Lambourne Primary School

Lambourne Primary School was inspected in July 2026 and meets the expected standard across all evaluated areas, with safeguarding standards met. The school is part of the Epping Forest Schools Partnership Trust and includes a resourced provision for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs, although no pupils were in that provision at the time of inspection. Pupils achieve broadly in line with national averages in reading, writing and mathematics over the past two years, and writing has improved year on year. Children get off to a positive start in the early years, reading and phonics are taught well, and pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are generally well supported to make steady progress.

Strengths

• Coherent, balanced curriculum with clear knowledge sequencing from early years to Year 6.
• Strong early reading and phonics provision; most pupils become fluent readers.
• Improved writing teaching has raised younger pupils' basic writing skills.
• Inclusive culture with prompt identification and effective support for pupils with SEND.
• Effective use of additional funding to remove barriers for disadvantaged pupils.
• Calm, purposeful learning environment built on respectful relationships and consistent behaviour expectations.
• Pupils feel safe, happy and a strong sense of belonging; bullying is rare and handled quickly.
• Broad personal development programme, including mental health, safety and wide enrichment experiences.
• Highly effective pastoral support helps pupils manage emotions and significant life events.
• Leaders are ambitious, approachable and have an accurate understanding of school quality.
• Governance and trust provide appropriate support and challenge.
• Staff feel valued, with workload and wellbeing considered and useful professional development.
• Attendance strategies have reduced numbers missing too much school and leaders use data well.
• Early years provision ensures children settle quickly and are typically well prepared for Year 1.

Areas for Improvement

• Some older pupils have gaps in handwriting and spelling knowledge.
• Teachers do not always identify and address pupils' misconceptions during lessons.
• Persistent absence remains too high for some disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Pupils' understanding of differences and diversity in PSHE is less secure than other personal development areas.
• Disadvantaged pupils' outcomes in writing and combined reading, writing and mathematics are below national averages.
• Overall absence and persistent absence were above national averages in 2024/25.

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 Lambourne Primary School attended 93.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.5% 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 Lambourne 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 Lambourne Primary School had 22.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.1% 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, 10.3% of pupils at Lambourne Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.9% 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 Lambourne Primary School received £7,010 and spent £8,310 for each of its 214 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £161,000 (£751 per pupil).

Across all 16 schools of Epping Forest Schools Partnership Trust, income was £7,618 and spending £7,577 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 Epping Forest · Essex local authority: places and applications

Lambourne Primary School is part of Epping Forest Schools Partnership Trust, which runs 16 schools. The nearest others:

• Hereward Primary School Loughton
• Chigwell Row Infant School Chigwell
• Theydon Bois Primary School Epping
• The Alderton Junior School Loughton
• Oak View School Loughton
• The Alderton Infant School and Nursery Loughton
• White Bridge Primary School Loughton
• Staples Road Primary School Loughton
• Ivy Chimneys Primary School Epping
• Limes Farm Infant School and Nursery Chigwell

What is Lambourne Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Lambourne Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Lambourne Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Lambourne Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Lambourne Primary School have?

Lambourne Primary School has 214 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lambourne Primary School cover?

Lambourne Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Lambourne Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Lambourne Primary School?

Lambourne Primary School is at Hoe Lane, Abridge, Romford, Essex, RM4 1AU.