Katherine Semar Junior School

Katherine Semar Junior School is performing exceptionally well. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection, although it had previously been judged outstanding before becoming an academy. Since September 2024, schools are no longer given an overall effectiveness grade, but all four key judgements were outstanding: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. The school’s vision of being a nurturing school of exceptional quality is realised in practice. Pupils achieve very highly academically and more widely. They feel safe, behave exceptionally well, attend well and love learning. The curriculum is ambitious and carefully sequenced, reading is a strong feature, and pupils with SEND are well supported. Personal development is highly effective, with pupils developing into respectful and responsible citizens, and the school offers a wide range of clubs, competitions and performances so that all pupils can take part. Leadership is strong. The trust and governors provide effective support and challenge, staff feel appreciated and well trained, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. Inspectors identified no areas of concern or next steps for improvement.

Strengths

• Ambitious and carefully sequenced curriculum across subjects
• Clear progression in learning year-on-year, planned with the adjoining infant school
• Strong reading culture with immediate support for pupils who need extra help
• Well-trained staff deliver the curriculum consistently and effectively
• Prior learning is routinely revisited and pupils practise new content well
• Pupils achieve exceptionally well across curriculum subjects
• Pupils with SEND are well supported and access a curriculum right for them
• Behaviour in class and around school is exemplary
• Pupils are mature, articulate and respectful citizens
• Highly effective personal development curriculum underpinned by school values
• Wide range of clubs, competitions and performances for all pupils
• Trust and governance provide strong support and challenge
• Staff feel appreciated, well trained and part of a cohesive team
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

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 Katherine Semar Junior School attended 96.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 3.5% 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, 0.4% of pupils at Katherine Semar Junior 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 Katherine Semar Junior School had 18.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.8% 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, 12.9% of pupils at Katherine Semar Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.1% 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 Katherine Semar Junior School received £7,469 and spent £7,221 for each of its 249 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £96,000 (£384 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Saffron Academy Trust, income was £7,613 and spending £7,555 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

Katherine Semar Junior School is part of Saffron Academy Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Katherine Semar Infant School Saffron Walden
• R A Butler Infant School Saffron Walden
• R A Butler Junior School Saffron Walden
• Saffron Walden County High School Saffron Walden
• Helena Romanes School Great Dunmow
• Alec Hunter Academy Braintree
• Beckers Green Primary School Braintree
• Honywood School Colchester

What is Katherine Semar Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Katherine Semar Junior School is Outstanding, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Katherine Semar Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

Katherine Semar Junior School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Katherine Semar Junior School have?

Katherine Semar Junior School has 256 pupils on roll.

What age range does Katherine Semar Junior School cover?

Katherine Semar Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Katherine Semar Junior School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 79% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Katherine Semar Junior School?

Katherine Semar Junior School is at Ross Close, Saffron Walden, Essex, CB11 4DU.