Meadgate Primary School

About Meadgate Primary School

Meadgate Primary School is a state-funded mixed primary in Chelmsford, within the Essex local authority. It sits 17th out of 41 primary schools in the Chelmsford area, placing it in the top half locally. The top-performing peers in Essex include Stambridge Primary School, St Thomas More's Catholic Primary School in Colchester, and Great Totham Primary School, all of which achieve the highest ranking scores. Meadgate is a relatively small school, with 215 pupils against a capacity of 216, and just over a fifth of its students are eligible for free school meals. The school is led by headteacher Joseph Figg and has no religious character. Its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2024 was a short inspection, so the overall effectiveness was not judged, but the school continues to hold a Good rating from its previous graded inspection in 2017.

Academically, Meadgate performs above the local authority average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 69% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the Essex average of 62%. Individual subject scores were solid: 79% met the expected standard in reading, 79% in writing, and 76% in maths. Average scaled scores were 105 in both reading and maths. At the higher standard, 10% of pupils achieved the higher benchmark across all three subjects, with 24% reaching that level in reading and maths, and 17% in writing. Nationally, the school ranks in the top half of primary schools, sitting at 4,622 out of 13,686. In the East of England region, it ranks 481st out of 1,612 schools. The school's Ofsted breakdown from the 2024 inspection was particularly strong: behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management were all rated Outstanding, while quality of education was rated Good. Early years provision was also rated Outstanding, a grade it has held consistently across both inspections.

The school is oversubscribed, with 83 applications for 30 places in the 2025/26 intake, giving a ratio of 2.77 applicants per place. Of those, 25 were first-preference offers, matching the total number of first-preference applications. Facilities include a library, playing fields, gymnasium, sensory room, forest school and chapel. Sports on offer include gymnastics, netball, cricket, tennis and rounders, while clubs range from gardening and drama to book club, art club, science club and choir. The school has a wide range of SEND provisions, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, autistic spectrum disorder, and other difficulties. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive: 100% of respondents would recommend the school, with 78% strongly agreeing their child is happy, and 88% strongly agreeing their child feels safe. This is a school that suits families looking for a well-regarded local primary with strong pastoral care, good academic outcomes, and a clear commitment to inclusion.

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