Acorn Infant Academy
Spa Road, Witham, CM8 1NA
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 7
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- BRIDGE ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Cheryl Noble
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Bridge Academy Trust
- SEN provision
- SLCN - Speech, language and Communication
- Constituency
- Witham
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 270
- Pupils on roll
- 196
- URN
- 147255
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01376512605
About this school
Acorn Infant Academy is a primary academy in Witham. It teaches children aged 3 to 7 and has 196 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Acorn Infant 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
Ofsted did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. 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
Trends over time
How Acorn Infant 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 265 |
| 2023/24 | 272 |
| 2024/25 | 224 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Acorn Infant Academy compares
Its absence rate was lower than 40% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 5.9% | 34.5% | 196 | — |
| Witham Oaks Academy | 72% | 5.2% | 43.4% | 290 | 0.0 miles |
| Templars Academy | 42% | 7.2% | 29.9% | 412 | 0.8 miles |
| Elm Hall Primary School | 48% | 6.4% | 17.8% | 228 | 1.1 miles |
| Howbridge Infant School | — | 5.6% | 26.2% | 265 | 1.1 miles |
| Holy Family Catholic Primary School | 70% | 2.9% | 23.7% | 201 | 1.1 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.
Inspection history
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 34.5%
- English as an additional language
- 4.9%
- Overall absence
- 5.9%
- Persistent absence
- 16.88%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Witham Oaks Academy0.0 miles
Primary · Witham
-
Templars Academy0.8 miles
Primary · Witham
-
Elm Hall Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Witham
-
Howbridge Infant School1.1 miles
Primary · Witham
-
Holy Family Catholic Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Witham
Other schools in Witham
- Chipping Hill Primary School Primary
- Elm Hall Primary School Primary
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School Primary
- Howbridge Church of England Junior School Primary
- Howbridge Infant School Primary
- Rivenhall Church of England Primary School Primary
- Silver End Academy Primary
- Templars Academy Primary
- White Notley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Witham Oaks Academy Primary
- Lift Maltings Secondary
- Lift New Rickstones Secondary
Recorded changes at this school
- School name changed from Acorn Academy to Acorn Infant Academy recorded 1 Sep 2026
Common questions
- What ages does Acorn Infant Academy teach?
- Acorn Infant Academy teaches children aged 3 to 7. It is a primary school in Witham.
- Who is the headteacher of Acorn Infant Academy?
- The headteacher of Acorn Infant Academy is Mrs Cheryl Noble, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Acorn Infant Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Acorn Infant 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 Acorn Infant Academy?
- Acorn Infant Academy has 196 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 7.
- Is Acorn Infant Academy full?
- Acorn Infant Academy has capacity for 270 pupils and 196 on roll (73%), 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 Acorn Infant Academy a faith school?
- No. Acorn Infant Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Acorn Infant Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Acorn Infant Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is Acorn Infant Academy part of an academy trust?
- Acorn Infant Academy is part of BRIDGE ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Acorn Infant Academy have?
- The schools register lists Acorn Infant Academy's special educational needs provision as: SLCN - Speech, language and Communication. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- What is Acorn Infant Academy's absence rate?
- Acorn Infant Academy's overall absence rate is 5.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Acorn Infant Academy publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for Acorn Infant Academy. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
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 September 2026.