Latest figures have revealed every school in Braintree and Witham fell below the average standard of education last year.

The Department for Education published revised Key Stage 4 and A-level results on Thursday.

Figures showed the first Attainment 8, an average grade across a set of eight subjects, and Progress 8 measures for the first time.

Progress 8 is determined by comparing predicted grades of pupils when they leave primary school and the difference between that number and their actual Attainment 8 score.

In Key Stage 4, Honywood School was classed as well below average, with a Progress 8 score of -0.62 and an Attainment 8 score of 43.6, compared to a national average of 46.4.

Its headteacher, Simon Mason, defended the preliminary results in October, citing a “national obsession with measuring the impact of education” giving a false sense of what is going on.

He declined to comment on the latest figures.

Both Witham schools, Maltings Academy and New Rickstones Academy, refused to provide the Times with its results last summer.

They have failed to meet the national average and were rated as below average at Key Stage 4.

Maltings Academy recorded a Progress 8 score of -0.21 and an Attainment 8 score of 42.9.

New Rickstones Academy had a Progress 8 score of -0.27 and an Attainment 8 score of 39.4.

Witham MP Priti Patel said she would be speaking with the schools trust.

She said: “These results show the Academies Enterprise Trust that sponsor both academies in Witham are lagging behind and need to up their game.

"I am in regular contact with the Department for Education and AET and will be discussing these results with AET this week.

“There have been question marks over the performance of AET for a number of years and improvements are needed.”

Essex is ranked 58 of all 151 local authorities, with an average Attainment 8 score of 46.7 – above the national average of 46.4.