School Chooser

Wells Park School

Special · ages 4-11MixedAcademy61 pupils Free breakfast clubChigwellEssex
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
Reached the expected level at 110%England 63%
Attendance88.5%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families61%Far more than most schools
Places9 spare61 pupils, 70 places
Pupils per teacher8.0School workforce census
Pupils on roll61Census January 2026

Wells Park School is a special academy in Chigwell for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 61 pupils and room for 70. About 61 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England.

School Lane, Lambourne Road, Chigwell, IG7 6NN020 8502 6442beckmeadtrust.orgMr Matthew Surman headteacherAll details

Ofsted

Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 110%
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 score97.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score92.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 0%0%20172018: 0%0%20182019: 0%0%20192023: 0%0%20232024: 8%8%20242025: 0%0%2025
Since 2017: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025202420232019†2018†2017†EssexEngland
Pupils tested211214131412
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%8%0%0%0%0%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score97.0105.098.096.093.097.0105.9105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score92.097.095.092.093.091.0104.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score97.098.093.0101.097.094.0105.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard24%25%29%31%14%17%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard10%17%7%0%14%8%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%8%0%8%0%0%
Reading progressReading progress score+1.8-3.2-6.0-6.9
Maths progressMaths progress score-3.2-7.3-8.2-8.3

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 Wells Park School, the school this one replaced in June 2022. 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.

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 Essex council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll61Census January 2026
Places7087% full
Pupils from low-income families61%61% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English2%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%61 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)49%£42,625 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls60 / 1
White British pupils84%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with social, emotional and mental health.

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 Essex with social, emotional and mental health provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (47), Autistic spectrum disorder (10), language and communications needs (3), Moderate learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census2026202520242023
Pupils on roll61595955
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals61%59%59%55%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language2%0%0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support2%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans98%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 88.5% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance88.5%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school38.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission5.7%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/22†2020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence11.5%9.6%6.3%8.7%4.6%8.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence5.8%5.9%4.5%5.7%3.5%4.5%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence5.7%3.7%1.8%2.9%1.1%3.5%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence38.1%34.6%22.2%30.0%20.0%18.8%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions000

† These attendance figures are for Wells Park School, the school this one replaced in June 2022. 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.

Teachers7.6full-time equivalent, 8 people
Pupils per teacher8.0Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers75%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants13.2full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£55,751
Teachers who left in the year25%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher9.82024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£45,831England £30,720. Total £2.7m
Income per pupil£38,153England £33,526. Total £2.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£8,695England £11,966
Money in reserve43%A lot put by: £963k, £16k per pupil. England 16%
Money in against money out-£453kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£45,831spent 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 m11912 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate74 per 1,000 people18% lower than the England average
Typical house price£515,000Epping Forest
Nearest bus stop230 mHigh View School Lane, 6 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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Manford Primary SchoolCouncil590 m460Good 202230Compare
Early Years Assessment Service and Centre Co Manford Primary SchoolMiscellaneous590 mNot inspectedCompare
Coppice Primary SchoolCouncil850 m432Good 202251Compare
John Bramston Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles438Good 202346Compare
Forest AcademyAcademy0.7 miles749Good 202347Compare
Limes Farm Junior SchoolCouncil0.8 miles154Good 202244Compare
Limes Farm Infant School and NurseryAcademy0.8 miles182Good 202232Compare
Chigwell Row Infant SchoolAcademy1.0 miles27Good 202319Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Wells Park School a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score Wells Park School yet.

How good are Wells Park School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 0% 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 Wells Park School have?

61 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 70 places, so it is 87% full.

What is attendance like at Wells Park School?

Pupils were in school 88.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 38% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Wells Park School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for social, emotional and mental health. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does Wells Park 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
School Lane, Lambourne Road, Chigwell, IG7 6NN
Telephone
020 8502 6442
Website
www.beckmeadtrust.org
Headteacher
Mr Matthew Surman
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
Special academy (Academy special converter, academies)
Phase
Special school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
The Beckmead Trust (12 schools)
Local authority
Essex
Ward
Chigwell with Lambourne
Constituency
Epping Forest
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 June 2022 (academy converter)
URN
148708 · LAESTAB 8817022 · UKPRN 10088880
Formerly
Wells Park School

Where these figures come from