Downham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Downham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is a converter academy in Billericay for boys and girls aged 5 to 11. It has 173 pupils and room for 210. About 7 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2021.
Church Road, Ramsden Heath, Billericay, CM11 1NU01268 710387downhamschool.orgMrs Theresa Walker Mr John Poulson headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
A shorter visit on 29 September 2021 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.
This inspection is more than 5 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.
Results
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
26 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. These are the results of Downham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, the school this one replaced.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025† | 2024† | 2023† | 2019† | 2018† | 2017† | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 26 | 30 | 40 | 35 | 32 | 41 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 65% | 70% | 60% | 71% | 69% | 68% | 64% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 23% | 13% | 5% | 20% | 6% | 10% | 10% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 107.0 | 106.0 | 106.0 | 104.0 | 106.0 | 105.0 | 105.9 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 105.0 | 106.0 | 106.0 | 108.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 | 104.8 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 106.0 | 107.0 | 107.0 | 108.0 | 108.0 | 108.0 | 105.3 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 73% | 83% | 80% | 77% | 81% | 78% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 69% | 93% | 83% | 91% | 84% | 80% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 85% | 83% | 65% | 77% | 75% | 73% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | +0.7 | -1.7 | -0.5 | +0.8 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | +1.0 | +1.8 | -0.5 | +1.1 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | – | – | 50% | – | – | – | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | – | – | 62% | – | – | – | – | – |
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 Downham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, the school this one replaced in January 2026. 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. None of the gaps 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
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. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.
How places were given out for September 2026. The last place was given under this rule: Criterion 4.
| Entry | Places | Applied at all | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Primary | 30 | 49 | – | LA |
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 22.3 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 27.3 (England 27.3).
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (8), Autistic spectrum disorder (3), emotional and mental health (3), Moderate learning difficulty (2), Specific learning difficulty (2), Physical disability (1).
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25† | 2023/24† | 2022/23† | 2021/22† | 2020/21† | 2018/19† | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 5.6% | 5.7% | 6.3% | 6.9% | 3.0% | 3.7% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 4.3% | 4.0% | 5.0% | 5.5% | 2.5% | 2.7% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.3% | 1.6% | 1.3% | 1.4% | 0.5% | 0.9% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 12.5% | 14.0% | 16.1% | 21.2% | 5.7% | 3.4% | 12.8% |
† These attendance figures are for Downham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, the school this one replaced in January 2026. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Money
Money
From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
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
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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crays Hill Primary School | Academy | 1.8 miles | 82 | Good 2022 | 2 | Compare |
| Sunnymede Primary School | Foundation | 1.9 miles | 389 | No overall grade 2025 | 85 | Compare |
| St Peter's Catholic Primary School | Academy | 2.2 miles | 419 | Outstanding 2024 | 99 | Compare |
| Runwell Community Primary School | Academy | 2.2 miles | 362 | No overall grade 2024 | 20 | Compare |
| Wickford Primary School | Council | 2.2 miles | 472 | Good 2023 | 25 | Compare |
| Buttsbury Primary School | Academy | 2.3 miles | 863 | Report card 2026 | 95 | Compare |
| Grange Primary School | Council | 2.3 miles | 311 | Good 2023 | 52 | Compare |
| South Green Infant School | Foundation | 2.5 miles | 172 | Good 2023 | 58 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Downham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School a good school?
Downham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in September 2021.
What is Downham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Downham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School good at its last full inspection on 29 September 2021. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.
How good are Downham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 65% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 23% went further and reached the higher level.
How many pupils does Downham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School have?
173 pupils aged 5 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 82% full.
What is attendance like at Downham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
Pupils were in school 94.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 13% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Downham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
The average class had 24.8 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class 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
- Church Road, Ramsden Heath, Billericay, CM11 1NU
- Telephone
- 01268 710387
- Website
- www.downhamschool.org
- Headteacher
- Mrs Theresa Walker Mr John Poulson
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 5-11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England, Diocese of Chelmsford
- Multi-academy trust
- Berlesduna Academy Trust (11 schools)
- Local authority
- Essex
- Ward
- South Hanningfield, Stock and Margaretting
- Constituency
- Maldon
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 January 2026 (academy converter)
- URN
- 152141 · LAESTAB 8813224 · UKPRN 10099150
- Formerly
- Downham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, consistent financial reporting 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Essex council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2026.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.