Little Parndon Primary Academy

Little Parndon Primary Academy is currently facing challenges in several areas of its operation, with overall effectiveness classified as requiring improvement. The school has a new headteacher and is undergoing transition after previously being graded as good in its last inspection. Although pupils express enthusiasm for learning and have access to various extracurricular activities, the curriculum lacks clarity and ambition, resulting in inconsistent academic progress across different subjects. Support for pupils with special educational needs is also lacking, leading to gaps in their learning experiences.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy a range of extracurricular activities and clubs.
• Pupils feel safe and know how to seek help when needed.
• Leaders have recently introduced a new early reading programme.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum development is insufficiently detailed and lacks clarity.
• Many teachers lack the necessary support and training to effectively teach their subjects.
• Behaviour expectations are not consistently enforced among students.
• Pupils with SEND do not always receive adequate support.

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 Little Parndon Primary Academy attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.8% 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, 4.2% of pupils at Little Parndon 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 Little Parndon Primary Academy had 19.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 36.2% 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, 18.5% of pupils at Little Parndon Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.4% 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 2024–25 Little Parndon Primary Academy received £7,633 and spent £7,725 for each of its 361 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £189,000 (£525 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of Bmat Education, income was £8,609 and spending £8,507 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 Harlow · Essex local authority: places and applications

Little Parndon Primary Academy is part of Bmat Education, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Bmat Stem Academy Harlow
• Freshwaters Primary Academy Harlow
• Burnt Mill Academy Harlow
• Sir Frederick Gibberd College Harlow
• Cooks Spinney Primary Academy and Nursery Harlow
• Roydon Primary Academy Harlow
• Mark Hall Academy Harlow
• Epping St John's Church of England School Epping
• Forest Hall School Stansted Mountfitchet
• Magna Carta Primary Academy Stansted Mountfitchet

What is Little Parndon Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Little Parndon Primary Academy is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in September 2023.

When was Little Parndon Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Little Parndon Primary Academy was last inspected in September 2023.

How many pupils does Little Parndon Primary Academy have?

Little Parndon Primary Academy has 352 pupils on roll.

What age range does Little Parndon Primary Academy cover?

Little Parndon Primary Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Little Parndon Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Little Parndon Primary Academy?

Little Parndon Primary Academy is at Park Mead, Harlow, Essex, CM20 1PU.