Great Dunmow Primary School

Great Dunmow Primary School is a happy, inclusive primary school where pupils are proud of their school and behave exceptionally well. Inspectors found that pupils value the care and kindness of staff, work well together, and benefit from a strong personal development programme that includes visits, visitors, clubs and opportunities for responsibility. Reading is a clear priority, with effective phonics teaching from Reception and strong support for pupils at risk of falling behind. The school has an ambitious curriculum with well-ordered content, teachers who explain concepts clearly, and early identification and effective support for pupils with SEND. Pupils achieve highly in mathematics and English, and leaders have high expectations of behaviour and learning from the early years. Governors understand the school well, staff are proud to work there, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school is part of the Dunmow Excellence in Education Partnership and was previously judged good. The main area for improvement is that, in a few wider curriculum subjects, checks on what pupils have learned are not fully effective. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their learning that staff have not addressed, and achievement in some wider curriculum subjects is not as high as in mathematics and English. The school needs to strengthen these checks so pupils achieve highly across the full breadth of the curriculum.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, inclusive and proud of their school
• Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary in lessons and during social times
• The personal development programme is exceptional and highly varied
• Reading is a priority, with effective phonics teaching from Reception
• Pupils develop reading fluency and enthusiasm across the curriculum
• Pupils at risk of falling behind in reading are quickly supported
• The curriculum is ambitious and logically sequenced from Reception to Year 6
• Teachers have good subject knowledge and correct misconceptions promptly
• Pupils with SEND are identified early and teaching is effectively adapted
• Pupils achieve highly in mathematics and English
• Expectations of pupils are extremely high and learning is not disrupted
• Pupils take on roles of responsibility and learn the school’s values
• Governors have an accurate understanding of the school and appropriate checks in place
• Staff are proud to work at the school and value well-being and workload support
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• In a few wider curriculum subjects, checks on how well pupils have learned are not fully effective
• Some pupils have gaps in their learning that staff have not addressed
• Achievement in some wider curriculum subjects is not as high as in mathematics and English

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 Great Dunmow Primary School attended 95.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.1% 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 Great Dunmow 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 Great Dunmow Primary School had 24.2 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, 8.8% of pupils at Great Dunmow Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.4% 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 Great Dunmow Primary School received £6,293 and spent £6,461 for each of its 421 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £217,000 (£515 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 Uttlesford · Essex local authority: places and applications

What is Great Dunmow Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Great Dunmow Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Great Dunmow Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Great Dunmow Primary School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Great Dunmow Primary School have?

Great Dunmow Primary School has 421 pupils on roll.

What age range does Great Dunmow Primary School cover?

Great Dunmow Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Great Dunmow Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 87% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Great Dunmow Primary School?

Great Dunmow Primary School is at Walnut Walk, Woodlands Park Drive, Great Dunmow, Essex, CM6 1ZR.