Katherines Primary Academy and Nursery

Katherines Primary Academy and Nursery is a happy, nurturing school where pupils achieve well overall. It is part of NET Academies Trust and serves a community with above-average deprivation. Safeguarding standards are met. Early years provision is a particular strength, with children settling quickly, strong parent partnerships, high-quality interactions and effective phonics teaching that prepares them well for Year 1. Pupils achieve in line with national averages in phonics and multiplication tables, and by the end of key stage 2 they reach expected standards across most subjects, with disadvantaged pupils performing well and leaving with outcomes similar to their non-disadvantaged peers.

Strengths

• Strong early years provision with high-quality interactions and effective phonics teaching.
• Pupils achieve in line with or above national averages in reading, writing and maths combined, reading and maths.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve well and leave school with outcomes comparable to non-disadvantaged peers.
• Attendance is high and pupils behave well, showing kindness and respect.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious, well-sequenced and personalised, with vocabulary at its heart.
• Inclusion is effective, with clear systems to identify needs and tailored support for SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
• Leadership and governance are robust, with strong trust support and professional development.
• Personal development is strong, promoting values, character, resilience and a range of extra-curricular opportunities.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture and effective handling of concerns.
• Positive relationships with parents and the community.

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment checks are not consistently thorough across subjects, so pupils are sometimes moved on before securing key knowledge.
• Some pupils lose focus in lessons and do not always work with the effort needed, so the quality of their work occasionally falls short of their potential.
• In some subjects, pupils lack the right prior knowledge and skills to build on.
• Leaders should continue to ensure pupils are ready to learn and take pride in their work and achievements.

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 Katherines Primary Academy and Nursery attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.3% 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 Katherines Primary Academy and 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 Katherines Primary Academy and Nursery had 24.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 27.8% 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, 11.5% of pupils at Katherines Primary Academy and Nursery were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.4% 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 Katherines Primary Academy and Nursery received £7,640 and spent £1,426 for each of its 247 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £375,000 (£1,520 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Net Academies Trust, income was £7,282 and spending £2,722 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 Harlow · Essex local authority: places and applications

Katherines Primary Academy and Nursery is part of Net Academies Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Jerounds Primary Academy Harlow
• Abbotsweld Primary Academy Harlow
• Longwood Primary Academy Harlow
• Latton Green Primary Academy Harlow
• Tany's Dell Primary School and Nursery Harlow
• Fawbert and Barnard's Primary School Old Harlow
• Harlowbury Primary School Harlow
• Waltham Holy Cross Primary Academy Waltham Abbey

What is Katherines Primary Academy and Nursery's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Katherines Primary Academy and Nursery is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Katherines Primary Academy and Nursery last inspected by Ofsted?

Katherines Primary Academy and Nursery was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Katherines Primary Academy and Nursery have?

Katherines Primary Academy and Nursery has 234 pupils on roll.

What age range does Katherines Primary Academy and Nursery cover?

Katherines Primary Academy and Nursery for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Katherines Primary Academy and Nursery's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Katherines Primary Academy and Nursery?

Katherines Primary Academy and Nursery is at Brookside, Harlow, Essex, CM19 5NJ.