Stifford Clays Primary School

Stifford Clays Primary School is performing well, having maintained a good grade since its previous inspection. The positive school environment contributes to pupils loving their school experience, leading to high levels of respect and behavior among students. The school offers a strong curriculum focused on reading, enabling most pupils to become fluent readers by the time they advance to higher grades. Opportunities for personal development are plentiful, with pupils engaging in various community and cultural activities that prepare them to be active citizens.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate excellent behavior and attitudes.
• The school fosters a culture of mutual respect among students.
• Teachers provide clear explanations and well-designed activities for learning.
• Reading is a priority, leading to confident and fluent readers.
• Strong personal development opportunities are available for pupils.
• Staff receive high-quality training and support from leadership.
• Effective safeguarding arrangements are in place.

Areas for Improvement

• Some curriculum plans in a few subjects are newly implemented and not fully developed, affecting depth of knowledge.

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 Stifford Clays Primary School attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.9% 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, 0.6% of pupils at Stifford Clays Primary 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 Stifford Clays Primary School had 23.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.4% 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, 9.7% of pupils at Stifford Clays Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 11 pupils.

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 Stifford Clays Primary School received £6,869 and spent £7,127 for each of its 653 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £725,000 (£1,110 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of South West Essex Community Education Trust Limited, income was £8,131 and spending £7,874 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 Grays · Thurrock local authority: places and applications

Stifford Clays Primary School is part of South West Essex Community Education Trust Limited, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• William Edwards School Grays
• Deneholm Primary School Grays
• Orsett Heath Academy Grays
• Chadwell St Mary Primary School Grays
• Marshalls Park Academy Romford

What is Stifford Clays Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Stifford Clays Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2022.

When was Stifford Clays Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Stifford Clays Primary School was last inspected in November 2022.

How many pupils does Stifford Clays Primary School have?

Stifford Clays Primary School has 606 pupils on roll.

What age range does Stifford Clays Primary School cover?

Stifford Clays Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Stifford Clays Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Stifford Clays Primary School?

Stifford Clays Primary School is at Whitmore Avenue, Stifford Clays, Grays, Essex, RM16 2ST.