Cold Norton Primary School

Cold Norton Primary school has made a significant improvement since its last inspection, where it was judged as outstanding. The current inspection, conducted over two days in March 2024, rated the overall effectiveness of the school as good. While pupils enjoy a supportive environment and feel safe, the school is working through a number of recent changes, particularly in its curriculum and staffing. Leaders are taking proactive steps to improve the delivery of subjects, although some areas require further development to ensure all staff are equipped to meet the needs of their students effectively.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and cared for in a supportive school environment.
• Leaders have made bold decisions to improve the curriculum.
• Pupils achieve well, especially in reading and phonics.
• The school provides detailed support for pupils with SEND.
• Pupils participate in campaigns and are involved in school life.
• A variety of activities ensures joyful playtimes for all pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Some staff lack training and expertise to teach the new curriculum effectively.
• Not all staff maintain high expectations for pupil behaviour during lessons.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Cold Norton Primary School attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at Cold Norton Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Cold Norton Primary School had 20.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 23.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 12.1% of pupils at Cold Norton Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Cold Norton Primary School received £6,181 and spent £5,898 for each of its 157 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £123,000 (£781 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

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What is Cold Norton Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Cold Norton Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2024.

When was Cold Norton Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Cold Norton Primary School was last inspected in May 2024.

How many pupils does Cold Norton Primary School have?

Cold Norton Primary School has 157 pupils on roll.

What age range does Cold Norton Primary School cover?

Cold Norton Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Cold Norton Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Cold Norton Primary School?

Cold Norton Primary School is at St Stephens Road, Cold Norton, Chelmsford, Essex, CM3 6JE.