Ghyllgrove Primary School

About Ghyllgrove Primary School

If you're looking for a school where most parents feel their child is thriving, Ghyllgrove Primary School in Basildon has some encouraging signals. In the most recent Parent View survey, 90% of the 93 respondents said they would recommend the school to other parents. That's a strong vote of confidence. The picture is reinforced by the school's popularity: for the 2025/26 intake, Ghyllgrove received 101 applications for 72 places, making it oversubscribed with a ratio of 1.4 applicants per place. 56 of those applications were first-preference choices, and all 56 were offered a spot. On the specific question of whether their child is happy, 72% of parents strongly agreed and a further 23% agreed, leaving just 2% who disagreed. Similarly, 65% strongly agreed that their child feels safe, with 31% agreeing. These figures suggest a school where the day-to-day experience for most children is a positive one.

Academically, Ghyllgrove's results paint a mixed picture. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 54% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That's below the local authority average of 62% for similar schools. The school's ranking in Basildon places it 28th out of 39 primary schools, putting it in the bottom half of the local area. Looking at individual subjects, 71% reached the expected standard in maths, 66% in reading, and 62% in writing. The proportion of pupils achieving the higher standard was notably low: just 2% in the combined measure, 2% in writing, 20% in maths, and 22% in reading. Average scores sat at 104 for both reading and maths. In its most recent graded Ofsted inspection in September 2024, the school was rated Good across all areas including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

Ghyllgrove is a large primary school with 625 pupils on roll, very close to its capacity of 630. It offers a nursery provision and a wide range of facilities including an art studio, ICT suite, gymnasium, library, outdoor playground, playing fields and a chapel. The school has a broad SEND offer, with provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. 28% of parents who responded to the Parent View survey indicated their child has SEND. The school also runs a variety of clubs including coding, book club, chess, choir, art club and gardening, plus sports such as cross country, gymnastics, football, cricket, tennis, netball and rounders. With 35.9% of pupils eligible for free school meals, Ghyllgrove serves a community with above-average disadvantage, and the school's Good Ofsted rating suggests it provides a stable environment for local families.

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