School Chooser

Silver End Academy

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademy344 pupilsWithamEssex
School Chooser Score
11
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 6 to 22, so it could be “below”
Out of 100. Better than 6% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedAs expected teachingOfsted report card, May 2026
Reached the expected level at 1145%England 63%
Attendance94.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families22%A bit fewer than most schools
Places96 spare344 pupils, 440 places
Pupils per teacher23.6School workforce census

Silver End Academy is a sponsored academy in Witham for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 344 pupils and room for 440. About 22 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 11 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 6% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in May 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.

School Road, Silver End, Witham, CM8 3RZ01376 583353silverendschool.co.ukMrs Sarah Meares headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 19 May 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.

TeachingOfsted calls this “curriculum and teaching”
As expected
Achievement
As expected
Behaviour and attendanceOfsted calls this “attendance and behaviour”
As expected
Support for every childOfsted calls this “inclusion”
As expected
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development and wellbeing”
As expected
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and governance”
As expected
Early years
As expected
SafeguardingAre pupils kept safe?
Pupils are kept safe
Met
Ofsted's scale:ExceptionalStrong standardExpected standardNeeds attentionUrgent improvement

Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
8 February 2022Academy First Section 5Good

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1145%
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 score104.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score104.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 67%67%20172018: 68%68%20182019: 63%63%20192023: 53%53%20232024: 33%33%20242025: 45%45%2025
Since 2017: -22%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017†EssexEngland
Pupils tested535534354133
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths45%33%53%63%68%67%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%2%3%14%12%12%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score104.0102.0103.0103.0104.0104.0105.9105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score104.0101.0101.0104.0105.0105.0104.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score105.0103.0104.0105.0108.0107.0105.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard68%55%59%71%85%73%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard68%58%68%77%83%82%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)51%37%68%80%76%79%
Reading progressReading progress score-2.0-1.7+0.2+0.3
Maths progressMaths progress score-2.8-1.6+1.4+1.1
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged28%31%29%50%69%55%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged54%34%59%68%68%73%

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 Silver End Primary School, the school this one replaced in September 2017. 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. 1 of the 3 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
28%54%
Gap 26 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
28%54%
Gap 26 ptsEngland 5 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.

Plenty of spare places353 pupils for 420 places, 2024/25
84% full

67 places were empty (16% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 19% since 2021/22.

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 Primary6069LA

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 roll344Census January 2026
Places44078% full
Pupils from low-income families22%22% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English2%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support11%39 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan3%11 pupils with a plan
Average class size24.614 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)23%£119,350 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls171 / 173
White British pupils88%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 26.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 23.5 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (13), language and communications needs (13), Moderate learning difficulty (8), Other difficulty or disability (6), Specific learning difficulty (4), emotional and mental health (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll344370367341294290
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals22%21%20%16%19%18%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language2%3%3%2%1%2%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support22%14%3%6%8%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%4%4%1%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school15.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils1.12024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.1%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.9%5.9%7.3%6.9%3.5%4.6%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.8%4.3%5.2%5.3%2.7%3.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.1%1.6%2.2%1.6%0.8%1.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence15.3%17.4%18.1%18.8%7.0%9.6%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate1.11.10.60.01.4
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers14.6full-time equivalent, 16 people
Pupils per teacher23.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers81%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants8.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£46,021
Teachers who left in the year7%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher5.32024/25

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£6,011England £7,128. Total £2.2m
Income per pupil£5,819England £7,587. Total £2.2m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,914England £3,405
Money in reserve17%A healthy amount put by: £356k, £963 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out-£71kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£6,011spent 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 m15112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate65 per 1,000 people29% lower than the England average
Typical house price£345,000Braintree
Nearest bus stop60 mGrooms Lane, 8 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
Rivenhall Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy1.5 miles128Good 202335Compare
White Notley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolChurch of England1.8 miles108Good 202274Compare
Elm Hall Primary SchoolAcademy1.8 miles228Good 202445Compare
Cressing Primary SchoolAcademy1.9 miles205Good 202375Compare
Templars AcademyAcademy2.1 miles412Good 202411Compare
Witham Oaks AcademyAcademy2.7 miles290Good 202345Compare
Acorn Infant AcademyAcademy2.7 miles196No overall grade 202436Compare
Beckers Green Primary SchoolAcademy2.9 miles317Good 202349Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Silver End Academy with the 48 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 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats6%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the bottom of its group. Its score of 11 is 31 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 4 · middle 42 · highest 100100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 11 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 11% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 6 to 22. 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%below
-0.19
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 53 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%below
-0.12
Ofsted report card, 0.3 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.11
DfE progress measure; 53 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
-0.02
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
-0.03
2024/25; 307 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well below
-0.16
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 53 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 Silver End Academy a good school?

The figures are weak. Silver End Academy scores 11 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 6% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 6 to 22, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Silver End Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 19 May 2026 it rated teaching as as expected, achievement as as expected, behaviour and attendance as as expected, leadership as as expected.

How good are Silver End Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 45% 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 Silver End Academy have?

344 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 440 places, so it is 78% full.

Is Silver End Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 67 places were empty in 2024/25 (16% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Silver End Academy?

Pupils were in school 94.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 15% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Silver End Academy?

The average class had 24.6 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
School Road, Silver End, Witham, CM8 3RZ
Telephone
01376 583353
Website
www.silverendschool.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Sarah Meares
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Inspires MAT (5 schools)
Local authority
Essex
Ward
Silver End & Cressing
Constituency
Witham
Setting
Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2017 (new nursery school)
URN
144955 · LAESTAB 8812164 · UKPRN 10064582
Formerly
Silver End Primary School

Where these figures come from