The Robert Drake Primary School

The Robert Drake Primary School has been rated as good in all areas during its first inspection since becoming an academy. The school provides a broad and ambitious curriculum that builds on previous knowledge and encourages students to excel. The warm relationships formed between pupils and teachers foster a safe learning environment, promoting positive behaviour and a calm atmosphere. Pupils engage in various activities, showcasing pride in their roles and a commitment to improving their school community. However, certain subjects require better monitoring to ensure all students fully grasp the curriculum material.

Strengths

• Pupils learn a broad and ambitious curriculum.
• Strong relationships between pupils and staff create a safe environment.
• Effective phonics program that aids early reading development.
• Pupils actively participate in clubs and school trips.
• Support for pupils with SEND is well-implemented.

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, teachers do not effectively identify learning gaps.
• Some pupils struggle to progress in reading due to undetected key knowledge gaps.

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 The Robert Drake Primary School attended 95.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.8% 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 The Robert Drake 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 The Robert Drake Primary School had 22.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.5% 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, 11.5% of pupils at The Robert Drake Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.6% 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 2024–25 The Robert Drake Primary School received £6,016 and spent £5,811 for each of its 312 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £386,000 (£1,237 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

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What is The Robert Drake Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Robert Drake Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2024.

When was The Robert Drake Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Robert Drake Primary School was last inspected in March 2024.

How many pupils does The Robert Drake Primary School have?

The Robert Drake Primary School has 313 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Robert Drake Primary School cover?

The Robert Drake Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are The Robert Drake Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 85% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Robert Drake Primary School?

The Robert Drake Primary School is at Church Road, New Thundersley, Benfleet, Essex, SS7 3HT.