Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy
High Street, Debden, Saffron Walden, CB11 3LE
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- GREAT OAK MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Sarah Bailey
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chelmsford
- Sponsor
- Great Oak Multi Academy Trust
- Constituency
- North West Essex
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 161
- Pupils on roll
- 140
- URN
- 143855
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01799540302
About this school
Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy is a Church of England primary academy in Saffron Walden. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 140 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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. 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
- Outstanding
- 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 | 21 | 18 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 85% | 71% | 78% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 14% | 11% |
| Expected standard in reading | 92% | 86% | 83% |
| Expected standard in maths | 100% | 81% | 78% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 77% | 81% | 78% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 108.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 106.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.50 | - | - |
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 Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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 | 85% | 58.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 71% | 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 | 4.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 132 |
| 2023/24 | 146 |
| 2024/25 | 145 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy compares
Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy ranked 62nd 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 81% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 78% | 4.2% | 11.7% | 140 | — |
| Katherine Semar Junior School | 79% | 3.1% | 12.9% | 256 | 2.3 miles |
| Katherine Semar Infant School | — | 3.7% | 10.6% | 180 | 2.3 miles |
| Newport Primary School | 16% | 6.2% | 17.8% | 155 | 2.3 miles |
| Wimbish Primary Academy | — | 2.4% | 23.3% | 41 | 2.7 miles |
| St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, Saffron Walden | 94% | 3.1% | 2.4% | 206 | 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)
- 11.72%
- English as an additional language
- 6.2%
- Overall absence
- 4.19%
- Persistent absence
- 8.03%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Katherine Semar Junior School2.3 miles
Primary · Saffron Walden
-
Katherine Semar Infant School2.3 miles
Primary · Saffron Walden
-
Newport Primary School2.3 miles
Primary · Newport
-
Wimbish Primary Academy2.7 miles
Primary · Saffron Walden
-
St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, Saffron Walden2.9 miles
Primary · Saffron Walden
Other schools in Saffron Walden
Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy ranks 6th of the 11 ranked primary schools in Saffron Walden.
- Ashdon Primary School Primary
- Clavering Primary School Primary
- Great Chesterford Church of England 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 ages does Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy teach?
- Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Saffron Walden.
- Who is the headteacher of Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy?
- The headteacher of Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy is Mrs Sarah Bailey, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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 Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy?
- Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy has 140 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy full?
- Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy has capacity for 161 pupils and 140 on roll (87%), 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 Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy a faith school?
- Yes. Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chelmsford.
- Does Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy as having no nursery classes.
- Is Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy part of an academy trust?
- Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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 Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 85% 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 Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy compare with other schools in Essex?
- Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy ranked 62nd 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 81% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy's absence rate?
- Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 4.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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 10 July 2026.