Lawford Mead Primary & Nursery

Lawford Mead Primary & Nursery has demonstrated a good level of overall effectiveness in its first inspection since amalgamation. The school cultivates a welcoming environment where pupils feel valued and safe, and they show enthusiasm for their learning. High aspirations from teachers are reflected in pupils' positive behavior and responsiveness. The ambitious curriculum is well-structured, especially in core subjects such as English, mathematics, and science, leading to commendable achievements. However, there are some limitations in the foundation subjects due to varying levels of subject knowledge among the staff, which can affect pupils' deeper understanding.

Strengths

• Welcoming environment where pupils feel valued.
• High expectations for behavior leading to sensible conduct.
• Ambitious and rich curriculum with effective teaching in core subjects.
• Strong support for vulnerable pupils and those with SEND.
• Good start in early reading resulting in fluent readers.
• Pupils engage in responsibilities and extracurricular activities enthusiastically.
• Effective safeguarding measures to ensure pupil safety.

Areas for Improvement

• Limited curriculum implementation in some foundation subjects due to weaker subject knowledge.
• Need for greater focus on spiritual development and preparation for life beyond school.

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 Lawford Mead Primary & Nursery attended 91.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 23.2% 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, 1.2% of pupils at Lawford Mead Primary & Nursery 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 Lawford Mead Primary & Nursery had 21.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 18.2% of pupils at Lawford Mead Primary & Nursery were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.1% 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 Lawford Mead Primary & Nursery received £7,175 and spent £7,082 for each of its 396 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £480,000 (£1,211 per pupil).

Across all 4 schools of The Brickfields Trust, income was £7,055 and spending £7,085 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 Chelmsford · Essex local authority: places and applications

Lawford Mead Primary & Nursery is part of The Brickfields Trust, which runs 4 schools. The nearest others:

• Kings Road Primary School Chelmsford
• Barling Magna Primary Academy Southend-On-Sea
• Great Wakering Primary Academy Southend-On-Sea

What is Lawford Mead Primary & Nursery's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Lawford Mead Primary & Nursery is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Lawford Mead Primary & Nursery last inspected by Ofsted?

Lawford Mead Primary & Nursery was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Lawford Mead Primary & Nursery have?

Lawford Mead Primary & Nursery has 413 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lawford Mead Primary & Nursery cover?

Lawford Mead Primary & Nursery for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Lawford Mead Primary & Nursery's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 61% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Lawford Mead Primary & Nursery?

Lawford Mead Primary & Nursery is at Trent Road, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 2JH.