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Freshwaters Primary Academy

Primary · Harlow · CM20 3QA

Data updated

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No current grade

Ungraded inspection: no current grade

Ofsted's most recent visit was an ungraded inspection; its outcome was “Standards maintained”. Since September 2024 these outcomes no longer confirm a named grade. No graded inspection appears in Ofsted's records for this school since 2015 either, so SchoolFacts shows no grade rather than guessing. Any earlier grade is on the school's Ofsted report page.

Inspected 22 January 2025

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

413 pupils · 93% of 446 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy sponsor led
Age range
3–11
Gender
Mixed
Free school meals
36.8% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
27.2% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
7.2% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
3.6% of pupils (2024/2025)
Nursery
Yes
Website
http://www.freshwatersacademy.org/
URN
139398

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 48 families named it first for 57 Reception places, 0.84 first choices per place. We hold one Reception admissions round for it, 2026 entry, and it was not decided by a published distance. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 5.8% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Reception entry, September 2026

0.84 first-choice applications per place

57 places offered · 48 first-choice applications · usually has places

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Catchment area

Catchment area: not named in the council's figures. Every applicant was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance was not needed to decide places.

Admissions cutoff distance: Reception

Every applicant was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance was not needed to decide places.

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Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

Key stage 2 results (2024/2025)

60 pupils at the end of key stage 2 in 2024/2025

Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths
62%
England 62%
Reaching the higher standard
5%
England 8%
Average scaled score (reading)
106
England 106
Average scaled score (maths)
105
England 105

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, 2024/2025

This school62%
Median of its 12 closest peers68.5%
Essex average63.8%
England62%

On meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, this school is behind the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedResult
Olympic PrimaryWellingborough · 51 miles awayGood85%
Kingsway Primary SchoolGoole · 140 miles awayGood33%
Sandringham Primary SchoolDoncaster · 132 miles awayGood47%
Wodensfield Primary SchoolWolverhampton · 109 miles awayGood65%
Long Lawford Primary SchoolRugby · 73 miles awayRequires improvement49%
Holy Name Catholic Primary SchoolLiverpool · 173 miles awayGood68%
Anns Grove Primary SchoolSheffield · 128 miles awayGood69%
East Stour Primary SchoolAshford · 56 miles awayNo current grade75%
Benyon Primary SchoolSouth Ockendon · 19 miles awayGood80%
Somers Heath Primary SchoolSouth Ockendon · 20 miles awayExpected standard81%
Marnel Junior SchoolBasingstoke · 61 miles awayOutstanding65%
Leigh Academy MolehillMaidstone · 41 miles awayOutstanding85%

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 49% (Essex 73%, England 60%) · Any other White background 15% (Essex 7%, England 7%) · Black African 10% (Essex 4%, England 5%) · Any other Mixed background 6% (Essex 3%, England 3%) · Any other ethnic group 3% (Essex 1%, England 3%) · Black Caribbean 2% (Essex 0%, England 1%) · Asian Pakistani 2% (Essex 1%, England 5%) · Asian Indian 2% (Essex 3%, England 4%) · Any other Black background 2% (Essex 1%, England 1%) · Not recorded 2% (Essex 1%, England 1%) · Asian Bangladeshi 2% (Essex 1%, England 2%) · Asian Chinese 1% (Essex 0%, England 1%) · Any other Asian background 1% (Essex 1%, England 2%) · Mixed White and Asian 1% (Essex 1%, England 2%) · other groups together 1%

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
5.8%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
17.7%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

2.65 suspensions per 100 pupils and 0 permanent exclusions · England, primary schools: 2.47 suspensions and 0.03 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Essex: 3.26 suspensions and 0.03 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
28.5
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

96% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 4% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, primary academies: 0.3% vacant, 0.32% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

66.7% of teachers took sickness absence, 8.6 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £47,998; 14.3% on the leadership pay range · England, primary schools: £50,856, 17.3%

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2024-25)

This school£5,756
Typical primary school£7,202

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for primary schools in brackets: Staff 90% (77%) · premises 3% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 3% (8%) · supplies and services 5% (9%) · educational supplies 2% (4%) · bought-in professional services 1% (2%) · catering 0% (5%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £0; in-year balance +£370,000

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, DfE · how spending is compared

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
4/10more deprived than most of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
4/10more deprived than most of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher20.9%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications25.3%18.1%
In managerial or professional work22.9%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways26%18.1%
Residents in very good health46.2%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier49.4%62.3%
Social housing37.1%17.1%
Privately rented13.2%20.5%
Detached houses4.4%22.9%
Flats22.3%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms15%21.1%
Households with no car or van26.3%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01021849 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£315,000293 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£257,000–£351,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (8)£421,000
Semi-detached (31)£375,000
Terraced (181)£325,000
Flat (73)£197,500

Homes around this school are dearer than most school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
2an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
8an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
39an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
9an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools