Winter Gardens Academy

Winter Gardens Academy is a larger-than-average primary school in a deprived coastal area, operating within the South Essex Academy Trust. The school has faced significant disruption, including the discovery of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) that caused partial building closures. Despite these challenges, leaders have established a clear and ambitious vision, with a strong focus on inclusion and staff development. The school is judged to be meeting the expected standard across all areas, with safeguarding standards met. Pupils generally behave well, attendance is improving, and the curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced from Nursery to Year 6. Provision for pupils with SEND is a notable strength, with bespoke support helping pupils to re-engage and succeed. However, outcomes at the end of key stage 2 have been below national averages in reading and mathematics, and current progress does not yet consistently reflect the improvements leaders have made. Additionally, some pupils are not sufficiently challenged to deepen their knowledge, and persistent absence remains a concern. Leaders are aware of these issues and have clear plans for further improvement.

Strengths

• Leaders have established a clear and ambitious vision for the school, underpinned by a commitment to inclusion and staff development.
• The curriculum is ambitious and appropriately sequenced from Nursery to Year 6, with clear approaches to teaching English and mathematics.
• Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is well considered, with bespoke support enabling most pupils to access the same ambitious curriculum alongside their peers.
• The school has effective systems for identifying pupils' needs and providing targeted support, including for disadvantaged pupils and those facing multiple barriers.
• Pupils generally behave well, and classrooms are purposeful with established routines; staff consistently apply agreed expectations.
• The early years provision is strong, with a coherent vision, warm relationships, and a curriculum that ensures children are well prepared for Year 1.
• Personal development is a strength, with a coherent programme that develops pupils' understanding of diversity, wellbeing, and British values.
• Trustees and trust leaders provide effective oversight, challenge, and support, and leaders manage staff workload well.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.
• Pupils are welcoming, inclusive, and demonstrate positive attitudes to equality and diversity.

Areas for Improvement

• Outcomes at the end of key stage 2 do not yet consistently reflect leaders' improvements in curriculum and teaching, particularly in reading and mathematics.
• Teachers do not consistently provide sufficient challenge for all pupils, and some pupils complete work quickly without deepening their knowledge and understanding.
• Persistent absence remains a concern, with the school's rate significantly above the national average.
• The progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils lag behind national averages, especially in reading and mathematics.
• Some older pupils have not consistently benefited from the well-sequenced curriculum and are not achieving as well as they could.
• It is too soon to see the consistent impact of recent improvements on how well pupils develop and deepen knowledge over time.

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 Winter Gardens Academy attended 91.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 28.6% 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, 4.3% of pupils at Winter Gardens Academy 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 Winter Gardens Academy had 23.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.9% 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, 10.9% of pupils at Winter Gardens Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.4% 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 Winter Gardens Academy received £7,028 and spent £7,101 for each of its 395 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £203,000 (£514 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of South Essex Academy Trust, income was £7,094 and spending £7,211 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 Canvey Island · Essex local authority: places and applications

Winter Gardens Academy is part of South Essex Academy Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Westwood Academy Benfleet
• Kents Hill Infant Academy Benfleet
• Bardfield Academy Basildon
• Parkwood Academy Chelmsford

What is Winter Gardens Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Winter Gardens Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Winter Gardens Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Winter Gardens Academy was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Winter Gardens Academy have?

Winter Gardens Academy has 411 pupils on roll.

What age range does Winter Gardens Academy cover?

Winter Gardens Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Winter Gardens Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 44% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Winter Gardens Academy?

Winter Gardens Academy is at Hilton Road, Canvey Island, Essex, SS8 9QA.