Drapers' Brookside Infant School

Drapers’ Brookside Infant School has demonstrated significant improvement since its last inspection, achieving a 'Good' overall rating. Pupils are happy and engaged, benefiting from a thoughtfully designed curriculum that prioritizes language and vocabulary development. The school's strong emphasis on reading aids students in progressing academically, while a variety of extracurricular activities enrich their experiences. However, the school does face some challenges in curriculum delivery across a few subjects. While leadership is clear about educational goals, some newly appointed subject leaders are still developing their skills to effectively implement and refine their respective curricula. Continued support for these leaders is vital to ensure all areas of the curriculum meet the diverse needs of students, allowing them to acquire and retain knowledge more effectively.

Strengths

• High expectations from staff for pupil achievement.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND.
• Well-organized and ambitious curriculum starting from early years.
• Strong emphasis on teaching reading and vocabulary.
• Pupils participate positively in extracurricular activities.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent curriculum development in some subjects.
• New subject leaders require further support and guidance.

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' Brookside Infant School attended 92.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 24.4% 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, 2.6% of pupils at Drapers' Brookside 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 Drapers' Brookside Infant School had 17.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 23.7% 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, 11.6% of pupils at Drapers' Brookside Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 8.1% 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 Drapers' Brookside Infant School received £19,546 and spent £17,374 for each of its 216 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £134,000 (£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' Brookside Infant School is part of Drapers' Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Drapers' Brookside Junior School Romford
• Drapers' Pyrgo Priory School Romford
• Drapers' Academy Romford
• Drapers' Maylands Primary School Romford

What is Drapers' Brookside Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Drapers' Brookside Infant School is Good, from an inspection in November 2022.

When was Drapers' Brookside Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Drapers' Brookside Infant School was last inspected in November 2022.

How many pupils does Drapers' Brookside Infant School have?

Drapers' Brookside Infant School has 198 pupils on roll.

What age range does Drapers' Brookside Infant School cover?

Drapers' Brookside Infant School for pupils aged 3 to 7.

Where is Drapers' Brookside Infant School?

Drapers' Brookside Infant School is at Dagnam Park Drive, Harold Hill, Romford, Essex, RM3 9DJ.