School Chooser

Alma Primary School

Primary · ages 2-11MixedAcademy442 pupilsNursery Free breakfast clubEnfield
School Chooser Score
72
Above
similar schools
Likely range 54 to 84
Out of 100. Better than 70% of the 50 schools most like it. Getting better year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, February 2023
Reached the expected level at 1173%England 63%
Attendance93.8%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families46%Far more than most schools
Places70 spare442 pupils, 512 places
Pupils per teacher20.9School workforce census

Alma Primary School is a converter academy in Enfield for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 442 pupils and room for 512. About 46 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 72 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 70% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Alma Road, Ponders End, Enfield, EN3 4UQ020 8804 3302almaprimary.co.ukHelen Thomas headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 2 February 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Outstanding
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

49 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1173%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level6%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score105.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score107.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 47%47%20172018: 60%60%20182019: 57%57%20192023: 56%56%20232024: 71%71%20242025: 73%73%2025
Since 2017: +26%Improving overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure20252024202320192018†2017†EnfieldEngland
Pupils tested495657575860
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths73%71%56%57%60%47%70%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths6%16%5%4%3%3%11%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0106.0103.0103.0103.0100.0106.0105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score107.0108.0104.0105.0106.0102.0105.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score106.0106.0105.0104.0105.0103.0106.7105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard82%82%65%67%67%48%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard90%88%72%79%81%65%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)76%71%70%75%78%72%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.9+2.5+0.6+1.1
Maths progressMaths progress score+2.5+3.5+3.9+2.6
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged67%56%52%52%63%45%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged82%86%63%65%58%50%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

† These results are for Alma Primary School, the school this one replaced in September 2018. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 2 of the 4 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
67%82%
Gap 15 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
59%85%
Gap 26 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
68%73%
Gap 5 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
4%6%
Gap 2 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

A few spare places380 pupils for 420 places, 2024/25
91% full

About 40 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have fallen by 4% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Enfield council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll442Census January 2026
Places51286% full
Pupils from low-income families43%46% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English74%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support16%70 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%16 pupils with a plan
Average class size26.913 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)50%£291,400 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls234 / 208
White British pupils5%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 28.8 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 25.8 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (43), emotional and mental health (17), Moderate learning difficulty (11), Autistic spectrum disorder (5), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (5), Specific learning difficulty (3).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll442448467493488490
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals43%42%39%35%32%30%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language74%75%79%80%82%82%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support16%15%13%13%14%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans4%3%3%2%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.8% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.8%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school20.5%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.72024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.2%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.2%6.0%7.7%6.6%4.8%5.4%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.0%3.6%5.5%4.8%2.9%3.2%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.2%2.4%2.1%1.9%1.9%2.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence20.5%20.1%27.8%20.3%12.7%14.6%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.70.20.21.00.2
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers20.5full-time equivalent, 24 people
Pupils per teacher20.9Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants19.8full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£53,884
Teachers who left in the year23%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher11.82024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£7,916England £7,128. Total £3.3m
Income per pupil£8,478England £7,587. Total £3.5m
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,411England £3,405
Money in reserve17%A healthy amount put by: £598k, £1,438 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£234kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,916spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m77612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate141 per 1,000 people55% higher than the England average
Typical house price£475,000Enfield
Nearest bus stop190 mPonders End Station, 14 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Oasis Academy HadleyAcademy250 m1,528Report card 202566Compare
St Mary's Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic440 m334Good 202377Compare
St Matthew's CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England540 m195Good 202359Compare
Kingfisher Hall Primary AcademyFree school0.6 miles440No overall grade 202580Compare
Woodpecker Hall Primary AcademyFree school0.6 miles720Good 202498Compare
Southbury Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles350Good 202365Compare
Brimsdown Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles451Good 202337Compare
Delta Primary SchoolAcademy0.9 miles112No overall grade 202598Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Alma Primary School with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats70%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 72 is 18 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 4 · middle 54 · highest 96100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Alma Primary School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Eastfield Primary SchoolAcademy1.5 miles417Good 202284Compare
Brook House Primary SchoolFree school2.9 miles408Outstanding 202390Compare
Lansbury Lawrence Primary SchoolCouncil9.1 miles451Outstanding 202489Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 72 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 72% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 54 to 84. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%in line
+0.03
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 49 pupils
Ofsted inspection19% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 3.6 years old
Progress pupils make20%above
+0.15
DfE progress measure; 49 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.11
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.09
2024/25; 351 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%above
+0.06
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 49 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Alma Primary School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Alma Primary School scores 72 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 70% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 54 to 84, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been getting better over the last five years.

What is Alma Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Alma Primary School good at its last full inspection on 2 February 2023.

How good are Alma Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 73% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 6% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Alma Primary School have?

442 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 512 places, so it is 86% full.

Is Alma Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 40 places were empty in 2024/25 (10% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Alma Primary School?

Pupils were in school 93.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 21% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Alma Primary School?

The average class had 26.9 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

Does Alma Primary School have a breakfast club?

Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Alma Road, Ponders End, Enfield, EN3 4UQ
Telephone
020 8804 3302
Website
www.almaprimary.co.uk
Headteacher
Helen Thomas
Free breakfast club
Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Attigo Academy Trust (5 schools)
Local authority
Enfield
Ward
Ponders End
Constituency
Enfield North
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2018 (academy converter)
URN
145984 · LAESTAB 3082072 · UKPRN 10080942
Formerly
Alma Primary School

Where these figures come from