Steeple Bumpstead Primary School

About Steeple Bumpstead Primary School

Steeple Bumpstead Primary School is a state-funded mixed primary in the Essex local authority, serving 184 pupils aged 4 to 11 in the Braintree area. Within Essex’s 444 primary schools, it ranks 246th, placing it in the bottom half of the county. Its closest top-performing peers include Stambridge Primary School, St Thomas More’s Catholic Primary School in Colchester, and Great Totham Primary School, all of which score significantly higher on the same ranking metric. The school is led by headteacher Vicky Doherty and has no religious character. It is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, receiving 49 applications for 26 places, with all 26 first-preference applicants offered a spot. That oversubscription ratio of 1.88 suggests strong local demand, even though the school’s overall ranking is modest compared with the highest-performing primaries in the county.

Academically, the school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2022 rated it Good overall, a clear improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2016. Behaviour and attitudes were judged Outstanding, while leadership, quality of education, personal development, and early years provision all received Good. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 57% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined, which is below the Essex local authority average of 62%. Reading and writing both saw 78% of pupils at the expected level, while maths was slightly lower at 70%. The proportion reaching the higher standard in all three subjects was just 4%, and in maths alone it was 9%. Average scores were 103 in reading and 102 in maths, both close to the national benchmark of 100. Progress measures for reading, writing, and maths were not published, so it is difficult to assess how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points.

The school offers a broad set of facilities including a library, ICT suite, art studios, music rooms, a forest school, and a chapel. Sports provision covers rounders, gymnastics, dance, netball, tennis, athletics, and cross country, while clubs include coding, gardening, drama, science club, choir, and chess. SEND support is available for pupils with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, speech and language needs, hearing impairment, autistic spectrum disorder, and social, emotional, and mental health needs. With 9.8% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a slightly below-average proportion of disadvantaged children compared with the national primary average. There is no nursery or sixth form provision. This school suits families who prioritise a strong behaviour culture and a Good-rated local option that has improved from a previous Requires Improvement, and who are comfortable with a smaller-than-average school that is oversubscribed but still accessible for first-preference applicants.

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