The Phoenix Primary School

The Phoenix Primary School is a warm and welcoming primary school that sets high expectations and is highly ambitious for all pupils. Inspected in June 2025, it was judged outstanding for behaviour and attitudes and for leadership and management, and good for quality of education, personal development, and early years provision. Pupils achieve well, especially in writing, and pupils with SEND are well supported. Reading is a priority, the curriculum is logically sequenced, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school is part of the Lee Chapel Multi Academy Trust and has a large roll of 698 pupils. It was previously judged outstanding and had an ungraded inspection in April 2024; there have been no significant changes since then. Parents value the school’s caring and typically high-quality provision, and staff, governors and trust leaders are seen as decisive and ambitious. There are a small number of areas for improvement. Occasionally, activities are not closely matched to what pupils know and can do, so a few pupils wait for others and their learning slows. In a few foundation subjects, recent curriculum changes mean that checks on pupils’ learning are still developing, so staff do not always identify and address gaps in knowledge quickly enough.

Strengths

• Warm, welcoming environment with high expectations for pupils
• Pupils achieve well, especially in writing, including at the end of Year 6
• Pupils with SEND are well supported through early identification and thoughtful adaptations
• Ambitious curriculum builds logically from Nursery to Year 6
• Reading is prioritised and early reading is well taught
• Writing teaching is increasingly effective from the early years onwards
• Behaviour and attitudes to learning are outstanding
• Pupils attend regularly and feel safe in school
• Personal development is well promoted through values, visits, clubs and pupil roles
• Leadership and management are outstanding, with strong trust and governor support
• Staff are well trained and their workload and well-being are thoughtfully managed
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective and rigorously implemented

Areas for Improvement

• Occasionally, activities are not closely matched to pupils’ knowledge and abilities, causing some pupils to wait and learning to slow
• In a few foundation subjects, recent curriculum changes mean assessment and checks on learning are still developing, so gaps are not always identified and addressed quickly

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 The Phoenix Primary School attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.0% 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, 1.4% of pupils at The Phoenix 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 The Phoenix Primary School had 24.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.5% 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, 9.9% of pupils at The Phoenix Primary 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 The Phoenix Primary School received £6,706 and spent £6,140 for each of its 698 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £887,000 (£1,270 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of Lee Chapel Multi Academy Trust, income was £6,735 and spending £6,108 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 Basildon · Essex local authority: places and applications

The Phoenix Primary School is part of Lee Chapel Multi Academy Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Lee Chapel Primary School Basildon
• Chapel Hill Primary School & Nursery Basildon
• Greensted Primary School & Nursery Basildon
• Ryedene Primary and Nursery School Basildon
• Northlands Primary School and Nursery Basildon

What is The Phoenix Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Phoenix Primary School is Good, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was The Phoenix Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Phoenix Primary School was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does The Phoenix Primary School have?

The Phoenix Primary School has 717 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Phoenix Primary School cover?

The Phoenix Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are The Phoenix Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 54% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Phoenix Primary School?

The Phoenix Primary School is at Leinster Road, Laindon, Basildon, Essex, SS15 5NQ.