The Robert Drake Primary School

Castle Point · SS7 3HT

General information Primary School · 4-11 years Who goes here 313 pupils, 14.7% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 11.5% on SEN support Behaviour 4.5% absence rate Staff 17% turnover Financials £5,811 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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The Robert Drake Primary School

General Information

Address: Church Road, New Thundersley, Benfleet, SS7 3HT – View on map
Phone: 01268754124
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Penny Coe Mrs Natalie Jackson
Age range: 4-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 47 families put it first for 45 places – 10 for every 10 places. 91% of them were offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 9 · 2025 8 · 2026 10
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: None
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

313 pupils out of 315 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 46
% eligible for free school meals: 14.7%
Pupil mix: 3 in 10 (similar to the Castle Point average)
English as an additional language: 4% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 17% a year (Castle Point 13.7%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 15% moved to another school, 85% 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.

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: 4.5%
Persistently absent pupils: 8.8%
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

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 11.5%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 2.6%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 9 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 8 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 7 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 6 pupils
Physical disability: 2 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 4 pupils
Profound and multiple learning difficulty: 3 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 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

Good 2024 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 85% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 9% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 17 percentage points above the Castle Point average (68%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well above (3-year average 81% against an expected 67%)
3-year average (expected standard): 81%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 91% · Writing 98% · Maths 87% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 89%
Average test scores: reading 107, maths 109
Based on: 46 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 schoolCastle Point averageEngland↗ Improving Up 14 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 17 percentage points above the Castle Point average (68%).

Year 6 SATs: 3rd of 19 junior and primary schools in the area

#1Kingston Primary School90%
#2Lubbins Park Primary Academy86%
#3The Robert Drake Primary School85%
#4South Benfleet Primary School78%
#5Kents Hill Junior School77%

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

#1Kingston Primary School90%
#2Lubbins Park Primary Academy86%
#3The Robert Drake Primary School85%
#4South Benfleet Primary School78%
#5Kents Hill Junior School77%
#6Northwick Park Primary and Nursery Academy75%
=7Canvey Primary School and Nursery74%
=7St Joseph's Catholic Primary School and Nursery74%
#9Montgomerie Primary School72%
=10Leigh Beck Junior School70%
=10Woodham Ley Primary School70%
=12Jotmans Hall Primary School67%
=12Thundersley Primary School67%
#14St Katherine's Church of England Primary School56%
#15Hadleigh Junior School54%
#16William Read Primary Academy53%
#17Westwood Academy50%
#18Winter Gardens Academy44%
#19Holy Family Catholic Primary School43%

View full Ofsted inspection report

10th of 14 primary schools in Castle Point for Ofsted rating

#8St Joseph's Catholic Primary School and NurseryGood
#9St Katherine's Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#10The Robert Drake Primary SchoolGood
#11Thundersley Primary SchoolGood
#12Winter Gardens AcademyGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Kingston Primary SchoolOutstanding
#2Westwood AcademyOutstanding
#3Canvey Primary School and NurseryGood
#4Holy Family Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#5Montgomerie Primary SchoolGood
#6Northwick Park Primary and Nursery AcademyGood
#7South Benfleet Primary SchoolGood
#8St Joseph's Catholic Primary School and NurseryGood
#9St Katherine's Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#10The Robert Drake Primary SchoolGood
#11Thundersley Primary SchoolGood
#12Winter Gardens AcademyGood
#13Woodham Ley Primary SchoolGood
#14Jotmans Hall Primary SchoolRequires improvement

Financials

Spending per pupil: £5,811 (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.

14th of 16 primary schools in Castle Point for spending per pupil

#12South Benfleet Primary School£6,068
#13St Katherine's Church of England Primary School£5,934
#14The Robert Drake Primary School£5,811
#15Thundersley Primary School£5,728
#16Lubbins Park Primary Academy£5,350

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

#1William Read Primary Academy£7,914
#2St Joseph's Catholic Primary School and Nursery£7,399
#3Northwick Park Primary and Nursery Academy£7,234
#4Kingston Primary School£6,749
#5Canvey Primary School and Nursery£6,669
#6Holy Family Catholic Primary School£6,637
#7Winter Gardens Academy£6,542
#8Montgomerie Primary School£6,427
#9Woodham Ley Primary School£6,275
#10Jotmans Hall Primary School£6,270
#11Westwood Academy£6,073
#12South Benfleet Primary School£6,068
#13St Katherine's Church of England Primary School£5,934
#14The Robert Drake Primary School£5,811
#15Thundersley Primary School£5,728
#16Lubbins Park Primary Academy£5,350

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

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