St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham
The Street, Tillingham, Southminster, CM0 7TJ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- THE DIOCESE OF CHELMSFORD VINE SCHOOLS TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Tara Clarke
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chelmsford
- Sponsor
- Diocese of Chelmsford
- Constituency
- Maldon
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 147
- Pupils on roll
- 87
- URN
- 147413
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01621779263
About this school
St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham is a Church of England primary academy in Southminster. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 87 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham, 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
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 | 17 | 27 | 15 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 25% | 33% | 47% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 41% | 59% | 47% |
| Expected standard in maths | 25% | 48% | 53% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 29% | 41% | 53% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 99.0 | 101.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 95.0 | 100.0 | 101.0 |
| Reading progress | -7.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -5.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -10.10 | - | - |
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 St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham 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 | 25% | 58.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 33% | 59.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 47% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 9.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 146 |
| 2023/24 | 122 |
| 2024/25 | 81 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham compares
St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham ranked 342nd of 388 primary schools in Essex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 18% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 10% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 47% | 9.4% | 17.3% | 87 | — |
| St Cedd's Church of England Primary School | 38% | 6% | 14.4% | 120 | 2.1 miles |
| St Leonard's Church of England Primary School | 29% | 9.1% | 30% | 258 | 3.4 miles |
| Tollesbury School | 72% | 4.8% | 15.3% | 169 | 4.7 miles |
| St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Burnham-on-Crouch | 94% | 4.6% | 15.8% | 246 | 5.0 miles |
| Burnham-on-Crouch Primary School | 73% | 5.4% | 26.7% | 421 | 5.3 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)
- 17.28%
- English as an additional language
- 1.2%
- Overall absence
- 9.39%
- Persistent absence
- 26.88%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Cedd's Church of England Primary School2.1 miles
Primary · Southminster
-
St Leonard's Church of England Primary School3.4 miles
Primary · Southminster
-
Tollesbury School4.7 miles
Primary · Maldon
-
St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Burnham-on-Crouch5.0 miles
Primary · Burnham-on-Crouch
-
Burnham-on-Crouch Primary School5.3 miles
Primary · Burnham-on-Crouch
Other schools in Southminster
Common questions
- What ages does St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham teach?
- St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Southminster.
- Who is the headteacher of St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham?
- The headteacher of St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham is Mrs Tara Clarke, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham, 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 St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham?
- St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham has 87 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham full?
- St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham has capacity for 147 pupils and 87 on roll (59%), 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 St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham a faith school?
- Yes. St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chelmsford.
- Does St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham as having no nursery classes.
- Is St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham part of an academy trust?
- St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham is part of THE DIOCESE OF CHELMSFORD VINE SCHOOLS TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 25% in 2022/23 and 47% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham compare with other schools in Essex?
- St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham ranked 342nd of 388 primary schools in Essex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 18% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 10% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham's absence rate?
- St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham's overall absence rate is 9.4% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham'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 2 July 2026.