Orsett Church of England Primary School

Orsett Church of England Primary School is a village primary in the Diocese of Chelmsford Vine Schools Trust. This full section 5 inspection found the school to be Strong standard overall, with safeguarding standards met. The early years provision is a notable strength, while most other areas—achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing—are at the expected standard. Pupils typically achieve in line with national averages in reading, writing and mathematics. Children in early years are highly engaged and well-prepared for their next stage. Behaviour is positive, bullying is rare, and pupils feel safe and respected. Inclusion is effective: pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils receive timely support, and leaders use pupil premium funding well. Leadership is effective, and staff feel supported. Leaders should address some inconsistencies. In some subjects, teachers do not consistently connect new learning to what pupils already know, which limits deeper understanding. Writing mistakes are not always identified quickly enough, so some pupils repeat errors. Additionally, not all parents feel consistently well informed about the school’s priorities for improvement.

Strengths

• Early years provision is strong, with a carefully designed curriculum and purposeful leadership.
• Children in early years are highly engaged and well-prepared for their next stage of learning.
• Pupils achieve in line with national averages in reading, writing and mathematics at key stage 2.
• Pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils make appropriate progress from their individual starting points.
• Attendance is monitored closely, and both overall and persistent absence are below national averages.
• Behaviour is positive across the school, with clear routines and rare bullying addressed swiftly.
• Reading and mathematics teaching are effective, helping pupils become fluent readers and confident mathematicians.
• Inclusion processes identify additional needs quickly, and pupils receive effective, bespoke support.
• Leaders and trustees understand the school’s strengths and take appropriate improvement action.
• Personal development is well supported, with pupils learning about healthy relationships, British values and diversity.
• Pupils enjoy school, feel safe, and have positive relationships with staff and peers.
• A wide range of extra-curricular opportunities in arts, music and sport is available to all pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, teachers do not consistently link new learning to pupils’ prior knowledge, limiting deeper understanding.
• Staff do not always identify and correct mistakes in pupils’ writing promptly, so some pupils repeat errors.
• Not all parents feel consistently well informed about aspects of the school’s work, including improvement priorities.

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 Orsett Church of England Primary School attended 96.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.4% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Orsett Church of England 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 Orsett Church of England Primary School had 23.8 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, 11.4% of pupils at Orsett Church of England 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 Orsett Church of England Primary School received £6,200 and spent £6,457 for each of its 205 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £26,000 (£125 per pupil).

Across all 21 schools of The Diocese of Chelmsford Vine Schools Trust, income was £7,530 and spending £7,249 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 Grays · Thurrock local authority: places and applications

Orsett Church of England Primary School is part of The Diocese of Chelmsford Vine Schools Trust, which runs 21 schools. The nearest others:

• Bulphan Church of England Academy Bulphan
• St Margaret's Church of England Academy, Bowers Gifford Basildon
• Christchurch Church of England Primary School Chelmsford
• St James Church of England Primary School Harlow
• William Martin Church of England Infant and Nursery School Harlow
• William Martin Church of England Junior School Harlow
• St Leonard's Church of England Primary School Southminster
• Howbridge Church of England Junior School Witham
• Rivenhall Church of England Primary School Witham
• St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham Southminster

What is Orsett Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Orsett Church of England Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Orsett Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Orsett Church of England Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Orsett Church of England Primary School have?

Orsett Church of England Primary School has 202 pupils on roll.

What age range does Orsett Church of England Primary School cover?

Orsett Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are Orsett Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 69% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Orsett Church of England Primary School?

Orsett Church of England Primary School is at School Lane, Orsett, Grays, Essex, RM16 3JR.