Waltham Holy Cross Primary Academy

About Waltham Holy Cross Primary Academy

Waltham Holy Cross Primary Academy sits within the Essex local authority, a large county with 444 primary schools, and ranks 194th among them. In the more immediate Epping Forest district, it places 8th out of 30 primary schools, placing it comfortably in the top third locally. The top-performing peers in the same authority — St Thomas More's Catholic Primary School in Colchester, Stambridge Primary School, and Great Totham Primary School — all achieved perfect or near-perfect ranking scores, setting a high bar. Waltham Holy Cross is a state-funded, mixed-gender primary with a nursery provision, serving children from age 3 to 11. It has no religious character and is led by headteacher Sarah Clarke. With 594 pupils against a capacity of 630, the school is near full, and 27.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, a figure that gives some indication of the community it serves.

Academically, the school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in 2024 rated it Good overall, a significant improvement from its previous Inadequate rating in 2017. Behaviour and attitudes, along with leadership and management, were both judged Outstanding, while the quality of education, early years provision, and personal development all received Good marks. At Key Stage 2, 64% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, just above the Essex local authority average of 62%. The school’s average scores in reading (106) and maths (105) are solid, though only 8% of pupils achieved the higher standard across all three subjects. In maths, 29% reached the higher standard, compared with 31% in reading and 15% in writing. The school’s national ranking places it in the 47th percentile, and within the East of England region it sits in the 43rd percentile.

The school offers a broad set of facilities including an ICT suite, art studios, a sports hall, a dining hall, and an outdoor playground. Sports on offer include athletics, swimming, netball and cricket, while clubs range from gardening and coding to eco club, choir and drama. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, and autistic spectrum disorder. The school was oversubscribed for 2025/26 admissions, with 121 applications for 86 places and 81 first-preference offers, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.41. This suggests strong local demand, and the school will suit families who value a well-led, improving primary with strong behaviour standards and a wide range of enrichment activities.

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