Katherine Semar Infant School

Katherine Semar Infant School is a nurturing and exciting school where pupils thrive. Inspectors found exceptional provision across every judged area: the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision were all outstanding. Because of the current inspection framework, the school did not receive an overall effectiveness grade. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first inspection under section 5 since becoming an academy, although it had previously been judged outstanding before conversion. The school is part of Saffron Academy Trust. The curriculum is ambitious and well designed, staff are highly skilled, and pupils achieve highly. Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is extremely effective, and the phonics programme helps pupils become confident, fluent readers from the early years. Pupils behave impressively, are kind and caring, and show high levels of self-control. Personal development is rich, with pupils learning about other cultures and religions, taking on roles such as school council and eco council, and benefiting from a wide range of trips and experiences. Leadership is ambitious and determined, and the trust and local governing board support the school impressively well. Staff are expertly challenged and supported, and they are proud to be part of the team. Attendance is monitored rigorously, with timely support helping attendance improve quickly. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. No areas of concern were identified in the report.

Strengths

• Ambitious and well-designed curriculum that helps pupils achieve highly
• Highly skilled staff who teach the curriculum effectively
• Extremely effective support for pupils with SEND
• Comprehensive phonics programme that builds confident, fluent readers
• Impressive pupil behaviour and high levels of self-control
• Caring and supportive relationships between staff and pupils
• Rich personal development, including learning about other cultures and religions
• Strong pupil voice through roles such as school council, class ambassadors and eco council
• Rigorous attendance monitoring with timely support for families
• Ambitious leadership with impressive support from the trust and local governing board
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

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 Infant School attended 96.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.6% 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, 0.6% of pupils at Katherine Semar Infant 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 Infant School had 22.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.8% 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, 8.3% of pupils at Katherine Semar Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.8% 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 Infant School received £7,627 and spent £7,337 for each of its 180 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £69,000 (£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 Infant School is part of Saffron Academy Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Katherine Semar Junior 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 Infant School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Katherine Semar Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Katherine Semar Infant School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Katherine Semar Infant School have?

Katherine Semar Infant School has 180 pupils on roll.

What age range does Katherine Semar Infant School cover?

Katherine Semar Infant School for pupils aged 4 to 7.

Where is Katherine Semar Infant School?

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