Ford End Church of England Primary School
General Information
- Address: Main Road, Ford End, Chelmsford, CM3 1LQ – View on map
- Phone: 01245237209
- Website: Visit school website
- Headteacher: Mrs Sarah Tate
- Age range: 4-11 years
- Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 8 families put it first for 8 places – 10 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 11 · 2024 9 · 2025 8 · 2026 10
- Sixth form: No
- Intake: Mixed
- Religious character: Church of England
- Nursery provision: No
Who goes here
- Pupils eligible for free school meals: 10
- % eligible for free school meals: 21.3%
- Pupil mix: 2 in 10 (less mixed than the Chelmsford average)
- English as an additional language: 6% (England 22%)
Staff
Teachers leaving each year
- Teacher turnover: 19.4% a year (Chelmsford 14.6%, typical in England 13.9%)
- Where they went: about 38% moved to another school, 62% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
- Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)
Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. This is a small staff, so one or two teachers leaving moves the figure a lot.
Behaviour
Awaiting Data
Across Essex: suspensions by reason
- Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 28 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
- Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
- Suspensions for bullying: 17 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
- Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 7 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
- Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)
These are figures for all state primary schools in Essex (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.
Attendance
- Overall absence: 8.4%
- Persistently absent pupils: 17.7%
- Data year: 2024/25
SEN
No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision
- Pupils on SEN Support: 10.6%
- Pupils with an EHC Plan: 0.0%
- Data year: 2025/26
Most common needs - SEN Support
- Moderate learning difficulty: 2 pupils
- Specific learning difficulty: 1 pupil
- Speech, language and communications needs: 1 pupil
- Autistic spectrum disorder: 1 pupil
These figures show the makeup of the school.
Educational Attainment
Good 2023 report
Year 6 SATs results
- Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 64% (England 62%)
- Reached the higher standard: 9% (England 8%)
- Compared with the area: in line with the Chelmsford average (66%)
- Compared with schools with similar pupils: Above (3-year average 67% against an expected 61%)
- 3-year average (expected standard): 67%
- Expected standard by subject: Reading 73% · Writing 73% · Maths 82% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 82%
- Average test scores: reading 106, maths 105
- Based on: 11 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25
View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.
SATs results over time
Year 6 SATs: 27th of 44 junior and primary schools in the area
- #25Parkwood Academy66%
- #26Boreham Primary School65%
- #27Ford End Church of England Primary School64%
- =28Collingwood Primary School63%
- =28Priory Primary School, Bicknacre63%
Click to see the full ranking
View full Ofsted inspection report
10th of 36 primary schools in Chelmsford for Ofsted rating
- #8East Hanningfield Church of England Primary AcademyGood
- #9Elmwood Primary SchoolGood
- #10Ford End Church of England Primary SchoolGood
- #11Great Leighs Primary SchoolGood
- #12Great Waltham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolGood
Click to see the full ranking
Financials
Spending per pupil: £8,563 (2024-25)
4th of 43 primary schools in Chelmsford for spending per pupil
- #2Highwood Primary School£9,806
- #3Margaretting Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School£9,188
- #4Ford End Church of England Primary School£8,563
- #5Larkrise Primary School£7,387
- #6Parkwood Academy£7,351
Click to see the full ranking
View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)