School Chooser

Lee Chapel Primary School

Primary · ages 2-11MixedAcademy1,062 pupilsNursery Free breakfast clubBasildonEssex
School Chooser Score
99
Well above
similar schools
Likely range 98 to 100
Out of 100. Better than 92% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedOutstandingLast Ofsted inspection, November 2023
Reached the expected level at 1185%England 63%
Attendance95.3%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families14%Far fewer than most schools
PlacesFull1,062 pupils, 960 places
Pupils per teacher21.7School workforce census

Lee Chapel Primary School is a converter academy in Basildon for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 1,062 pupils, 102 more than it has places for. About 14 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 99 out of 100. That puts it well above schools like it, ahead of 92% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was outstanding, back in 2023.

The Knares, Basildon, SS16 5RU01268 474177leechapel.essex.sch.ukMrs Sue Jackson headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 22 November 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Outstanding overall.

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

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1185%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level46%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score111.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score110.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 86%86%20172018: 73%73%20182019: 83%83%20192023: 85%85%20232024: 88%88%20242025: 85%85%2025
Since 2017: -1%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017EssexEngland
Pupils tested1321301331268876
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths85%88%85%83%73%86%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths46%37%35%33%20%32%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score111.0110.0109.0107.0105.0108.0105.9105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score110.0109.0109.0109.0108.0108.0104.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score109.0110.0110.0111.0111.0112.0105.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard90%90%89%86%76%87%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard91%92%92%92%91%92%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)95%92%98%95%93%96%
Reading progressReading progress score+2.5+1.8-0.4+2.6
Maths progressMaths progress score+2.6+2.8+3.2+2.6
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged67%73%83%67%68%77%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged90%93%85%89%75%89%

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
67%90%
Gap 23 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
84%86%
Gap 2 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
92%85%
Gap 7 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
23%46%
Gap 23 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.

Full918 pupils for 840 places, 2024/25
109% full

The school is full, with 78 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have grown by 4% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.

How places were given out for September 2026. The last place was given under this rule: Criterion 4.

EntryPlacesApplied at allHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary120407LA

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 roll1,062Census January 2026
Places960111% full
Pupils from low-income families14%14% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English33%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support11%119 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan3%27 pupils with a plan
Average class size30.334 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils44%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)16%£232,500 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls559 / 503
White British pupils48%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 30.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 30.6 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Other difficulty or disability (46), language and communications needs (27), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (24), Autistic spectrum disorder (19), Moderate learning difficulty (18), emotional and mental health (5).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll1,0621,0681,0941,1031,0381,056
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals14%14%14%14%16%15%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language33%29%30%28%25%23%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support12%12%3%1%2%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%3%2%2%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.3% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.3%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school10.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.32024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.5%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.7%4.2%4.5%4.2%3.4%2.5%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.3%4.0%4.3%4.0%3.3%2.5%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.5%0.3%0.2%0.3%0.2%0.0%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence10.1%10.8%8.9%10.3%4.7%1.9%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.30.60.30.70.2
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers48.3full-time equivalent, 52 people
Pupils per teacher21.7Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers92%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants68.2full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£47,069
Teachers who left in the year5%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.82024/25

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£5,917England £7,128. Total £6.2m
Income per pupil£6,293England £7,587. Total £6.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,719England £3,405
Money in reserve28%A lot put by: £1.8m, £1,754 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£394kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£5,917spent 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 m35012 months to June 2026, mostly shoplifting
Local crime rate129 per 1,000 people42% higher than the England average
Typical house price£360,000Basildon
Nearest bus stop60 mCastlemayne, 10 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
Chapel Hill Primary School & NurseryFree school610 m356Not inspectedCompare
St Anne Line Catholic Junior SchoolRoman Catholic640 m250No overall grade 202498Compare
St Anne Line Catholic Infant SchoolAcademy640 m176Not inspectedCompare
Janet Duke Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles611Good 20225Compare
Kingswood Primary School and NurseryFoundation0.8 miles444Good 202354Compare
Ghyllgrove Primary SchoolCouncil0.9 miles630No overall grade 202421Compare
The Phoenix Primary SchoolAcademy0.9 miles717No overall grade 202574Compare
Laindon Park Primary School & NurseryAcademy1.1 miles217Good 202332Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Lee Chapel Primary School with the 49 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 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats92%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the very top of its group. Its score of 99 is 21 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 8 · middle 78 · highest 100100

No school with a similar mix of pupils within 25 km scores clearly higher.

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 99 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 99% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 98 to 100. 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 above
+0.46
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 132 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%well above
+0.43
Ofsted grade, 2.8 years old
Progress pupils make20%well above
+0.27
DfE progress measure; 132 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
+0.02
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.04
2024/25; 813 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well above
+0.20
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 132 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 Lee Chapel Primary School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Lee Chapel Primary School scores 99 out of 100. That is well above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 92% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 98 to 100, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Lee Chapel Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Lee Chapel Primary School outstanding at its last full inspection on 22 November 2023.

How good are Lee Chapel Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 85% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 46% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Lee Chapel Primary School have?

1,062 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 960 places, so it is 111% full.

Is Lee Chapel Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 78 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.

What is attendance like at Lee Chapel Primary School?

Pupils were in school 95.3% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 10% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Lee Chapel Primary School?

The average class had 30.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 44% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

Does Lee Chapel 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
The Knares, Basildon, SS16 5RU
Telephone
01268 474177
Website
www.leechapel.essex.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Sue Jackson
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
Lee Chapel Multi Academy Trust (6 schools)
Local authority
Essex
Ward
Langdon Hills
Constituency
South Basildon and East Thurrock
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 August 2011 (academy converter)
URN
137108 · LAESTAB 8812578 · UKPRN 10034677
Formerly
Lee Chapel Primary School

Where these figures come from