Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy
Vicarage Road, Finchingfield, Braintree, CM7 4LD
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- CANONIUM LEARNING TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Samina Metson
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chelmsford
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Braintree
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 84
- Pupils on roll
- 71
- URN
- 147817
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01371810423
About this school
Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy is a Church of England primary academy in Braintree. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 71 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE 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 26 November 2024, 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 | 7 | 6 | 3 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 57% | 83% | - |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 33% | - |
| Expected standard in reading | 86% | 83% | - |
| Expected standard in maths | 86% | 83% | - |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 71% | 83% | - |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 109.0 | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 107.0 | - |
| Reading progress | +3.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -3.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.30 | - | - |
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 Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE 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 | 57% | 58.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 83% | 59.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | — | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 56 |
| 2023/24 | 47 |
| 2024/25 | 61 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy compares
Its absence rate was lower than 45% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 5.7% | 9.8% | 71 | — |
| Great Bardfield Primary School | 45% | 4.5% | 21% | 117 | 1.5 miles |
| Wethersfield CofE VC Primary School | 88% | 4.9% | 10.9% | 44 | 1.6 miles |
| Great Sampford Community Primary School | 75% | 4.1% | 5.8% | 79 | 3.2 miles |
| Shalford Primary School | 87% | 4.9% | 22.7% | 73 | 3.6 miles |
| St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Toppesfield | 57% | 6.6% | 12.1% | 63 | 4.4 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)
- 9.8%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 5.65%
- Persistent absence
- 18.18%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Great Bardfield Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Braintree
-
Wethersfield CofE VC Primary School1.6 miles
Primary · Braintree
-
Great Sampford Community Primary School3.2 miles
Primary · Saffron Walden
-
Shalford Primary School3.6 miles
Primary · Braintree
- 4.4 miles
Other schools in Braintree
- Beckers Green Primary School Primary
- Bocking Primary School Primary
- Cressing Primary School Primary
- Great Bardfield Primary School Primary
- Great Bradfords Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Great Bradfords Junior School Primary
- John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery Primary
- John Ray Infant School Primary
- John Ray Junior School Primary
- Lyons Hall School Primary
- Notley Green Primary School Primary
- Rayne Primary and Nursery School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy teach?
- Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Braintree.
- Who is the headteacher of Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy?
- The headteacher of Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy is Mrs Samina Metson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE 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 Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy?
- Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy has 71 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy full?
- Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy has capacity for 84 pupils and 71 on roll (85%), 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 Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy a faith school?
- Yes. Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chelmsford.
- Does Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy part of an academy trust?
- Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy is part of CANONIUM LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 57% in 2022/23 and 83% in 2023/24. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy's absence rate?
- Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 5.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE 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.