Ford End Church of England Primary School

Ford End Church of England Primary School is performing well overall, achieving a good rating in all inspected areas. The school, which has not been inspected previously under section 5, demonstrates a strong sense of community among its pupils, who enjoy a variety of educational experiences and extracurricular activities. The close collaboration with two other schools in the LIFE Education Trust contributes positively to staff development and the sharing of best practices, thereby enhancing the quality of the education provided. Parents have noticed significant improvements and now show strong support for the school.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy a strong sense of community and belonging.
• The curriculum is comprehensive and provides high levels of guidance for teachers.
• Teachers effectively target additional support for pupils who need it.
• Pupils demonstrate excellent behaviour and feel safe and valued.
• There are numerous opportunities for pupils to develop their interests and talents.

Areas for Improvement

• The teaching of writing can be disjointed, affecting pupil understanding.
• Some pupils are not developing handwriting skills adequately.

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 Ford End Church of England Primary School attended 91.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.6% 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 Ford End Church of England 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 Ford End Church of England Primary School had 13.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 37.5% 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, 10.6% of pupils at Ford End Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.0% 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 Ford End Church of England Primary School received £9,095 and spent £9,266 for each of its 64 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £81,000 (£1,264 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of Life Education Trust, income was £8,392 and spending £8,145 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

Ford End Church of England Primary School is part of Life Education Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Roxwell Church of England Primary School Chelmsford
• Dr Walker's CofE Primary School Ongar
• Margaretting Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Ingatestone
• Chappel CofE Controlled Primary School Colchester
• Fordham All Saints CofE Voluntary Controlled Primary School Colchester
• Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, Eight Ash Green and Aldham Colchester
• Dame Tipping Church of England Primary School Romford
• The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls Romford
• Langenhoe Community Primary School Colchester
• Benhurst Primary School Hornchurch

What is Ford End Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ford End Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2024.

When was Ford End Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Ford End Church of England Primary School was last inspected in January 2024.

How many pupils does Ford End Church of England Primary School have?

Ford End Church of England Primary School has 47 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ford End Church of England Primary School cover?

Ford End Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Ford End Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 64% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Ford End Church of England Primary School?

Ford End Church of England Primary School is at Main Road, Ford End, Chelmsford, Essex, CM3 1LQ.