School Chooser

Stapleford Abbotts Primary Academy

Primary · ages 2-11MixedAcademy135 pupilsNurseryEssex
School Chooser Score
52
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 20 to 81, so it could be “above”
Out of 100. Better than 78% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, January 2022
Reached the expected level at 1171%England 63%
Attendance93.2%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families33%A bit more than most schools
Places15 spare135 pupils, 150 places
Pupils per teacher18.8School workforce census

Stapleford Abbotts Primary Academy is a sponsored academy in Romford for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 135 pupils and room for 150. About 33 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools. We give it 52 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 78% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.

Stapleford Road, Stapleford Abbotts, Romford, RM4 1EJ01708 688207stapleford-tkat.orgMrs Marnie Tait headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 25 January 2022, 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

This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

14 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 1171%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level7%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score107.0
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: 33%33%20172018: 35%35%20182019: 50%50%20192023: 77%77%20232024: 58%58%20242025: 71%71%2025
Since 2017: +38%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017†EssexEngland
Pupils tested141213182321
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths71%58%77%50%35%33%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths7%0%0%0%0%0%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score107.0104.0106.0100.0103.0102.0105.9105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score105.0101.0104.098.0101.099.0104.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score103.0100.0102.098.0103.0102.0105.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard79%67%85%61%61%57%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard71%67%85%50%70%52%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)79%75%92%56%39%67%
Reading progressReading progress score+5.2-4.0-3.3-1.8
Maths progressMaths progress score+4.0-6.2-4.5-4.8
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged29%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged36%

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 Stapleford Abbotts Primary School, the school this one replaced in August 2017. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

A few spare places137 pupils for 157 places, 2024/25
87% full

About 20 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have grown by 25% 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 Primary2023LA

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 roll135Census January 2026
Places15090% full
Pupils from low-income families33%33% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English7%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support10%14 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%6 pupils with a plan
Average class size22.56 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)36%£71,300 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls80 / 55
White British pupils73%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 21.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 27.0 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (4), emotional and mental health (4), Specific learning difficulty (4), language and communications needs (4), Physical disability (2), Moderate learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll135155161158137143
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals33%28%25%26%23%22%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language7%7%6%6%5%6%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support11%8%8%5%6%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%5%4%3%3%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.2%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school23.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission3.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.8%8.7%8.6%8.4%3.6%7.1%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.5%4.5%5.5%5.4%2.7%3.6%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence3.3%4.2%3.1%3.0%0.9%3.5%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence23.1%30.5%30.6%27.3%7.6%27.6%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.60.60.02.8
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers7.2full-time equivalent, 9 people
Pupils per teacher18.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants3.3full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£48,225
Teachers who left in the year12%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher6.02024/25

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£5,742England £7,128. Total £890k
Income per pupil£6,652England £7,587. Total £1.0m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,490England £3,405
Money in reserve7%Not much put by: £69k, £447 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£141kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£5,742spent 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 m1412 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate58 per 1,000 people36% lower than the England average
Typical house price£515,000Epping Forest
Nearest bus stop20 mPrimary School, 4 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
Dame Tipping Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy1.7 miles94Good 202423Compare
Oasis Academy PinewoodAcademy2.1 miles338Good 202172Compare
Lambourne Primary SchoolAcademy2.1 miles214Good 202241Compare
Chigwell Row Infant SchoolAcademy2.3 miles27Good 202319Compare
Clockhouse Primary SchoolCouncil2.7 miles705Outstanding 202387Compare
Coppice Primary SchoolCouncil3.0 miles432Good 202251Compare
St Ursula's Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic3.1 miles423Good 202378Compare
St Patrick's Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic3.1 miles396Report card 202653Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Stapleford Abbotts Primary Academy with the 46 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 46 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats78%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the top quarter of its group. Its score of 52 is 18 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 2 · middle 34 · highest 80100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 52 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 52% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 20 to 81. 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
-0.08
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 14 pupils
Ofsted inspection16% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 4.6 years old
Progress pupils make20%above
+0.16
DfE progress measure; 14 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
-0.02
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.12
2024/25; 121 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%above
+0.06
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 14 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 Stapleford Abbotts Primary Academy a good school?

It is about average. Stapleford Abbotts Primary Academy scores 52 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 78% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 20 to 81, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Stapleford Abbotts Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Stapleford Abbotts Primary Academy good at its last full inspection on 25 January 2022. 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 Stapleford Abbotts Primary Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 71% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 7% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Stapleford Abbotts Primary Academy have?

135 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 150 places, so it is 90% full.

Is Stapleford Abbotts Primary Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 20 places were empty in 2024/25 (13% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Stapleford Abbotts Primary Academy?

Pupils were in school 93.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 23% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Stapleford Abbotts Primary Academy?

The average class had 22.5 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
Stapleford Road, Stapleford Abbotts, Romford, RM4 1EJ
Telephone
01708 688207
Website
www.stapleford-tkat.org
Headteacher
Mrs Marnie Tait
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Multi-academy trust
The Kemnal Academies Trust (45 schools)
Local authority
Essex
Ward
Theydon Bois with Passingford
Constituency
Brentwood and Ongar
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 August 2017 (new provision)
URN
144881 · LAESTAB 8812163 · UKPRN 10064670
Formerly
Stapleford Abbotts Primary School

Where these figures come from