Drapers' Pyrgo Priory School

Drapers’ Pyrgo Priory School is a good school across all key judgements following its June 2025 graded inspection, having previously been judged as requiring improvement. It is an academy converter within Drapers’ Multi-Academy Trust, and the executive principal took up post in May 2024. Inspectors found the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision all good; under current arrangements, no overall effectiveness grade was given. The school has strong foundations. Leaders have introduced a broad and carefully considered curriculum from Nursery onwards, with clear sequencing of knowledge and vocabulary. Reading and phonics are prioritised, pupils behave well and lessons are calm, and pupils with SEND are typically well supported. Personal development is thoughtfully planned, staff feel well supported, governance is effective, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The main area for improvement is curriculum implementation. In some subjects, the curriculum is less clearly implemented, and in a small number of instances teaching does not precisely match what is intended, so pupils do not always secure the knowledge and understanding they need to tackle more complex ideas. Published examination results also do not yet reflect the achievements of current pupils because of recent curriculum changes.

Strengths

• Broad, carefully considered curriculum from Nursery onwards with clear sequencing of knowledge and vocabulary.
• Strong phonics and reading provision, including well-trained staff and books matched to pupils’ sounds.
• Pupils behave well, lessons are calm and purposeful, and expectations are consistently understood.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND, including regular review and shared strategies.
• Thoughtful personal development, including PSHE and online safety education.
• Regular visits, clubs and pupil roles that build confidence and inclusion.
• Staff feel supported with workload and well-being.
• Governance provides effective challenge and support.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation is less clear in some subjects, so pupils’ knowledge and skills are not as secure as in other areas.
• In a small number of instances, teaching does not precisely match the intended curriculum, limiting pupils’ secure understanding of more complex ideas.

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 Drapers' Pyrgo Priory School attended 93.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 26.9% 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, 3.8% of pupils at Drapers' Pyrgo Priory 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 Drapers' Pyrgo Priory School had 17.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 31.8% 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, 23.1% of pupils at Drapers' Pyrgo Priory School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.0% 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 Drapers' Pyrgo Priory School received £9,803 and spent £9,550 for each of its 313 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £194,000 (£619 per pupil).

Across all 4 schools of Drapers' Multi-Academy Trust, income was £10,173 and spending £9,883 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 Havering · Havering local authority: places and applications

Drapers' Pyrgo Priory School is part of Drapers' Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Drapers' Academy Romford
• Drapers' Maylands Primary School Romford
• Drapers' Brookside Infant School Romford
• Drapers' Brookside Junior School Romford

What is Drapers' Pyrgo Priory School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Drapers' Pyrgo Priory School is Good, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was Drapers' Pyrgo Priory School last inspected by Ofsted?

Drapers' Pyrgo Priory School was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does Drapers' Pyrgo Priory School have?

Drapers' Pyrgo Priory School has 277 pupils on roll.

What age range does Drapers' Pyrgo Priory School cover?

Drapers' Pyrgo Priory School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Drapers' Pyrgo Priory School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 46% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Drapers' Pyrgo Priory School?

Drapers' Pyrgo Priory School is at Settle Road, Harold Hill, Romford, Essex, RM3 9RT.