Canewdon Church of England Primary School

Canewdon Church of England Primary School is a small village school of about 90 pupils, part of the Berlesduna Academy Trust and the federation of Canewdon and St Nicholas. Following a full section 5 inspection in September 2026, the school is performing securely across all inspected areas, and safeguarding standards are met. Leaders have a clear, ambitious vision and an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and priorities, with effective support from the trust and governance.

Strengths

• Leaders have a clear and ambitious vision and an accurate view of the school’s strengths and priorities.
• The school has a strong inclusive culture where pupils feel safe, valued and a sense of belonging.
• Early reading, phonics and mathematics are taught well, helping pupils secure essential knowledge and skills.
• Early years provision is well resourced and effective in developing communication, language, early reading and writing.
• Pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils typically progress well and are supported effectively.
• Behaviour is calm and positive, with clear routines, polite pupils and rare bullying.
• Personal development is enriched through clubs, trips, pupil leadership roles and learning about British values.
• Leaders prioritise attendance and support frequently absent pupils to improve their attendance.
• Governance and trust support provide appropriate challenge and scrutiny.
• Staff feel supported and valued, and professional development is closely linked to school priorities.
• Pupils generally achieve well and are well prepared for the next stage of their education.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced, and pupils remember learning across a range of subjects.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils are sometimes given work that is not matched well to what they already know and can do, which slows progress.
• Staff do not consistently check pupils’ understanding as well as they could before introducing new learning.
• Leaders need to continue refining the curriculum as year groups within each class change so pupils build securely on prior learning.
• Overall and persistent absence are above national averages, although small cohorts make comparisons less meaningful.

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 Canewdon Church of England Primary School attended 91.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.7% 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 Canewdon 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 Canewdon Church of England Primary School had 18.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 25.0% 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, 15.6% of pupils at Canewdon Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.7% 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 Canewdon Church of England Primary School received £9,072 and spent £9,264 for each of its 101 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £7,000 (-£65 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 Rochford · Essex local authority: places and applications

Canewdon Church of England Primary School is part of Berlesduna Academy Trust, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

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

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

The latest Ofsted rating for Canewdon Church of England Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

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

Canewdon Church of England Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Canewdon Church of England Primary School have?

Canewdon Church of England Primary School has 90 pupils on roll.

What age range does Canewdon Church of England Primary School cover?

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

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

In 2025, 59% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Canewdon Church of England Primary School?

Canewdon Church of England Primary School is at High Street, Canewdon, Rochford, Essex, SS4 3QA.