Elsley Primary School

About Elsley Primary School

Parents considering Elsley Primary School will want to know that it is a genuinely popular choice locally. In the 2025/26 admissions round, the school received 152 applications for just 50 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 3.04. Of those 152 applications, 40 were first-preference choices, and all 40 of those families were offered a place. That means if you put Elsley as your top pick, you had a very strong chance of getting in. The school is a large state primary in Brent, with 808 pupils on roll against a capacity of 840, so it is running close to full. The headteacher is Raphael Moss, and the school has a nursery provision for children from age three. It is a mixed, non-religious school, and 20.1 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is slightly above the national average and reflects the diverse community it serves.

Academically, the picture is mixed. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 34 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That is well below the Brent local authority average of 65 per cent, and it places Elsley 51st out of 52 primary schools in the borough. Nationally, the school sits in the bottom 5 per cent of schools for this combined measure. Looking at individual subjects, 80 per cent of pupils met the expected standard in maths, which is solid, but reading and writing were weaker at 67 per cent and 38 per cent respectively. The proportion reaching the higher standard was low: 29 per cent in maths, 23 per cent in reading, and just 6 per cent in writing. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022 rated it Good overall, with Good for leadership and management. This was an improvement from its 2009 inspection, which rated it Requires improvement.

Elsley offers a decent range of facilities and activities. There are playing fields, an outdoor playground, art studios, a sensory room, and even a chapel. Sports include gymnastics, football, netball, athletics, cross country and cricket, and there are clubs such as science, drama, book club and eco club. The school has a strong set of SEND provisions, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, visual impairment and physical disability. For families who prioritise a school that is oversubscribed and improving from a previous Requires improvement rating, Elsley may appeal. However, the academic results are significantly below the local average, so parents whose main concern is high attainment in reading and writing at Key Stage 2 may want to look at the nearest Outstanding school, East Lane Primary School, which is 2.2 km away.

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