Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy

Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy has shown overall good performance in its recent inspection, signifying a commendable quality of education provided to its students. The school actively promotes a collaborative environment where pupils, staff, and parents work together, reflecting the school's motto 'together we are great'. The curriculum is ambitious and well-structured, ensuring students largely achieve well across various subjects. Notably, the school has established effective reading programs, supporting most pupils to become proficient readers by the end of Year 6, bolstered by active parental involvement in children's reading.

Strengths

• Strong collaboration between teachers and parents enhances pupil reading skills.
• The school's curriculum is ambitious, broad, and well-planned.
• Pupils behave well and enjoy a calm, purposeful learning environment.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Well-trained staff provide a culture of respect and support among pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils with SEND struggle to remember key concepts due to insufficient revision opportunities.
• Children in early years are not always given enough chances to deepen their prior learning.

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 Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy attended 96.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.1% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy 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 Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy had 20.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.4% 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, 11.9% of pupils at Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.1% 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 Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy received £6,872 and spent £6,780 for each of its 186 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £289,000 (£1,553 per pupil).

Across all 2 schools of Great Oak Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,021 and spending £6,873 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.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Saffron Walden · Essex local authority: places and applications

Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy is part of Great Oak Multi Academy Trust, which runs 2 schools. The nearest others:

• Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy Saffron Walden

What is Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in September 2022.

When was Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy was last inspected in September 2022.

How many pupils does Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy have?

Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy has 177 pupils on roll.

What age range does Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy cover?

Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 88% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy?

Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy is at School Street, Great Chesterford, Saffron Walden, Essex, CB10 1NN.