Parkwood Academy

About Parkwood Academy

Parkwood Academy is a state primary school in Chelmsford, within the Essex local authority, and it serves a mixed cohort of 210 pupils aged 3 to 11. In the local landscape of 444 same-type schools across Essex, it ranks 347th, placing it in the bottom half of the authority. The top-performing peers in the area include St Thomas More's Catholic Primary School in Colchester, Stambridge Primary School, and Great Totham Primary School, all of which achieved the highest possible ranking scores. Parkwood Academy is also the lowest-ranked school in Chelmsford itself, coming 41st out of 41 primary schools in the borough. The nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted is Perryfields Junior School, located 2.2 kilometres away. The school is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 academic year, with 41 applications for 14 places and all 14 first-preference offers accepted, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.93.

Academically, Parkwood Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2024 rated its overall effectiveness as Requires Improvement, a downgrade from its previous Good rating in 2017. The inspection found that the quality of education, early years provision, and leadership and management all require improvement, while personal development and behaviour and attitudes were both judged Good. At Key Stage 2, 37% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined, well below the Essex local authority average of 62%. Only 10% reached the higher standard in those three subjects. In individual subjects, 63% of pupils achieved the expected standard in reading and in maths, and 57% in writing. Average scaled scores were 103 in reading and 102 in maths. Nationally, the school ranks in the bottom 10% of primary schools based on its combined expected standard score.

The school offers a nursery provision and a range of facilities including an ICT suite, a sensory room, outdoor playground, playing fields, and a chapel. Sports on offer include cricket, dance, rounders, football, swimming, cross country, and tennis, while clubs extend to drama, choir, science club, book club, gardening, and chess. Parkwood Academy has a significant SEND focus, with provisions for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. With 38.1% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a relatively disadvantaged community. It is at full capacity with 210 pupils, and its oversubscription suggests strong local demand despite the Requires Improvement rating. This school may suit families who value a strong SEND support framework and a broad extracurricular offer, and who are comfortable with a school that is actively working on improvements identified by Ofsted.

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