Whybridge Junior School

Whybridge Junior School is a happy, inclusive junior academy where pupils feel safe and relationships are warm and respectful. Inspectors found ambitious expectations, a broad curriculum and exemplary behaviour; pupils work hard, achieve well and are well prepared for secondary school. Reading is particularly well designed and taught, pupils with SEND are accurately identified and well supported, attendance is high, and personal development is strong. The school is part of the Hornchurch Academy Trust. Leadership and governance understand the school’s strengths and priorities, and staff are well supported. The main area for improvement is that a few aspects of the curriculum in some subjects are less clearly designed or implemented, so pupils do not consistently practise and embed important knowledge and skills to the same depth. Safeguarding is effective. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a graded inspection it did not receive an overall effectiveness grade.

Strengths

• Warm, respectful relationships create a strong sense of community and pupils feel safe.
• Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary and supports a harmonious learning environment.
• The reading curriculum is well designed and carefully taught, with swift assessment and precise phonics support.
• The curriculum is broad and typically well sequenced, helping pupils build on prior knowledge.
• Pupils with SEND are accurately identified and effectively supported to access the same curriculum and opportunities.
• Personal development provision builds kindness, independence, resilience and responsibility.
• Attendance is high and persistent absence has decreased significantly.
• Pupils access a wide range of enriching visits and extracurricular activities.
• Staff are well supported professionally and value the attention to workload and well-being.
• Leaders and those responsible for governance understand the school’s strengths and priorities.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Some aspects of the curriculum in a few subjects are less clearly designed or implemented.
• In these areas, pupils do not get enough opportunity to practise, revisit and secure important knowledge and skills, limiting depth of understanding.

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 Whybridge Junior School attended 96.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.2% 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, 0.3% of pupils at Whybridge Junior 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 Whybridge Junior School had 21.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.3% 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, 14.2% of pupils at Whybridge Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.0% 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 Whybridge Junior School received £7,104 and spent £6,671 for each of its 359 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £732,000 (£2,039 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of Hornchurch Academy Trust, income was £6,883 and spending £6,619 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

Whybridge Junior School is part of Hornchurch Academy Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Scargill Infant School Rainham. Essex
• Scargill Junior School Rainham
• Upminster Infant School Upminster
• Upminster Junior School Upminster
• Shears Green Infant School Gravesend

What is Whybridge Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Whybridge Junior School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Whybridge Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

Whybridge Junior School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Whybridge Junior School have?

Whybridge Junior School has 359 pupils on roll.

What age range does Whybridge Junior School cover?

Whybridge Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Whybridge Junior School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Whybridge Junior School?

Whybridge Junior School is at Blacksmith's Lane, Rainham, Essex, RM13 7AH.