Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School

Type Primary / Voluntary controlled school
Age Range 3-11
Religion Church of England
Address School Lane
Essendon
Hertfordshire
AL9 6HD
Phone 01707261209
Reference Number 117393

Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School continues to demonstrate strong performance as a good school. The environment promotes respect and tolerance, allowing pupils to thrive both academically and socially. The school's ambitious curriculum is supported by well-trained teachers who effectively deliver subject content, helping to foster a love of reading and a high standard of achievement. Pupils engage in a variety of enrichment activities and leadership opportunities, contributing positively to their personal development and community involvement. However, there are notable areas for improvement, particularly in the early years provision where some aspects are not as rigorous as in other years. The need for stronger support in phonics and mathematics is crucial to ensure all pupils, especially those with special educational needs, receive the help they require without missing out on parts of the curriculum. Overall, while the school is effectively supporting its pupils, attention to specific areas can enhance the learning experience further.

General Makeup

Number of pupils 80
Boy/Girl ratio Boys: 57.5%
Girls: 42.5%
Percentage of students eligible for free school meals 22.8%
Percentage of students where English is not their first language 8.7%

Class Sizes

Average size of one teacher classes 20
Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher 22
Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher 22

Year Groups

Year Boys Girls Total
1 7 1 8
2 12 2 14
3 3 7 10
4 6 4 10
5 6 6 12
6 3 9 12

Ethnicities

Ethnicity Percentage
White, British 61.3%
White, Other 6.3%
Mixed, Other 6.3%
Indian 5%
White & Black (Caribbean) 2.5%
White & Asian 1.3%
White & Black (African) 1.3%

Overall Ofsted Rating Good
Last Report Date 20 Jul 2022
Date Report
20 Jul 2022 School inspection
28 Mar 2017 Short inspection
23 Apr 2013 Full inspection:
12 Oct 2009 Full inspection:
24 Apr 2007 Full inspection:
29 Apr 2002 Full inspection

Strengths

  • Pupils display tolerance and respect, inline with school values.
  • Bullying is rare and managed sensitively when it occurs.
  • Teachers have effective training leading to secure subject knowledge.
  • Ambitious curriculum with logical learning sequences.
  • Pupils enjoy enrichment opportunities such as visits and clubs.
  • Strong emphasis on reading with diverse, high-quality book access.
  • Pupils prepared well for life in modern Britain through PSHE education.

Areas for Improvement

  • Some subjects are not taught weekly, leading to forgotten material.
  • Early years provision lacks the same rigor as other year groups.
  • Provision in early years does not cater closely to individual pupil needs.
  • Some pupils miss curriculum parts due to being removed for additional support.

How many students meet the standards

Reading, Writing & Maths School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Pupils meeting the expected standard 17%
Pupils meeting a higher standard 8%

Average Scaled Score

Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.

Subject School Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Reading 107
Maths 98

Progress Scores

A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.

Metric School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Reading -1.5
Writing -3.7
Maths -5.1

How many students meet the standards

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Average Scaled Score

Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.

Sample

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Progress Scores

A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.

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2025 Admissions

Number of Applications Number of Offers
First Preference
Second Preference 2 1
Third Preference 4 1
From another Local Authority 0 0

Previous Years

Sample

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