John Ray Infant School
Notley Road, Braintree, CM7 1HL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 7
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE COMPASS PARTNERSHIP OF SCHOOLS
- Headteacher
- Mrs Lisa Christian
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Braintree
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 360
- Pupils on roll
- 319
- URN
- 150501
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01376323071
About this school
John Ray Infant School is a primary academy in Braintree. It teaches children aged 2 to 7 and has 319 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected John Ray Infant 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 14 November 2019, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. 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.
This inspection took place when the school was registered as John Ray Infant School (URN 114941).
How John Ray Infant School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 54% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 5.3% | 23.8% | 319 | — |
| John Ray Junior School | 62% | 5.5% | 27.8% | 439 | 0.0 miles |
| St Michael's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 52% | 4.1% | 22% | 387 | 1.0 miles |
| Notley Green Primary School | 66% | 3.7% | 11.7% | 401 | 1.0 miles |
| St Francis Catholic Primary School, Braintree | 83% | 3.3% | 9.1% | 203 | 1.1 miles |
| White Court School | 64% | 4.9% | 15.9% | 550 | 1.2 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)
- 23.84%
- English as an additional language
- 10.1%
- Overall absence
- 5.26%
- Persistent absence
- 15.49%
Location
Nearby schools
-
John Ray Junior School0.0 miles
Primary · Braintree
-
St Michael's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Braintree
-
Notley Green Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Braintree
-
St Francis Catholic Primary School, Braintree1.1 miles
Primary · Braintree
-
White Court School1.2 miles
Primary · Braintree
Other schools in Braintree
- Beckers Green Primary School Primary
- Bocking Primary School Primary
- Cressing Primary School Primary
- Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy 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 Junior School Primary
- Lyons Hall School Primary
- Notley Green Primary School Primary
- Rayne Primary and Nursery School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does John Ray Infant School teach?
- John Ray Infant School teaches children aged 2 to 7. It is a primary school in Braintree.
- Who is the headteacher of John Ray Infant School?
- The headteacher of John Ray Infant School is Mrs Lisa Christian, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has John Ray Infant School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected John Ray Infant 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 John Ray Infant School?
- John Ray Infant School has 319 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 7.
- Is John Ray Infant School full?
- John Ray Infant School has capacity for 360 pupils and 319 on roll (89%), 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 John Ray Infant School a faith school?
- No. John Ray Infant School has no designated religious character.
- Does John Ray Infant School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records John Ray Infant School as having nursery classes.
- Is John Ray Infant School part of an academy trust?
- John Ray Infant School is part of THE COMPASS PARTNERSHIP OF SCHOOLS. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is John Ray Infant School's absence rate?
- John Ray Infant School's overall absence rate is 5.3% in the latest published census.
- Does John Ray Infant School publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for John Ray Infant School. 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 10 July 2026.