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John Ray Junior School

Primary · Braintree · CM7 1HL

Data updated

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Good

Graded inspection under the pre-November 2025 system

This is an overall-effectiveness grade from the previous inspection framework. The school has not yet had a report-card inspection.

Quality of education: GoodBehaviour & attitudes: GoodPersonal development: GoodLeadership & management: GoodSafeguarding effective: Yes

Inspected 10 March 2020

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

439 pupils · 102% of 432 capacity (over capacity) (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy sponsor led
Age range
7–11
Gender
Mixed
Free school meals
30.3% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
18.6% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
16.7% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
3.7% of pupils (2024/2025)
Website
https://www.johnray.compassps.uk/
URN
143538

In figures

Ofsted last graded it Good on 10 March 2020, under the framework used before November 2025. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 5.6% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Key stage 2 results (2024/2025)

108 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
6%
England 8%
Average scaled score (reading)
105
England 106
Average scaled score (maths)
103
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%
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
Manor Court Community Primary SchoolChard · 167 miles awayGood75%
St Barnabas CofE Primary SchoolWorcester · 120 miles awayGood59%
Canon Burrows CofE Primary SchoolAshton-under-Lyne · 159 miles awayGood64%
Grovelands Primary SchoolWalton on Thames · 53 miles awayGood78%
Kew Woods Primary SchoolSouthport · 191 miles awayGood79%
Hill Top AcademyDoncaster · 133 miles awayOutstanding78%
St Giles' and St George's Church of England AcademyNewcastle · 141 miles awayGood55%
Moredon Primary SchoolSwindon · 103 miles awayGood83%
Lipson Vale Primary SchoolPlymouth · 227 miles awayExpected standard59%
St Paul's Church of England VC Junior SchoolShepton Mallet · 141 miles awayGood56%
Archbishop Wake Church of England Primary SchoolBlandford Forum · 136 miles awayGood64%
Hempstalls Primary SchoolNewcastle · 142 miles awayGood72%

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

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 70% (Essex 73%, England 60%) · Any other White background 10% (Essex 7%, England 7%) · Black African 4% (Essex 4%, England 5%) · Any other Mixed background 4% (Essex 3%, England 3%) · Not recorded 2% (Essex 1%, England 1%) · Any other ethnic group 2% (Essex 1%, England 3%) · Asian Indian 2% (Essex 3%, England 4%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 2% (Essex 2%, England 2%) · Asian Pakistani 1% (Essex 1%, England 5%) · Any other Asian background 1% (Essex 1%, England 2%) · Asian Bangladeshi 1% (Essex 1%, England 2%) · Mixed White and Black African 1% (Essex 1%, England 1%) · other groups together 2%

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)
5.6%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
13.7%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

0.46 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
25.5
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

95% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 5% moved to another state school

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)

47.6% of teachers took sickness absence, 2.8 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 £45,835; 19% 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£5,227
Typical primary school£7,202

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for primary schools in brackets: Staff 83% (77%) · premises 4% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 10% (8%) · supplies and services 3% (9%) · educational supplies 2% (4%) · bought-in professional services 0% (2%) · catering 6% (5%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £1,000; in-year balance +£420,000

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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)
3/10more deprived than most of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
3/10more deprived than most of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher16.5%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications25.5%18.1%
In managerial or professional work19.3%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways27.9%18.1%
Residents in very good health40.4%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier53%62.3%
Social housing37.4%17.1%
Privately rented9.1%20.5%
Detached houses13.6%22.9%
Flats16.2%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms13%21.1%
Households with no car or van23.8%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01021374 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£307,500325 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£264,000–£350,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (60)£408,500
Semi-detached (106)£320,000
Terraced (120)£285,000
Flat (39)£167,500

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
1an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
9an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
6an 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