Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy

About Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy

Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained across its most recent inspections. The school’s most recent ungraded inspection in November 2024 confirmed that standards are being sustained, with leadership and management also rated Good. But the real story is in the academic outcomes. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 83% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — well above the local authority average of 62%. That performance places the school fourth out of 46 primary schools in the Braintree area, putting it in the top 10% locally. Nationally, it ranks in the top 7% of all primary schools. The average reading score was 109 and maths 107, both above the national benchmark of 100. A third of pupils achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths, with half reaching that level in reading alone.

Digging into the Ofsted breakdown, the school’s previous graded inspection in 2013 also awarded Good for overall effectiveness, with leadership and management and early years provision both rated Good. The consistency is notable. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive: 93% would recommend the school, and 80% strongly agreed their child is happy and feels safe. Every parent who responded agreed that the school has high expectations for their child and that their child does well. The school is small, with just 61 pupils against a capacity of 84, and 8.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals. The SEND provision covers a broad range of needs, including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language communication needs, and social, emotional and mental health support, though no parents responded to the specific SEND support question in the Parent View survey.

The school offers a nursery provision for younger children and has a range of facilities including a sensory room, library, ICT suite, sports hall, chapel and playing fields. Clubs include gardening, drama, book club and coding, while sports on offer range from cross country and gymnastics to cricket, tennis and netball. For the 2025/26 reception intake, the school was oversubscribed: 20 applications for 10 places, with all 10 first-preference offers taken up. That oversubscription ratio of 2:1 tells you this is a sought-after village primary. It suits families who value strong academic outcomes in a small, Church of England setting with a clear focus on personal development — 77% of parents strongly agreed the school supports their child’s wider development. The school is mixed, non-selective and state-funded, with no sixth form.

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