Little Hallingbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

About Little Hallingbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Little Hallingbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School was rated Good in its most recent graded Ofsted inspection, a significant improvement from its previous rating of Requires Improvement. The school’s early years provision was singled out as Outstanding, and inspectors confirmed in an ungraded visit that standards are being maintained. On the headline academic metric, just 32% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined at Key Stage 2 in 2023/24. That figure sits well below the Essex local authority average of 62% and places the school 361st out of 444 primary schools in the county. In the Uttlesford district specifically, it ranks 32nd out of 34 schools. The picture is mixed across individual subjects: 63% reached the expected level in reading, 53% in maths and 47% in writing, while 32% achieved a higher standard in reading. No pupils reached the higher threshold in writing or in the combined measure.

The school’s Progress 8 scores are not available, so it is hard to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points. But the raw attainment data suggests that while reading is a relative strength, maths and particularly writing are areas where fewer children are hitting the expected benchmark. The school is small, with 122 pupils on roll against a capacity of 140, and just 3.3% of children are eligible for free school meals, well below the national average. Parent views are overwhelmingly positive: 86% would recommend the school, and 96% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy. Strong majorities also felt their child does well and that the school has high expectations. However, the parent view survey had only 22 responses, so the sample is small.

The school is oversubscribed for Reception entry in 2025/26, with 42 applications for 18 places and 15 first-preference offers. Facilities include a forest school, chapel, sports hall, library and art studios, and the school runs clubs such as chess, coding, choir, eco club and science club. Sports on offer include tennis, swimming, gymnastics, netball and athletics. The school’s SEND provision covers moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and physical disability. Little Hallingbury is a Church of England school, and its small size and strong parent satisfaction ratings suggest it may suit families looking for a close-knit village primary where children feel safe and happy, though the academic outcomes are below the local average and parents should weigh that alongside the positive pastoral picture.

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