 6 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 2 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Would recommend –

This score reflects how openly the school responded to our Freedom of Information request. Schools that withhold information are rated lower — even the act of hiding data tells parents something about a school’s openness.

Response: Full response (+60)
Timeliness: Response date not recorded (+10)
Optional data: No optional data (+0)

Exemplary (80–100) · Cooperative (60–79) · Reluctant (40–59) · Obstructive (20–39) · Opaque (0–19)

Educational Attainment

Outstanding 2024 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Attainment 8 score: 50.2
Compared with the area: 1.0 points above the Barking and Dagenham average (49.2)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (+1.9 points against an expected 48.3)
Grade 4+ in English and maths: 69% (Barking and Dagenham 69%, England 65%) Broadly steady
Data year: 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

GCSE results over time

This schoolBarking and Dagenham averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was 1.0 points above the Barking and Dagenham average (49.2).

About the Attainment 8 score

Attainment 8 measures a pupil's average result across 8 GCSE-equivalent qualifications (English and maths count double). It shows how pupils performed, not how much progress they made getting there - a school with a higher score doesn't necessarily add more value, since pupils often arrive with different starting points. Progress 8 is the measure designed to account for that, but it currently can't be calculated for any school for the two most recent academic years, due to a nationwide gap in the data caused by COVID-19 disruption to Key Stage 2 testing.

6th of 13 secondary schools in Barking and Dagenham for Attainment 8

#4The Sydney Russell School51.2
#5Robert Clack School50.5
#6Jo Richardson Community School50.2
#7Barking Abbey School, A Specialist Sports and Humanities College49.7
#8The Warren School47.6

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

Rank School Score

#1All Saints Catholic School and Technology College56.1
#2Goresbrook School55.6
#3Riverside School55.5
#4The Sydney Russell School51.2
#5Robert Clack School50.5
#6Jo Richardson Community School50.2
#7Barking Abbey School, A Specialist Sports and Humanities College49.7
#8The Warren School47.6
#9Greatfields School45.6
#10Eastbury Community School44.8
#11Dagenham Park CofE School42.1
#12Brook Sixth Form and Academy38.7
#13Eastbrook School37.2

Leaver Destinations

In education, employment, or training a year later: 92.0%
Went into further education: 89.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About leaver destinations

This shows where a school's Year 11 leavers were recorded the following year - in a "sustained" destination means in education, an apprenticeship, or employment for at least 6 months, not just enrolled briefly. It's a different picture from exam results alone, and can highlight schools that support pupils well beyond just their GCSE grades.

GCSE Subjects Offered

Maths (General)
English Language
English Literature
Science Double Award
History
Physics (General)
Biology
Chemistry (General)
Community Development
Business Studies
Geography
Media Studies
Sports Studies
Computer Science
Speech & Drama
Religious Studies
Art & Design
French Language
Food Technology
Spanish
D & T
Music Studies (General)
Dance: General
Portuguese
Russian
Italian
Bengali
Urdu
Persian Language
German

About this subject list

This isn't the school's own description of its curriculum - it's real DfE exam entry data, showing which GCSE subjects this school's pupils were actually entered for in 2024/25. A subject not appearing here may still be taught but had no pupils entered that year, so treat this as a helpful guide rather than a complete guarantee - it's worth confirming directly with the school for the year your child would actually study.

View full Ofsted inspection report

3rd of 9 secondary schools in Barking and Dagenham for Ofsted rating

#1All Saints Catholic School and Technology CollegeOutstanding
#2Barking Abbey School, A Specialist Sports and Humanities CollegeOutstanding
#3Jo Richardson Community SchoolOutstanding
#4Riverside SchoolOutstanding
#5The Warren SchoolOutstanding

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1All Saints Catholic School and Technology CollegeOutstanding
#2Barking Abbey School, A Specialist Sports and Humanities CollegeOutstanding
#3Jo Richardson Community SchoolOutstanding
#4Riverside SchoolOutstanding
#5The Warren SchoolOutstanding
#6Dagenham Park CofE SchoolGood
#7Eastbury Community SchoolGood
#8Greatfields SchoolGood
#9Robert Clack SchoolGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £11,631 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

2nd of 13 secondary schools in Barking and Dagenham for spending per pupil

#1Brook Sixth Form and Academy£12,021
#2Jo Richardson Community School£11,631
#3Eastbrook School£11,521
#4Dagenham Park CofE School£9,495

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Brook Sixth Form and Academy£12,021
#2Jo Richardson Community School£11,631
#3Eastbrook School£11,521
#4Dagenham Park CofE School£9,495
#5Eastbury Community School£9,386
#6All Saints Catholic School and Technology College£9,042
#7Greatfields School£8,989
#8Barking Abbey School, A Specialist Sports and Humanities College£8,882
#9Goresbrook School£8,846
#10Robert Clack School£8,613
#11The Sydney Russell School£8,351
#12Riverside School£8,046
#13The Warren School£7,828

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

Environment

Data received 2025/26

About this Environment status

Based on real information requested under Freedom of Information, covering step-free access, specialist facilities, classroom climate, and technology provision.

Accessibility

Step-free for pupils, staff and visitors: Yes
Overall accessibility: Fully
Lifts for pupil use: Yes
Accessible toilets: Yes
Changing Places facility: Yes
Sensory room: Yes

Climate

Classrooms with air conditioning: 23.6%
Mechanical ventilation: Yes - some classrooms
Air cooling units: Yes - some classrooms
Shaded outdoor areas: Some
Heatwave procedures: Yes - informal arrangements

Technology

Pupils per device: 2:1
Digital display in every classroom: Yes
Interactive whiteboards: Yes - all classrooms
1:1 pupil device programme: No
Coding / robotics equipment: No
Assistive technology for SEND pupils: No

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General Information

Who goes here

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Supply and cover teaching

Behaviour

Behaviour ranking

Across Barking and Dagenham: suspensions by reason

Attendance

SEN

Most common needs - SEN Support

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Educational Attainment

Attainment 8 ranking

Leaver Destinations ?

GCSE Subjects Offered ?

Ofsted Rating ranking

Financials

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Environment

Accessibility

Climate

Technology

Leaver Destinations

GCSE Subjects Offered