School Chooser

Five Elms Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedCouncil460 pupilsNurseryDagenhamBarking and Dagenham
School Chooser Score
64
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 44 to 80, so it could be “above”
Out of 100. Better than 54% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, October 2022
Reached the expected level at 1161%England 63%
Attendance94.2%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families29%A bit more than most schools
Places36 spare460 pupils, 496 places
Pupils per teacher18.8School workforce census

Five Elms Primary School is a council school in Dagenham for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 460 pupils and room for 496. About 29 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools. We give it 64 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 54% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.

Wood Lane, Five Elms Primary School, Dagenham, RM9 5TB020 8270 4909five-elms.bardag.dbprimary.comMrs Sian Farrelly headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 6 October 2022 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.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1161%
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 score105.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score105.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 52%52%20172018: 53%53%20182019: 63%63%20192023: 65%65%20232024: 70%70%20242025: 61%61%2025
Since 2017: +9%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017Barking and DagenhamEngland
Pupils tested466354845858
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths61%70%65%63%53%52%69%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%13%11%11%5%5%9%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0105.0105.0103.0103.099.0106.5105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score105.0105.0104.0106.0104.0102.0106.3104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score107.0108.0107.0111.0108.0103.0107.5105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard76%79%70%70%64%53%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard76%75%72%81%72%76%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)70%78%74%75%76%78%
Reading progressReading progress score+2.3-0.9-3.5-4.3
Maths progressMaths progress score+3.1+1.8-1.6-1.1
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged41%63%56%57%53%48%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged79%76%69%67%54%55%

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.

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. 1 of the 4 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

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
41%79%
Gap 38 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
68%52%
Gap 16 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
68%61%
Gap 7 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 places417 pupils for 450 places, 2024/25
93% full

About 33 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

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 Barking and Dagenham 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 roll460Census January 2026
Places49693% full
Pupils from low-income families28%29% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English67%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support12%53 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan7%32 pupils with a plan
Average class size27.916 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils31%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)30%£193,750 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls239 / 221
White British pupils19%

Specialist SEND provision. Resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) with 19 pupils, for hearing impairment.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Barking and Dagenham with hearing impairment provision.

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 29.2 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 30.8 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (26), Hearing impairment (22), emotional and mental health (17), Autistic spectrum disorder (13), Moderate learning difficulty (3), Other difficulty or disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll460459461457440444
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals28%31%35%32%29%25%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language67%64%63%61%57%60%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support13%15%16%18%17%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans7%6%4%4%4%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.2%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school17.2%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils1.32024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.9%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.8%6.5%7.7%9.1%6.9%5.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.9%3.4%4.8%4.6%3.8%3.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.9%3.1%2.9%4.5%3.0%1.8%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence17.2%18.0%28.2%31.4%20.3%11.9%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate1.30.20.70.70.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00010

Staff and money

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

Teachers23.8full-time equivalent, 26 people
Pupils per teacher18.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers96%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants19.2full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£56,197
Teachers who left in the year8%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher4.52024/25

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.

Spend per pupil£9,152England £7,738. Total £4.0m
Income per pupil£9,162England £7,697. Total £4.0m
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,382England £3,480
Money in reserve2%Very little put by: £69k, £157 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£4,235it took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£9,152spent 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 m62112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate81 per 1,000 people11% lower than the England average
Typical house price£375,000Barking and Dagenham
Nearest bus stop80 mFive Elms School, 11 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
St Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy320 m277Good 202356Compare
Grafton Primary SchoolCouncil530 m892Not inspected34Compare
William Bellamy Primary SchoolCouncil770 m795Good 202430Compare
Southwood Primary SchoolCouncil840 m593Good 202319Compare
Richard Alibon Primary School with ARP for Cognitive and Learning Difficulties : SEN BaseCouncil870 m576Good 202381Compare
Valence Primary SchoolCouncil980 m848Good 202435Compare
Robert Clack SchoolCouncil0.6 miles3,231Good 202368Compare
Hunters Hall Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles600Good 202341Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Five Elms 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.

Beats54%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 64 is about the same as the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 8 · middle 62 · highest 98100

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 Five Elms 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
Thomas Arnold Primary School, Rowdowns RoadCouncil1.3 miles454Good 202470Compare
Goodmayes Primary SchoolCouncil1.4 miles643Good 202473Compare
SS Peter and Paul's Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy2.5 miles338Not inspected85Compare
New City Primary SchoolAcademy5.1 miles572Outstanding 202296Compare
Conway Primary SchoolCouncil5.3 miles430Good 202283Compare
St Fidelis Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic5.4 miles459Outstanding 202496Compare
St Helen's Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy6.0 miles497Outstanding 202287Compare
Sybourn Primary SchoolAcademy7.5 miles521Outstanding 202398Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 64 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 64% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 44 to 80. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. 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
+0.02
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 46 pupils
Ofsted inspection18% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 3.9 years old
Progress pupils make20%well above
+0.23
DfE progress measure; 46 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
-0.01
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.05
2024/25; 396 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
-0.04
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 46 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 Five Elms Primary School a good school?

It is about average. Five Elms Primary School scores 64 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 54% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 44 to 80, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Five Elms Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Five Elms Primary School good at its last full inspection on 6 October 2022.

How good are Five Elms Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 61% 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 Five Elms Primary School have?

460 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 496 places, so it is 93% full.

Is Five Elms Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 33 places were empty in 2024/25 (7% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Five Elms Primary School?

Pupils were in school 94.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 17% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Five Elms Primary School?

The average class had 27.9 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 31% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

Does Five Elms Primary School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It has resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) for hearing impairment. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

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

Contact and details

Address
Wood Lane, Five Elms Primary School, Dagenham, RM9 5TB
Telephone
020 8270 4909
Website
www.five-elms.bardag.dbprimary.com
Headteacher
Mrs Sian Farrelly
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Barking and Dagenham
Ward
Parsloes
Constituency
Dagenham and Rainham
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
101228 · LAESTAB 3012065 · UKPRN 10072898

Where these figures come from