Harlowbury Primary School

Harlow · CM17 0DX

General information Primary School · 4-11 years Who goes here 184 pupils, 13.6% FSM

Educational attainment Ofsted report card

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN SEN unit + resourced provision · 8.2% on SEN support Behaviour 6.4% absence rate Staff 9.5% turnover Financials £7,274 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Harlowbury Primary School

General Information

Address: Watlington Road, Old Harlow, Harlow, CM17 0DX – View on map
Phone: 01279423444
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr Leigh Bevan
Age range: 4-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 22 families put it first for 30 places – 7 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. 1 of the 30 places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 6 · 2024 10 · 2025 7 · 2026 7
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

184 pupils out of 210 places

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 25
% eligible for free school meals: 13.6%
Pupil mix: 6 in 10 (similar to the Harlow average)
English as an additional language: 34% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 9.5% a year (Harlow 18.3%, typical in England 13.9%) Low turnover
Where they went: about 67% moved to another school, 33% 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. "Low turnover" means it's among the quarter of similar schools in England where teachers are most likely to stay.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

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: 6.4%
Persistently absent pupils: 13.2%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

SEN unit for Speech, language and communication 20 places · 18 pupils at the last count
Resourced provision for Speech, language and communication 20 places · 18 pupils at the last count

Places are usually for children with an EHC Plan and are arranged through the council, not the normal school application.

Pupils on SEN Support: 8.2%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 7.1%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Autistic spectrum disorder: 9 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 2 pupils
SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 2 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil
Social, emotional and mental health: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 7 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 5 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Ofsted report card June 2026

Ofsted's new report cards grade each part of school life separately, instead of giving one overall word.

Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Needs attention
Curriculum and teaching Needs attention
Achievement Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard
Early years Expected standard
Leadership and governance Expected standard

Before this, under the old system, Ofsted rated the school Good (2022). The report card above replaces that grade.

How Ofsted report cards work

Since November 2025, Ofsted grades each area of a school on its own five-point scale, and no longer gives a single word like “Good” or “Outstanding”. Safeguarding (keeping children safe) is simply met or not met.

Exceptional The very best practice nationally
Strong standard Above what Ofsted expects
Expected standard What Ofsted expects of every school
Needs attention Some weaknesses the school needs to fix
Urgent improvement Serious weaknesses needing urgent action

“Expected standard” is a sound result – it's what Ofsted expects a good school to do. Report cards aren't directly comparable with the old single grades, which is why we don't turn them into one.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 65% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 0% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: in line with the Harlow average (66%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (3-year average 67% against an expected 63%)
3-year average (expected standard): 67%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 85% · Writing 85% · Maths 69% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 69%
Average test scores: reading 104, maths 103
Based on: 26 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

This schoolHarlow averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was in line with the Harlow average (66%).

Year 6 SATs: 17th of 29 junior and primary schools in the area

=14Newhall Primary Academy67%
=14Pemberley Academy67%
#17Harlowbury Primary School65%
=18Freshwaters Primary Academy62%
=18Pear Tree Mead Academy62%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1Hare Street Community Primary School and Nursery85%
#2Tany's Dell Primary School and Nursery83%
#3Kingsmoor Academy79%
#4Henry Moore Primary School78%
=5Longwood Primary Academy77%
=5Milwards Primary School and Nursery77%
=7Jerounds Primary Academy76%
=7Latton Green Primary Academy76%
=9Abbotsweld Primary Academy73%
=9Church Langley Community Primary School73%
=9Katherines Primary Academy and Nursery73%
#12Purford Green Primary School72%
#13Potter Street Academy71%
=14Holy Cross Catholic Primary School, Harlow67%
=14Newhall Primary Academy67%
=14Pemberley Academy67%
#17Harlowbury Primary School65%
=18Freshwaters Primary Academy62%
=18Pear Tree Mead Academy62%
=20Little Parndon Primary Academy60%
=20William Martin Church of England Junior School60%
#22St Alban's Catholic Academy57%
=23St James Church of England Primary School53%
=23St Luke's Catholic Academy53%
=25Fawbert and Barnard's Primary School52%
=25The Downs Primary School and Nursery52%
#27Cooks Spinney Primary Academy and Nursery38%
#28Water Lane Primary Academy36%
#29Churchgate Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Harlow35%

View full Ofsted inspection report

Financials

Spending per pupil: £7,274 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

3rd of 28 primary schools in Harlow for spending per pupil

#1Potter Street Academy£8,207
#2Milwards Primary School and Nursery£7,606
#3Harlowbury Primary School£7,274
#4Water Lane Primary Academy£7,141
#5Tany's Dell Primary School and Nursery£6,882

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Potter Street Academy£8,207
#2Milwards Primary School and Nursery£7,606
#3Harlowbury Primary School£7,274
#4Water Lane Primary Academy£7,141
#5Tany's Dell Primary School and Nursery£6,882
#6Kingsmoor Academy£6,808
#7Purford Green Primary School£6,787
#8Churchgate Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Harlow£6,721
#9Holy Cross Catholic Primary School, Harlow£6,603
#10Little Parndon Primary Academy£6,468
#11St James Church of England Primary School£6,456
#12The Downs Primary School and Nursery£6,455
#13Cooks Spinney Primary Academy and Nursery£6,364
#14Hare Street Community Primary School and Nursery£6,362
#15Fawbert and Barnard's Primary School£6,115
#16Pemberley Academy£6,101
#17Henry Moore Primary School£5,996
#18Church Langley Community Primary School£5,945
#19Newhall Primary Academy£5,840
#20Freshwaters Primary Academy£5,756
#21Pear Tree Mead Academy£5,716
#22St Alban's Catholic Academy£5,629
#23St Luke's Catholic Academy£5,523
#24Jerounds Primary Academy£1,434
#25Katherines Primary Academy and Nursery£1,328
#26Longwood Primary Academy£1,083
#27Latton Green Primary Academy£1,045
#28Abbotsweld Primary Academy£974

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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