St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield
Church Lane, Toppesfield, Halstead, CO9 4DS
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Stephanie Newland
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chelmsford
- Constituency
- Braintree
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 98
- Pupils on roll
- 63
- URN
- 115071
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01787237354
About this school
St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Halstead. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 63 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 13 | 8 | 7 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 54% | 13% | 57% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 92% | 38% | 86% |
| Expected standard in maths | 54% | 25% | 57% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 77% | 0% | 71% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 97.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 99.0 | 96.0 | 99.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -5.60 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Essex average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 54% | 58.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 13% | 59.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 57% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 65 |
| 2023/24 | 71 |
| 2024/25 | 66 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield compares
St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield ranked 270th of 388 primary schools in Essex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 34% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 29% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 57% | 6.6% | 12.1% | 63 | — |
| St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, Great Yeldham | 87% | 4.4% | 20% | 139 | 1.3 miles |
| Ridgewell Church of England Primary School | 77% | 5.9% | 33.3% | 55 | 2.1 miles |
| de Vere Primary School | 70% | 5.7% | 25.3% | 203 | 2.7 miles |
| St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Sible Hedingham | 55% | 4% | 13.9% | 213 | 3.1 miles |
| Wethersfield CofE VC Primary School | 88% | 4.9% | 10.9% | 44 | 4.3 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
Inspection history
- 8 November 2022
-
Ungraded inspection report22 October 2019
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 12.12%
- English as an additional language
- 9.1%
- Overall absence
- 6.63%
- Persistent absence
- 18.75%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, Great Yeldham1.3 miles
Primary · Halstead
-
Ridgewell Church of England Primary School2.1 miles
Primary · Halstead
-
de Vere Primary School2.7 miles
Primary · Halstead
-
St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Sible Hedingham3.1 miles
Primary · Halstead
-
Wethersfield CofE VC Primary School4.3 miles
Primary · Braintree
Other schools in Halstead
St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield ranks 7th of the 11 ranked primary schools in Halstead.
- de Vere Primary School Primary
- Gosfield Community Primary School Primary
- Holy Trinity Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Halstead Primary
- Richard de Clare Community Academy Primary
- Ridgewell Church of England Primary School Primary
- St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, Great Yeldham Primary
- St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, Halstead Primary
- St Giles' Church of England Primary School Primary
- St John the Baptist Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Pebmarsh Primary
- St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Sible Hedingham Primary
- Hedingham School and Sixth Form Secondary
- The Ramsey Academy, Halstead Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield teach?
- St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Halstead.
- Who is the headteacher of St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield?
- The headteacher of St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield is Mrs Stephanie Newland, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield?
- St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield has 63 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield full?
- St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield has capacity for 98 pupils and 63 on roll (64%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield a faith school?
- Yes. St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chelmsford.
- Does St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield as having no nursery classes.
- How have St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 54% in 2022/23 and 57% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield compare with other schools in Essex?
- St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield ranked 270th of 388 primary schools in Essex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 34% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 29% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield's absence rate?
- St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield's overall absence rate is 6.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 30 June 2026.