Bournemouth Park Academy

About Bournemouth Park Academy

Bournemouth Park Academy, a state primary in Southend-on-Sea, achieves a mixed picture when set against the local authority average for Key Stage 2 outcomes. The school’s percentage of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined sits at 57%, which is four points below the LA average of 61%. That places it 16th out of 33 similar schools in the borough, putting it in the bottom half of local primaries. However, the school’s individual subject scores tell a more nuanced story. In maths, the average scaled score is 102, and 74% of pupils meet the expected standard, which is a solid showing. Reading and writing expected rates are 70% and 75% respectively, with reading averaging a score of 104. Where the school really struggles is at the higher standard: only 6% of pupils achieve the higher benchmark across all three subjects, and just 22% do so in maths. For parents weighing up options, this is a school that gets most children to the expected level but rarely pushes them beyond it.

The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, conducted in March 2025, rated it Good across all available categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This is consistent with its previous Good rating from 2016, though that earlier inspection gave early years a Requires Improvement. The parent view, based on 63 responses collected between September 2024 and September 2025, shows strong satisfaction in several areas: 81% of parents strongly agree or agree that their child is happy, and 81% feel their child is safe. However, there are notable pockets of discontent. On behaviour, 29% of parents disagree or strongly disagree that the school ensures good behaviour, and 30% feel concerns are not dealt with properly. The SEND support question is particularly split: 57% of parents agree or strongly agree that children get the support they need, but 32% disagree or strongly disagree, suggesting inconsistent experiences.

Bournemouth Park Academy is a large primary with 562 pupils on roll, operating slightly below its capacity of 630. It is oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, there were 90 applications for 42 places, with 36 first-preference offers made. The school has a high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 41.7%, well above the national average. Facilities include a forest school, music rooms, a library, playing fields and a chapel, and the school offers a range of sports from netball and swimming to cricket and cross country. Clubs include book club, science club, chess and film club. The school provides nursery provision and has a broad SEND offer covering dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health, speech and language needs, visual impairment and autistic spectrum disorder. For families in Southend-on-Sea, this is a Good-rated school with strong community feel and good early years provision, but one where academic stretch at the highest level is limited and where parental confidence around behaviour and SEND support is more mixed.

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