Chipping Ongar Primary School

About Chipping Ongar Primary School

Chipping Ongar Primary School sits within the Essex local authority, a large county with 444 primary schools, where it currently ranks 354th based on Key Stage 2 performance. In the narrower Epping Forest district, the school places 29th out of 30 primaries, placing it in the bottom tier locally. For context, the highest-performing nearby peers include St Thomas More's Catholic Primary School in Colchester, Stambridge Primary School, and Great Totham Primary School, all of which achieved top ranking scores. The school is a state-funded, mixed-gender primary for children aged 4 to 11, with a current roll of 205 pupils against a capacity of 210. It has no religious character and is led by headteacher Helen Russell. With 11.7 per cent of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a community with a moderate level of disadvantage, and its oversubscription ratio of 2.1 suggests solid local demand.

Academically, the school's most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023 rated it Good overall, with Outstanding marks for early years provision and personal development. The quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management were all judged Good. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 35 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, well below the Essex local authority average of 62 per cent. Individual subject results show 61 per cent met the expected standard in reading, 52 per cent in maths, and 78 per cent in writing. At the higher standard, 9 per cent achieved the top level across all three subjects, with 17 per cent reaching it in reading and maths, and 13 per cent in writing. Average scaled scores were 100 in both reading and maths, exactly in line with the national benchmark. Progress measures were not reported for the latest year.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including playing fields, an ICT suite, a sensory room, art studios, a library, music rooms, and a chapel. Sports provision covers athletics, rounders, netball, cricket, cross country, swimming, and football, while clubs include film club, choir, drama, and book club. For children with additional needs, the school supports seven categories of SEND, including specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, speech and language needs, and physical disabilities. Admissions for 2025/26 show 30 places available, with 63 total applications and 36 first-preference requests, meaning the school was oversubscribed and offered places to all first-preference applicants. This is a school that suits families who value strong early years and personal development, and who are comfortable with academic results that sit below the local average, but who appreciate a well-resourced setting with a clear focus on pastoral care.

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