Crays Hill Primary School

Crays Hill Primary School has made a commendable start in its educational journey, achieving a 'Good' rating across all inspected categories in its first inspection since converting to an academy. The school fosters a welcoming environment where pupils feel comfortable and safe, enabling them to thrive both academically and socially. Leaders demonstrate a robust understanding of their community's unique needs, and the collaborative efforts of the school’s leadership and the governing body contribute significantly to the effective delivery of education and personal development programs. Strengths in reading, mathematics, and personal development are evident, and the school's focus on building pupils' reading skills is particularly noteworthy. However, the school's curriculum planning varies in effectiveness, with some subjects lacking clear directives for teaching and assessment. Additionally, while pupils enjoy social interactions and charitable activities, opportunities for them to take on leadership roles within the school are limited, which affects their full engagement in the school community.

Strengths

• Welcoming environment for new pupils
• Strong emphasis on reading and literacy development
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)
• Engaged and respectful behaviour among pupils
• Inspiring personal development programs
• Success in competitive events against larger schools

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent curriculum planning in some subjects
• Limited opportunities for pupils to take on responsibilities

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 Crays Hill Primary School attended 62.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 86.7% 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, 6.7% of pupils at Crays Hill 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 Crays Hill Primary School had 11.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.0% 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, 25.6% of pupils at Crays Hill Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.3% 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 Crays Hill Primary School received £15,025 and spent £14,910 for each of its 75 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £331,000 (£4,416 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of Berlesduna Academy Trust, income was £7,659 and spending £7,506 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 Billericay · Essex local authority: places and applications

Crays Hill Primary School is part of Berlesduna Academy Trust, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

• Whitmore Primary School and Nursery Basildon
• Downham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Billericay
• The Willows Primary School Basildon
• Felmore Primary School Basildon
• Fairhouse Community Primary School Basildon
• Cherry Tree Primary School Basildon
• Merrylands Primary School Basildon
• St Nicholas Church of England Primary School Rayleigh
• St Mary's Church of England Primary School Chelmsford
• Canewdon Church of England Primary School Rochford

What is Crays Hill Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Crays Hill Primary School is Good, from an inspection in October 2022.

When was Crays Hill Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Crays Hill Primary School was last inspected in October 2022.

How many pupils does Crays Hill Primary School have?

Crays Hill Primary School has 82 pupils on roll.

What age range does Crays Hill Primary School cover?

Crays Hill Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 17% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Crays Hill Primary School?

Crays Hill Primary School is at London Road, Crays Hill, Billericay, Essex, CM11 2UZ.