Bulphan Church of England Academy

Bulphan Church of England Academy is performing well overall and has improved since its last inspection, which rated it as requiring improvement. The executive headteacher is effectively leading the school as part of the Diocese of Chelmsford Vine Schools Trust. Pupils at Bulphan are happy, engaged, and benefit from strong relationships with staff and peers. The personal development aspect of the school is particularly outstanding, as pupils learn about diverse cultures and take active roles in their community, demonstrating responsibility and making positive contributions.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate deep understanding of school values.
• Strong relationships between pupils and staff foster a positive learning environment.
• Robust support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Effective teaching of phonics helps pupils become fluent readers.
• Well-planned early years curriculum promotes independence and cooperation.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subjects lack clear breakdown of knowledge into precise steps, hindering teaching effectiveness.
• Key vocabulary is not consistently identified, leading to gaps in pupils' 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 Bulphan Church of England Academy attended 92.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 25.0% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Bulphan Church of England Academy 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 Bulphan Church of England Academy had 16.0 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, 12.5% of pupils at Bulphan Church of England Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.2% 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 Bulphan Church of England Academy received £10,232 and spent £10,134 for each of its 59 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £111,000 (£1,883 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 Thurrock · Thurrock local authority: places and applications

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

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

What is Bulphan Church of England Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bulphan Church of England Academy is Good, from an inspection in July 2024.

When was Bulphan Church of England Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Bulphan Church of England Academy was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does Bulphan Church of England Academy have?

Bulphan Church of England Academy has 64 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bulphan Church of England Academy cover?

Bulphan Church of England Academy for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are Bulphan Church of England Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Bulphan Church of England Academy?

Bulphan Church of England Academy is at Fen Lane, Bulphan, Essex, RM14 3RL.