Down Hall Primary School

Down Hall Primary School continues to sustain the high standards noted in its previous inspection. The school is a nurturing environment where pupils feel safe, valued, and supported. Strong relationships between staff and students foster a deep sense of community, and pupils demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning. While the ambition and quality of the curriculum are commendable, some challenges exist in ensuring older students excel as consistently as younger ones. Attendance disparities, particularly among disadvantaged pupils, highlight areas needing improvement to ensure equitable access to educational and personal development opportunities.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy strong relationships with staff who know them well.
• The school fosters a positive and inclusive ethos.
• High expectations are evident in both learning and behavior.
• The ambitious curriculum is well-structured, fostering depth of learning.
• A strong reading culture supports fluency and comprehension.
• Pupils actively participate in various leadership roles.
• Effective safeguarding arrangements are in place.

Areas for Improvement

• Older pupils in key stage 2 are not achieving to the same level as younger pupils.
• Attendance rates for disadvantaged pupils are higher than their peers.

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 Down Hall Primary School attended 95.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.8% 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 Down Hall 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 Down Hall Primary School had 23.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 4.1% 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, 12.5% of pupils at Down Hall Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.2% 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 Down Hall Primary School received £6,086 and spent £6,329 for each of its 272 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £11,000 (£39 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).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Rayleigh · Essex local authority: places and applications

What is Down Hall Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Down Hall Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Down Hall Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Down Hall Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Down Hall Primary School have?

Down Hall Primary School has 272 pupils on roll.

What age range does Down Hall Primary School cover?

Down Hall Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Down Hall Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 81% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Down Hall Primary School?

Down Hall Primary School is at Brooklyn Drive, Rayleigh, Essex, SS6 9LW.