Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
High Street, Elsenham, Bishop's Stortford, CM22 6DD
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Linda Todd
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chelmsford
- Constituency
- North West Essex
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 403
- URN
- 115129
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01279813198
About this school
Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Bishop's Stortford. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 403 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 13 November 2024, where inspectors found the school has improved significantly. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 40 | 38 | 54 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 70% | 82% | 78% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 5% | 21% | 13% |
| Expected standard in reading | 83% | 87% | 89% |
| Expected standard in maths | 80% | 95% | 93% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 83% | 92% | 87% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 109.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 109.0 | 109.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.70 | - | - |
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 Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School 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 | 70% | 58.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 82% | 59.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 78% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 342 |
| 2023/24 | 357 |
| 2024/25 | 383 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School compares
Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranked 59th of 388 primary schools in Essex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 84% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 45% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 78% | 5.7% | 11.8% | 403 | — |
| Henham and Ugley Primary and Nursery School | 70% | 4.6% | 18.3% | 213 | 1.2 miles |
| Magna Carta Primary Academy | 69% | 2.6% | 9% | 194 | 1.7 miles |
| Bentfield Primary School and Nursery | 71% | 6% | 11.7% | 208 | 1.8 miles |
| St Mary's CofE Foundation Primary School | 75% | 5.8% | 22.5% | 255 | 2.0 miles |
| Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | 64% | 4.3% | 12.4% | 93 | 2.7 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 11.75%
- English as an additional language
- 1.3%
- Overall absence
- 5.68%
- Persistent absence
- 12.61%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Henham and Ugley Primary and Nursery School1.2 miles
Primary · Bishop's Stortford
-
Magna Carta Primary Academy1.7 miles
Primary · Stansted Mountfitchet
-
Bentfield Primary School and Nursery1.8 miles
Primary · Stansted
-
St Mary's CofE Foundation Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Stansted
-
Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School2.7 miles
Primary · Bishop's Stortford
Other schools in Bishop's Stortford
Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranks 6th of the 22 ranked primary schools in Bishop's Stortford.
- All Saints Church of England Primary School and Nursery, Bishop's Stortford Primary
- Avanti Meadows Primary School Primary
- Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Farnham Church of England Primary School Primary
- Hatfield Heath Primary School Primary
- Henham and Ugley Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Hillmead Primary School Primary
- Little Hallingbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Manor Fields Primary School Primary
- Manuden Primary School Primary
- Northgate Primary School Primary
- Richard Whittington Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School teach?
- Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Bishop's Stortford.
- Who is the headteacher of Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
- The headteacher of Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is Mrs Linda Todd, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 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 Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
- Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has 403 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School full?
- Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 403 on roll (96%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chelmsford.
- Does Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 70% in 2022/23 and 78% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School compare with other schools in Essex?
- Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranked 59th of 388 primary schools in Essex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 84% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 45% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's absence rate?
- Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Elsenham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School'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.