St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield

St Margaret’s Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is performing well overall, achieving a good rating in all evaluated areas. The school fosters a positive and safe environment where pupils feel valued and engaged in their learning. The curriculum is well-structured and ambitious, allowing pupils to achieve academically while also promoting personal development and good behavior. The school's leadership and staff effectively support all students, including those with special educational needs, ensuring they access the curriculum and make significant progress. Overall, the school is a welcoming place that prioritizes the well-being and learning of its pupils.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy a varied curriculum that includes music, computing, and physical education.
• Strong pastoral support helps foster a positive school environment.
• Leaders have constructed a carefully sequenced and ambitious curriculum.
• Teachers have secure subject knowledge and often effectively plan learning activities.
• A robust system is in place for identifying and supporting pupils' needs.
• The school has a strong emphasis on reading and phonics from an early age.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers do not quickly identify and address misconceptions in all subjects.
• Limited extracurricular activities reduce opportunities for pupils to explore their interests.

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 St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield attended 93.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.8% 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, 4.5% of pupils at St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield 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 St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield had 15.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 19.0% of pupils at St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.9% 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 St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield received £10,293 and spent £9,786 for each of its 63 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £64,000 (£1,010 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 Halstead · Essex local authority: places and applications

What is St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield is Good, from an inspection in January 2023.

When was St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield last inspected by Ofsted?

St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield was last inspected in January 2023.

How many pupils does St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield have?

St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield has 63 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield cover?

St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield?

St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield is at Church Lane, Toppesfield, Halstead, Essex, CO9 4DS.