Freshwaters Primary Academy
School Lane, Harlow, CM20 3QA
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- BMAT EDUCATION
- Head of School
- Miss Jackie Diggle
- Religious ethos
- None
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- BMAT Education
- Constituency
- Harlow
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 446
- Pupils on roll
- 413
- URN
- 139398
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01279454688
About this school
Freshwaters Primary Academy is a primary academy in Harlow. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 413 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Freshwaters Primary Academy, 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 22 January 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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 | 58 | 62 | 60 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 66% | 68% | 62% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 5% | 5% | 5% |
| Expected standard in reading | 84% | 87% | 88% |
| Expected standard in maths | 78% | 85% | 88% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 81% | 92% | 87% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 106.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | +4.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.40 | - | - |
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 Freshwaters 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 | 66% | 58.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 68% | 59.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 62% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 419 |
| 2023/24 | 419 |
| 2024/25 | 415 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Freshwaters Primary Academy compares
Freshwaters Primary Academy ranked 233rd of 388 primary schools in Essex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 45% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 32% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 62% | 6.5% | 40.1% | 413 | — |
| The Downs Primary School and Nursery | 52% | 5.8% | 34.9% | 362 | 0.3 miles |
| St Alban's Catholic Academy | 57% | 4.7% | 16.8% | 227 | 0.3 miles |
| Cooks Spinney Primary Academy and Nursery | 38% | 7.7% | 51.6% | 443 | 0.6 miles |
| Pemberley Academy | 67% | 5.8% | 26.4% | 207 | 0.8 miles |
| Tany's Dell Primary School and Nursery | 83% | 5.1% | 34.6% | 437 | 0.8 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)
- 40.05%
- English as an additional language
- 27.2%
- Overall absence
- 6.48%
- Persistent absence
- 20.38%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Downs Primary School and Nursery0.3 miles
Primary · Harlow
-
St Alban's Catholic Academy0.3 miles
Primary · Harlow
-
Cooks Spinney Primary Academy and Nursery0.6 miles
Primary · Harlow
-
Pemberley Academy0.8 miles
Primary · Harlow
-
Tany's Dell Primary School and Nursery0.8 miles
Primary · Harlow
Other schools in Harlow
Freshwaters Primary Academy ranks 19th of the 30 ranked primary schools in Harlow.
- Abbotsweld Primary Academy Primary
- Church Langley Community Primary School Primary
- Churchgate Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Harlow Primary
- Cooks Spinney Primary Academy and Nursery Primary
- Hare Street Community Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Harlowbury Primary School Primary
- Henry Moore Primary School Primary
- Holy Cross Catholic Primary School, Harlow Primary
- Jerounds Primary Academy Primary
- Katherines Primary Academy and Nursery Primary
- Kingsmoor Academy Primary
- Latton Green Primary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Freshwaters Primary Academy teach?
- Freshwaters Primary Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Harlow.
- Who is the head of school of Freshwaters Primary Academy?
- The head of school of Freshwaters Primary Academy is Miss Jackie Diggle, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Freshwaters Primary Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Freshwaters 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 many pupils are at Freshwaters Primary Academy?
- Freshwaters Primary Academy has 413 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Freshwaters Primary Academy full?
- Freshwaters Primary Academy has capacity for 446 pupils and 413 on roll (93%), 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 Freshwaters Primary Academy a faith school?
- No. Freshwaters Primary Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Freshwaters Primary Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Freshwaters Primary Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is Freshwaters Primary Academy part of an academy trust?
- Freshwaters Primary Academy is part of BMAT EDUCATION. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Freshwaters Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 66% in 2022/23 and 62% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Freshwaters Primary Academy compare with other schools in Essex?
- Freshwaters Primary Academy ranked 233rd of 388 primary schools in Essex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 45% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 32% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Freshwaters Primary Academy's absence rate?
- Freshwaters Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 6.5% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Freshwaters Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Freshwaters 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.