School Chooser

Spring Meadow Primary School & Nursery

Primary · ages 2-11MixedAcademy354 pupilsNurseryHarwichEssex
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredThere isn't enough published data yet. To get a score, a school needs results or an inspection plus at least one other figure.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, February 2024
Reached the expected level at 1152%England 63%
Attendance92.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families55%Far more than most schools
Places28 spare354 pupils, 382 places
Pupils per teacher18.2School workforce census

Spring Meadow Primary School & Nursery is a converter academy in Harwich for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 354 pupils and room for 382. About 54 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Pound Farm Drive, Dovercourt, Harwich, CO12 4LB01255 504528springmeadow.essex.sch.ukMrs Nicky Patrick headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 28 February 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

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

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

50 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. These are the results of Spring Meadow Primary School & School House Nursery, the school this one replaced.

Reached the expected level at 1152%
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 score102.0
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: 64%64%20172018: 63%63%20182019: 76%76%20192023: 52%52%20232024: 50%50%20242025: 52%52%2025
Since 2017: -12%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025†2024†2023†2019†2018†2017†EssexEngland
Pupils tested504842294339
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths52%50%52%76%63%64%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%6%2%7%5%10%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score102.0104.0104.0106.0103.0105.0105.9105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score105.0104.0106.0109.0104.0106.0104.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score104.0104.0106.0109.0102.0104.0105.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard64%73%67%79%67%82%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard80%71%74%90%77%85%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)58%65%74%83%77%74%
Reading progressReading progress score-2.1+3.8+1.5+2.5
Maths progressMaths progress score+0.2+6.2+2.4+3.3
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged48%38%52%67%50%52%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged59%64%56%91%79%78%

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 Spring Meadow Primary School & School House Nursery, the school this one replaced in November 2025. 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. 2 of the 3 gaps are 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
48%59%
Gap 11 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
45%63%
Gap 18 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.

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 Primary5055LA

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll354Census January 2026
Places38293% full
Pupils from low-income families48%55% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English4%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support29%103 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan6%20 pupils with a plan
Average class size25.013 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)59%£279,000 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls188 / 166
White British pupils86%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 26.7 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 26.7 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (41), Autistic spectrum disorder (33), language and communications needs (12), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (11), Specific learning difficulty (9), Moderate learning difficulty (6).

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance92.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school26.4%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Missed without permission2.2%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/25†2023/24†2022/23†2021/22†2020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence7.9%8.1%8.8%10.3%5.3%6.2%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence5.7%5.9%6.5%8.2%3.9%5.1%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.2%2.2%2.3%2.0%1.4%1.1%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence26.4%28.6%32.1%42.6%15.0%20.1%12.8%

† These attendance figures are for Spring Meadow Primary School & School House Nursery, the school this one replaced in November 2025. 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.

Teachers18.4full-time equivalent, 20 people
Pupils per teacher18.2Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants25.6full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£50,867
Vacancies0

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£7,379England £7,738. Total £2.9m
Income per pupil£7,198England £7,697. Total £2.8m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,057England £3,480
Money in reserve7%Not much put by: £189k, £486 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£70kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£7,379spent 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 m45312 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate105 per 1,000 people16% higher than the England average
Typical house price£285,000Tendring
Nearest bus stop120 mScout Hut, 17 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
All Saints' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, DovercourtChurch of England210 m194Good 202432Compare
The Mayflower Primary SchoolCouncil900 m356Good 202245Compare
St Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy900 m114Good 202343Compare
Chase Lane Primary School and NurseryCouncil0.6 miles445Good 202444Compare
Harwich Community Primary School and NurseryCouncil1.3 miles222Good 20237Compare
St Michael's CofE Primary Academy, RamseyAcademy1.6 miles130Requires improvement 20230Compare
Shotley Community Primary SchoolAcademy2.3 miles81Good 202312Compare
Langer Primary AcademyAcademy3.6 miles144Good 202313Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Spring Meadow Primary School & Nursery a good school?

Spring Meadow Primary School & Nursery doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in February 2024.

What is Spring Meadow Primary School & Nursery's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Spring Meadow Primary School & Nursery good at its last full inspection on 28 February 2024.

How good are Spring Meadow Primary School & Nursery's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 52% 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 Spring Meadow Primary School & Nursery have?

354 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 382 places, so it is 93% full.

What is attendance like at Spring Meadow Primary School & Nursery?

Pupils were in school 92.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 26% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Spring Meadow Primary School & Nursery?

The average class had 25.0 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
Pound Farm Drive, Dovercourt, Harwich, CO12 4LB
Telephone
01255 504528
Website
www.springmeadow.essex.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Nicky Patrick
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Life Education Trust (12 schools)
Local authority
Essex
Ward
Dovercourt All Saints
Constituency
Harwich and North Essex
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 November 2025 (academy converter)
URN
152157 · LAESTAB 8812374 · UKPRN 10099141
Formerly
Spring Meadow Primary School & School House Nursery

Where these figures come from