Cherry Tree Primary School

Cherry Tree Primary School is a primary academy within the Berlesduna Academy Trust. Inspectors found notable strengths in pupils’ behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision. Children get an excellent start in the early years, early reading is appropriately planned, pupils are respectful and feel safe, and personal development is a strength. Attendance work is beginning to have a positive impact, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. However, the quality of education and leadership and management require improvement. The curriculum is ambitious, but delivery is inconsistent beyond the early years. Staff do not routinely check how well pupils are learning, so some pupils are not moved on quickly enough and others, including pupils with SEND, are not well supported. Too many pupils leave the school not academically prepared for their next stage. Many subject leaders have not had the time or support to make a demonstrable impact, and attendance remains a priority because some pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, miss too much school. The school and trust recognise the need for improvement and are now providing support and challenge, with early signs of progress and generally positive staff views about recent changes. The headteacher was not in school at the time of inspection.

Strengths

• Early years provision gives children an excellent start through clear routines and skilled teaching.
• Pupils are respectful, feel safe and behave well in generally calm classrooms.
• Personal development is a strength, covering safety, health, respect for difference and career aspirations.
• The early reading curriculum is appropriate and trained staff generally deliver it effectively.
• Pupils have wide and varied leadership roles and a valued voice in school life.
• Trips and cultural experiences such as visits to the Tate Modern and Royal Opera House enrich pupils’ learning.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Leaders, governors and the trust recognise the need for improvement and are providing support and challenge.
• Staff generally feel positive about recent improvements and value having their views considered.

Areas for Improvement

• The quality of education requires improvement because curriculum delivery and impact remain variable beyond the early years.
• Teaching is inconsistent and staff do not routinely check pupils’ learning, so pupils are not moved on promptly or supported well enough.
• Some pupils, including those with SEND, are not well supported to learn the intended curriculum.
• Pupils do not achieve as well as they should across the curriculum, and too many leave not academically prepared for the next stage.
• Many subject leaders lack the time and support needed to monitor and improve their subjects effectively.
• Too many pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, do not attend school regularly enough and miss important learning.
• Gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not always addressed.
• Leadership and management require improvement.

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 Cherry Tree Primary School attended 90.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 31.8% 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, 1.9% of pupils at Cherry Tree 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 Cherry Tree Primary School had 22.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 24.4% 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, 22.4% of pupils at Cherry Tree Primary School 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 Cherry Tree Primary School received £7,866 and spent £7,676 for each of its 413 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £189,000 (£457 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of Berlesduna Academy Trust, income was £7,659 and spending £7,506 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

Cherry Tree Primary School is part of Berlesduna Academy Trust, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

• Fairhouse Community Primary School Basildon
• The Willows Primary School Basildon
• Whitmore Primary School and Nursery Basildon
• Felmore Primary School Basildon
• Merrylands Primary School Basildon
• Crays Hill Primary School Billericay
• Downham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Billericay
• St Nicholas Church of England Primary School Rayleigh
• St Mary's Church of England Primary School Chelmsford
• Canewdon Church of England Primary School Rochford

What is Cherry Tree Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Cherry Tree Primary School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was Cherry Tree Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Cherry Tree Primary School was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Cherry Tree Primary School have?

Cherry Tree Primary School has 384 pupils on roll.

What age range does Cherry Tree Primary School cover?

Cherry Tree Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Cherry Tree Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 38% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Cherry Tree Primary School?

Cherry Tree Primary School is at Church Road, Basildon, Essex, SS16 4AG.