School Chooser

Alton Park Junior School

Primary · ages 7-11MixedAcademy394 pupilsClacton-on-SeaEssex
School Chooser Score
1
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 1 to 1
Out of 100. Better than 0% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedRequires improvementLast Ofsted inspection, March 2024
Reached the expected level at 1135%England 63%
Attendance91.2%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families62%Far more than most schools
Pupils per teacher19.7School workforce census
Pupils on roll394Census January 2026

Alton Park Junior School is a converter academy in Clacton-on-Sea for boys and girls aged 7 to 11. It has 394 pupils. About 62 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 1 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 0% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was requires improvement, back in 2024.

Alton Park Road, Clacton-on-Sea, CO15 1DL01255 424335altonparkjunior.org.ukNicole Almond headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 13 March 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Requires improvement overall.

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

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1135%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score101.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score100.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 34%34%20172018: 34%34%20182019: 13%13%20192023: 24%24%20232024: 35%35%20242025: 35%35%2025
Since 2017: +1%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025202420232019†2018†2017†EssexEngland
Pupils tested117115105114117112
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths35%35%24%13%34%34%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%1%0%0%2%4%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score101.0102.099.097.0100.098.0105.9105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score100.0100.098.097.099.0100.0104.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score99.0100.098.098.099.0101.0105.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard56%58%46%42%55%46%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard53%51%43%43%44%55%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)54%43%30%17%45%70%
Reading progressReading progress score-7.0-6.2-4.0-4.0
Maths progressMaths progress score-7.5-7.2-4.5-2.4
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged30%35%19%5%22%24%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged42%35%32%23%48%48%

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 Alton Park Junior School, the school this one replaced in October 2019. 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. Every gap at this school is 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
30%42%
Gap 12 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
35%35%
No gapEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
31%35%
Gap 4 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 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 places397 pupils for 460 places, 2024/25
86% full

About 63 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have fallen by 6% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Will my child get a place?

In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place.

EntryPlacesApplied at allHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary9082all offeredLA

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 roll394Census January 2026
Pupils from low-income families62%62% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English12%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support26%104 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan3%12 pupils with a plan
Average class size27.911 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils18%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)62%£378,200 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls198 / 196
White British pupils71%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (45), emotional and mental health (42), Autistic spectrum disorder (20), Specific learning difficulty (4), Moderate learning difficulty (3), Hearing impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll394399432421427447
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals62%60%58%56%50%48%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language12%13%12%7%5%5%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support23%14%15%15%13%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%3%2%2%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance91.2%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school26.8%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils26.62024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission3.1%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence8.8%8.2%7.4%8.9%6.5%6.6%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence5.7%5.6%4.2%5.5%3.9%3.7%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence3.1%2.6%3.2%3.4%2.6%2.9%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence26.8%28.0%25.8%32.3%21.7%18.6%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate26.629.619.522.58.7
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions03110

† These attendance figures are for Alton Park Junior School, the school this one replaced in October 2019. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Staff and money

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

Teachers20.0full-time equivalent, 23 people
Pupils per teacher19.7Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants18.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£50,291
Teachers who left in the year29%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher3.92024/25

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£7,672England £7,128. Total £3.1m
Income per pupil£7,897England £7,587. Total £3.2m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,456England £3,405
Money in reserve4%Not much put by: £110k, £275 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£90kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,672spent 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 m43712 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate128 per 1,000 people40% higher than the England average
Typical house price£285,000Tendring
Nearest bus stop410 mDudley Road, 7 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
Oakwood Infant and Nursery SchoolCouncil180 m299Good 20221Compare
St Clare's Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy0.8 miles362Good 202451Compare
White Hall Academy and NurseryAcademy0.8 miles670Good 202416Compare
Ravens AcademyAcademy0.8 miles262Good 20247Compare
Cann Hall Primary SchoolAcademy1.1 miles415Good 202238Compare
Sir Martin Frobisher AcademyAcademy1.2 miles171No overall grade 202570Compare
Great Clacton Church of England Junior SchoolAcademy1.4 miles254Good 20239Compare
Holland Park Primary SchoolAcademy1.5 miles413Good 202425Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Alton Park Junior 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.

Beats0%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the bottom of its group. Its score of 1 is 36 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 2 · middle 36 · highest 96100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 1 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 1% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 1 to 1. 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%well below
-0.38
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 117 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%well below
-0.57
Ofsted grade, 2.5 years old
Progress pupils make20%well below
-0.52
DfE progress measure; 117 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.06
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.22
2024/25; 437 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well below
-0.13
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 117 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 Alton Park Junior School a good school?

The figures are weak. Alton Park Junior School scores 1 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 0% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 1 to 1, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Alton Park Junior School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Alton Park Junior School requires improvement at its last full inspection on 13 March 2024.

How good are Alton Park Junior School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 35% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Alton Park Junior School have?

394 pupils aged 7 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026.

Is Alton Park Junior School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 63 places were empty in 2024/25 (14% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Alton Park Junior School?

Pupils were in school 91.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 27% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Alton Park Junior School?

The average class had 27.9 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 18% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

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

Contact and details

Address
Alton Park Road, Clacton-on-Sea, CO15 1DL
Telephone
01255 424335
Website
altonparkjunior.org.uk
Headteacher
Nicole Almond
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 7-11
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
The Sigma Trust (12 schools)
Local authority
Essex
Ward
St James
Constituency
Clacton
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 October 2019 (fresh start)
URN
147603 · LAESTAB 8812184 · UKPRN 10084600
Formerly
Alton Park Junior School

Where these figures come from