Rochford Primary and Nursery School

Rochford Primary and Nursery School is a 244-pupil primary school within the South East Essex multi-academy trust. Following a full section 5 inspection in June 2026, inspectors found the school performing strongly across every inspected area, with safeguarding standards met. Pupils achieve well consistently over time, including in national tests, and outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics are above national averages. Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities also progress well and take part fully in school life. The school's strengths include strong attendance and behaviour, a well-sequenced curriculum, effective early years provision, inclusive support, clear leadership and governance, and a thoughtful personal development programme. Pupils feel safe, behave well, and benefit from positive relationships with staff. Attendance is consistently strong, and both overall absence and persistent absence are below national averages. Parents speak positively about the school, and staff feel supported and valued. The main area for further development is consistency in some subjects, where misconceptions are not always identified and addressed as precisely as in other areas. Leaders have already recognised this. The report's next steps also focus on sustaining precise attendance and behaviour strategies, particularly for vulnerable groups, and on maintaining consistently strong early years teaching and interactions so all children are well prepared for Year 1.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well over time, with outcomes above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND progress well from their starting points.
• Learning is carefully structured and revisited so pupils remember and use knowledge confidently.
• Pupils build very strong foundations in early reading, writing and mathematics.
• Attendance is consistently strong, with overall absence and persistent absence below national averages.
• Pupils behave well, stay focused and respond positively to staff guidance.
• Bullying is uncommon and staff deal with any concerns quickly and effectively.
• The curriculum is well designed and builds logically on what children learn in the early years.
• Teachers generally explain new ideas clearly, check understanding and provide regular practice.
• Early years provision is calm, welcoming and well led, helping children settle quickly and achieve well.
• Staff know children well and adapt activities to meet their needs effectively.
• Inclusion is strong, with timely support for disadvantaged pupils, pupils with SEND and other vulnerable pupils.
• Leadership provides clear direction, open communication and thoughtful decision-making.
• Governance is knowledgeable, supportive and holds leaders to account.
• Staff feel valued and supported with workload, training and clear guidance.
• Personal development is woven through school life, including wellbeing, safety and British values.
• Pupils take on responsibilities and access clubs, visits and wider experiences.
• Pupils feel safe, know trusted adults and believe they belong.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture of safeguarding.

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, staff do not always identify and address misconceptions as precisely as they do in other areas.
• Leaders need to sustain attendance and behaviour strategies so practice remains consistently precise for all pupils, particularly vulnerable groups.
• Leaders need to sustain early years provision so teaching and interactions remain consistent for all children, particularly vulnerable groups.

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 Rochford Primary and Nursery School attended 96.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 3.3% 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 Rochford Primary and Nursery 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 Rochford Primary and Nursery School had 26.7 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, 14.6% of pupils at Rochford Primary and Nursery School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.5% 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 Rochford Primary and Nursery School received £6,938 and spent £7,008 for each of its 234 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £343,000 (£1,468 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of South East Essex Academy Trust, income was £7,331 and spending £7,262 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 Rochford · Essex local authority: places and applications

Rochford Primary and Nursery School is part of South East Essex Academy Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Holt Farm Junior School Rochford
• Prince Avenue Academy and Nursery Westcliff-On-Sea
• Heycroft Primary School Leigh-On-Sea
• The Westborough School Westcliff-On-Sea
• Westcliff High School for Girls Westcliff-On-Sea
• Hadleigh Junior School Benfleet
• The Deanes Benfleet
• The Cornelius Vermuyden School Canvey Island

What is Rochford Primary and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Rochford Primary and Nursery School is Strong standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Rochford Primary and Nursery School last inspected by Ofsted?

Rochford Primary and Nursery School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Rochford Primary and Nursery School have?

Rochford Primary and Nursery School has 239 pupils on roll.

What age range does Rochford Primary and Nursery School cover?

Rochford Primary and Nursery School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Rochford Primary and Nursery School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Rochford Primary and Nursery School?

Rochford Primary and Nursery School is at 6 Ashingdon Road, Rochford, Essex, SS4 1NJ.