Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy
School Street, Great Chesterford, Saffron Walden, CB10 1NN
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- GREAT OAK MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Amy Sargeant
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chelmsford
- Sponsor
- Great Oak Multi Academy Trust
- Constituency
- North West Essex
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 177
- URN
- 137516
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01799530292
About this school
Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy is a Church of England primary academy in Saffron Walden. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 177 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 | 30 | 29 | 26 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 80% | 69% | 88% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 10% | 8% |
| Expected standard in reading | 93% | 72% | 92% |
| Expected standard in maths | 87% | 83% | 92% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 87% | 79% | 92% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 110.0 | 107.0 | 110.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 107.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.50 | - | - |
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 Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy 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 | 80% | 58.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 69% | 59.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 88% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 203 |
| 2023/24 | 197 |
| 2024/25 | 186 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy compares
Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy ranked 12th of 388 primary schools in Essex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 96% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 91% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 88% | 3.6% | 4.8% | 177 | — |
| Duxford Church of England Community Primary School | 58% | 4.5% | 14.6% | 143 | 2.7 miles |
| St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 65% | 4.9% | 18.9% | 224 | 3.2 miles |
| R A Butler Infant School | — | 3.3% | 9.2% | 271 | 3.7 miles |
| R A Butler Junior School | 82% | 3.1% | 12% | 384 | 3.7 miles |
| St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, Saffron Walden | 94% | 3.1% | 2.4% | 206 | 3.8 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)
- 4.84%
- English as an additional language
- 4.8%
- Overall absence
- 3.63%
- Persistent absence
- 6.06%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Duxford Church of England Community Primary School2.7 miles
Primary · Cambridge
-
St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School3.2 miles
Primary · Saffron Walden
-
R A Butler Infant School3.7 miles
Primary · Saffron Walden
-
R A Butler Junior School3.7 miles
Primary · Saffron Walden
-
St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, Saffron Walden3.8 miles
Primary · Saffron Walden
Other schools in Saffron Walden
Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy ranks 2nd of the 11 ranked primary schools in Saffron Walden.
- Ashdon Primary School Primary
- Clavering Primary School Primary
- Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy Primary
- Great Sampford Community Primary School Primary
- Katherine Semar Infant School Primary
- Katherine Semar Junior School Primary
- R A Butler Infant School Primary
- R A Butler Junior School Primary
- Radwinter Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Rickling Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, Saffron Walden Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy teach?
- Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Saffron Walden.
- Who is the headteacher of Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy?
- The headteacher of Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy is Mrs Amy Sargeant, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy, 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 Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy?
- Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy has 177 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy full?
- Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy has capacity for 210 pupils and 177 on roll (84%), 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 Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy a faith school?
- Yes. Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chelmsford.
- Does Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy?
- Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy is part of GREAT OAK MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 80% in 2022/23 and 88% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy rank locally?
- Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy ranked 12th of 388 primary schools in Essex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 96% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 91% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy's absence rate?
- Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 3.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy'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 1 July 2026.