Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
The Avenue, Lawford, Manningtree, CO11 2FR
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Miss Abigail Fairbairn
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chelmsford
- Constituency
- Harwich and North Essex
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 360
- Pupils on roll
- 349
- URN
- 115297
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01206393585
About this school
Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Manningtree. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 349 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person 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 | 33 | 32 | 33 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 67% | 59% | 76% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 15% | 6% | 12% |
| Expected standard in reading | 88% | 78% | 88% |
| Expected standard in maths | 85% | 84% | 91% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 79% | 84% | 85% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 105.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 105.0 | 109.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.80 | - | - |
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 Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided 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 | 67% | 58.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 59% | 59.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 76% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 252 |
| 2023/24 | 274 |
| 2024/25 | 306 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School compares
Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranked 85th of 388 primary schools in Essex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 80% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 89% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 76% | 3.7% | 6.9% | 349 | — |
| Highfields Primary School | 74% | 5% | 6.3% | 320 | 0.5 miles |
| Stourview Church of England Primary Academy | — | 10.5% | 68.2% | 39 | 1.8 miles |
| Brooklands Primary School | 71% | 3.2% | 10.2% | 268 | 1.9 miles |
| Dedham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | 83% | 3.9% | 10.8% | 202 | 2.4 miles |
| Bradfield Primary School | 70% | 4.2% | 18.3% | 111 | 2.9 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)
- 6.86%
- English as an additional language
- 4.6%
- Overall absence
- 3.7%
- Persistent absence
- 5.81%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Highfields Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Manningtree
-
Stourview Church of England Primary Academy1.8 miles
Primary · Mistley
-
Brooklands Primary School1.9 miles
Primary · Nr Manningtree
-
Dedham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School2.4 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Bradfield Primary School2.9 miles
Primary · Manningtree
Other schools in Manningtree
- Bradfield Primary School Primary
- Highfields Primary School Primary
- Wix and Wrabness Primary School Primary
- Manningtree High School Secondary
Common questions
- What year groups does Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School teach?
- Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Manningtree.
- Who is the headteacher of Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
- The headteacher of Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is Miss Abigail Fairbairn, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided 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 big is Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
- Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has 349 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School full?
- Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has capacity for 360 pupils and 349 on roll (97%), 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 Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chelmsford.
- Does Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 67% in 2022/23 and 76% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School rank locally?
- Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranked 85th of 388 primary schools in Essex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 80% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 89% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's absence rate?
- Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided 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.