Ford End Church of England Primary School
Main Road, Ford End, Chelmsford, CM3 1LQ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- LIFE EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Sarah Tate
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chelmsford
- Sponsor
- Life Education Trust
- Constituency
- North West Essex
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 84
- Pupils on roll
- 47
- URN
- 148210
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01245237209
About this school
Ford End Church of England Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Chelmsford. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 47 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Ford End Church of England Primary School, 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
- 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 | 15 | 10 | 11 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 67% | 70% | 64% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 20% | 20% | 9% |
| Expected standard in reading | 73% | 90% | 73% |
| Expected standard in maths | 73% | 70% | 82% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 67% | 90% | 82% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 102.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -3.70 | - | - |
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 Ford End Church of England Primary School 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 | 67% | 58.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 70% | 59.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 64% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 68 |
| 2023/24 | 68 |
| 2024/25 | 64 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Ford End Church of England Primary School compares
Ford End Church of England Primary School ranked 211th of 388 primary schools in Essex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 50% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 15% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 64% | 8.4% | 26.6% | 47 | — |
| Great Waltham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | 54% | 4.9% | 11.4% | 191 | 2.4 miles |
| The Flitch Green Academy | 38% | 6% | 11.7% | 272 | 2.5 miles |
| Felsted Primary School | 67% | 4.8% | 5.9% | 197 | 2.8 miles |
| Little Waltham Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 70% | 5.7% | 15% | 206 | 2.9 miles |
| Great Leighs Primary School | 52% | 4.9% | 11.7% | 197 | 3.2 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)
- 26.56%
- English as an additional language
- 7.8%
- Overall absence
- 8.38%
- Persistent absence
- 17.65%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Great Waltham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School2.4 miles
Primary · Chelmsford
-
The Flitch Green Academy2.5 miles
Primary · Dunmow
-
Felsted Primary School2.8 miles
Primary · Dunmow
-
Little Waltham Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School2.9 miles
Primary · Chelmsford
-
Great Leighs Primary School3.2 miles
Primary · Chelmsford
Other schools in Chelmsford
Ford End Church of England Primary School ranks 27th of the 46 ranked primary schools in Chelmsford.
- Baddow Hall Infant School Primary
- Baddow Hall Junior School Primary
- Barnes Farm Primary School Primary
- Beehive Lane Community Primary School Primary
- Boreham Primary School Primary
- Broomfield Primary School Primary
- Chancellor Park Primary School, Chelmsford Primary
- Christchurch Church of England Primary School Primary
- Cold Norton Primary School Primary
- Collingwood Primary School Primary
- East Hanningfield Church of England Primary Academy Primary
- Elmwood Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Ford End Church of England Primary School teach?
- Ford End Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Chelmsford.
- Who is the headteacher of Ford End Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of Ford End Church of England Primary School is Mrs Sarah Tate, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Ford End Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Ford End Church of England Primary School, 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 Ford End Church of England Primary School?
- Ford End Church of England Primary School has 47 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Ford End Church of England Primary School full?
- Ford End Church of England Primary School has capacity for 84 pupils and 47 on roll (56%), 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 Ford End Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Ford End Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chelmsford.
- Does Ford End Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Ford End Church of England Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Is Ford End Church of England Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Ford End Church of England Primary School is part of LIFE EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Ford End Church of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 67% in 2022/23 and 64% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Ford End Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in Essex?
- Ford End Church of England Primary School ranked 211th of 388 primary schools in Essex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 50% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 15% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Ford End Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- Ford End Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 8.4% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Ford End Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Ford End Church of England Primary School'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.