1
Hereward Primary School
Loughton • Essex • IG10 2HR
1
1 Jul 2024
Top 10 Primary schools in Essex
Updated for the latest inspections (median graded year: 2019)
This Top 10 showcases primary schools in the local authority of Essex. It’s built from the latest graded Ofsted inspections. We rank Outstanding (grade 1) above Good (grade 2), then prioritise newer inspections. As tie-breakers, we consider the “Quality of education” sub-judgement (where available), then %FSM and school size.
Total primary schools
444
Outstanding
33
Good
358
Median inspection year
2019
Ofsted grade mix (graded schools)
O: 8% · G: 87% · RI: 5% · I: 0%
2
R A Butler Junior School
Saffron Walden • Essex • CB11 3DG
1
11 Jun 2024
3
Chancellor Park Primary School, Chelmsford
Chelmsford • Essex • CM2 6PT
1
16 May 2024
4
St Peter's Catholic Primary School
Billericay • Essex • CM11 2UB
1
20 Mar 2024
5
Perryfields Junior School
Chelmsford • Essex • CM1 7PP
1
19 Mar 2024
6
St Thomas More's Catholic Primary School, Colchester
Colchester • Essex • CO1 2QB
1
8 Feb 2024
7
Kingston Primary School
Thundersley • Essex • SS7 3HG
1
22 Jan 2024
8
St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, South Weald
Brentwood • Essex • CM14 5QN
1
18 Jan 2024
9
Lee Chapel Primary School
Basildon • Essex • SS16 5RU
1
15 Jan 2024
10
The Wickford Church of England School
Wickford • Essex • SS11 8HE
1
14 Nov 2023
How we rank these schools
- Headline Ofsted grade: Outstanding (1) outranks Good (2), then RI (3), then Inadequate (4).
- More recent graded inspection dates rank higher.
- Where available, we use the Quality of education sub-judgement as a tie-breaker.
- Lower free school meals (%) may break remaining ties.
- Larger roll (pupil count) is a final tie-breaker.
Only the ten highest-ranked schools are shown; we also list “near misses” just below.
About Ofsted grades
- Outstanding (1): Highest judgement across key areas.
- Good (2): Strong effectiveness; meets standards consistently.
- Requires improvement (3): Not yet good; clear areas to improve.
- Inadequate (4): Significant weaknesses found.
Ungraded Section 8 visits check whether the previous graded judgement still stands, but they don’t replace it.
Data freshness & coverage
We refresh inspections and school snapshots regularly. If a school was inspected very recently, its report may not yet appear here.
Top-10 pages only appear for areas with at least 10 primary schools that have a graded Ofsted inspection.
Map of the Top 10
Also highly rated nearby
- Lakelands Primary School 1 • Jun 2023
- Stisted Church of England Primary Academy 1 • May 2023
- Shenfield St. Mary's Church of England Primary School 1 • Apr 2023
- Hare Street Community Primary School and Nursery 1 • Feb 2020
- Buttsbury Primary School 1 • Jan 2020
- The Phoenix Primary School 1 • Jul 2019
- Burnham-on-Crouch Primary School 1 • Mar 2019
- Quilters Infant School 1 • Dec 2018
- Westwood Academy 1 • Jan 2018
- Quilters Junior School 1 • Apr 2017