Mildmay Primary School

Inspectors found the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and early years provision to be good, with personal development outstanding. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first inspection under section 5. Mildmay Primary is part of Bridge Academy Trust and includes a specially resourced provision for deaf pupils. Pupils are confident, articulate and kind, learn a broad curriculum, behave well and are well prepared for secondary school. The school's main strengths are a well-sequenced curriculum, strong subject knowledge in many subjects, effective reading teaching and highly inclusive SEND and deaf provision. Pupils with SEND achieve in line with their peers, all pupils learn British Sign Language, and personal development is exceptionally strong. Leadership is well supported by the trust and governors, and safeguarding is effective. The main area for improvement is that in a few subjects some staff do not implement the school's chosen teaching approaches consistently. As a result, some pupils do not connect new learning to prior knowledge and have gaps in understanding; leaders should ensure consistent implementation so all pupils build on previous learning effectively. Inspectors also considered the school's response to a serious incident involving a former pupil alongside other evidence.

Strengths

• Pupils are confident, articulate and kind, creating a positive school community.
• The curriculum is broad, interesting and sequenced from early years to Year 6.
• Staff have strong subject knowledge in many subjects and explain new ideas clearly.
• Teachers check pupils' understanding accurately and provide timely support.
• Consistent teaching methods in many subjects help pupils remember new concepts.
• Reading is taught well, including adapted phonics support for deaf pupils.
• Deaf pupils are fully integrated, and all pupils learn British Sign Language.
• Pupils with SEND are identified effectively and achieve in line with their peers.
• Pupils behave well, are helpful and benefit from well-organised lunchtimes.
• Early years staff prioritise basic skills, mathematics, vocabulary and emotional development.
• Personal development is exceptionally strong, with wide opportunities and diverse history.
• Trust and governors provide strong strategic leadership and understand the school well.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• In a few subjects, inconsistent use of the school's chosen teaching approaches leaves some pupils unable to connect new learning to prior knowledge and with gaps in 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 Mildmay Primary School attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.7% 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, 1.0% of pupils at Mildmay 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 Mildmay Primary School had 21.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.9% 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, 10.1% of pupils at Mildmay Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 27 pupils.

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 Mildmay Primary School received £6,396 and spent £6,852 for each of its 612 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £686,000 (£1,121 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of Bridge Academy Trust, income was £7,606 and spending £7,532 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 Chelmsford · Essex local authority: places and applications

Mildmay Primary School is part of Bridge Academy Trust, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

• Moulsham High School Chelmsford
• Oaklands Infant School Chelmsford
• High Ongar Primary School Ongar
• Acorn Infant Academy Witham
• The Ongar Academy Ongar
• Ongar Primary School Ongar
• Chipping Ongar Primary School Ongar
• Notley High School and Sixth Form Braintree
• Richard de Clare Community Academy Halstead
• The Ramsey Academy, Halstead Halstead

What is Mildmay Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Mildmay Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was Mildmay Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Mildmay Primary School was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does Mildmay Primary School have?

Mildmay Primary School has 611 pupils on roll.

What age range does Mildmay Primary School cover?

Mildmay Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

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

Where is Mildmay Primary School?

Mildmay Primary School is at Robin Way, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 8AU.