Bardfield Academy, Basildon
Bardfield Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Basildon, part of South Essex Academy Trust. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 12th-highest of the 27 schools in Basildon with published results, and 8,234th of 14,452 across England. It was 95% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Essex (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Bardfield Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 75% of Year 6 pupils at Bardfield Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 75% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 76% in Essex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 62% in reading and 55% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Bardfield Academy
For September 2026 entry, 29 families put Bardfield Academy as their first choice and 55 named it as one of their preferences, for 32 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Bardfield Academy are Ryedene Primary and Nursery School (0.3 miles, Good, 76% reading, 82% maths); Greensted Primary School & Nursery (0.5 miles, Outstanding, 80% reading, 82% maths); Cherry Tree Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 55% reading, 53% maths); and St Teresa's Catholic Primary School, Basildon (0.5 miles, Good, 87% reading, 87% maths).
Bardfield Academy's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Ryedene Primary and Nursery SchoolGreensted Primary School & NurseryCherry Tree Primary SchoolSt Teresa's Catholic Primary School, Basildon
The trust
Bardfield Academy is one of 5 schools run by South Essex Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
46.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 12.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (68%), Black (11%) and Mixed (9%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Pitsea Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Bardfield (opposite), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Bardfield Academy stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 374 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Essex (97), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Bardfield Academy issued 83 suspensions, 18.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Bardfield Academy are The Basildon Lower Academy (0.7 miles), The Basildon Upper Academy (0.9 miles), Harris Academy Kingswood (1.3 miles) and De La Salle School (1.4 miles).
The Basildon Lower AcademyThe Basildon Upper AcademyHarris Academy KingswoodDe La Salle School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils at Bardfield Academy are kind and considerate. They are happy and proud to share examples of their work. Most pupils like to work hard and expand their knowledge, using different sources such as books and technology. They know how to use technology safely, including staying safe online.
Pupils respond well to the school's high expectations for behaviour. They listen carefully to adults and their peers. In lessons, pupils try their best. However, teachers do not check on pupils' understanding consistently well, so pupils do not get the right guidance to help them improve. Too many pupils have gaps in their learning. As a result, these pupils do not achieve as well as they should.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The trust has increased its support for the school this year, to improve achievement for pupils. In some subjects, most notably in the teaching of reading, improvements have been made. The school has also secured some improvements in attendance so that pupils are more often in school to learn. However, some changes are new and there is more to be done. Systems to spot what is working well or not and to rapidly make the right changes have not always been effective. As a result, the trust and school have not brought about some intended improvements, or these are recent.
The school's curriculum sets out what pupils need to know in each subject from Year 1 to Year 6. However, these plans do not link with the learning in the early years. Some children do not learn the knowledge they need to be well prepared to learn the Year 1 curriculum.
From Ofsted's June 2024 inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Requires Improvement at its June 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Early years.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Quality of education (Requires Improvement), Leadership & management (Requires Improvement).
At a Glance
46.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 62% to 75% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 55% to 75% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 52% to 73% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.3
Avg class size
25.8
Infant (KS1)
28.5
KS2
16
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Bardfield Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Bardfield Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Bardfield Academy is in Essex; for families living there:
- Essex's school travel policy: Education Transport Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 36
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 14
- Children hurt
- 11
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 36 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 14 serious and 22 slight.
11 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 7 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
7 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Essex is 9 (the median across 614 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Bardfield Academy
Will you get a place at Bardfield Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Bardfield Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Bardfield Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Bardfield Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Essex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Bardfield Academy for 2017 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Essex got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
95%
Near capacity
399 pupils
420 places
21 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Basildon
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Basildon
Across Essex council
Places available
17,932
Applications
15,737
Got 1st preference
90.3%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All primary applications across Essex council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
73
SEN Support
22
EHC Plans
22.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
421
Total Pupils
209
Boys
212
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
21
Teachers
20.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,446
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,992
Per pupil
£2837k
Total funding
£314k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.9%
Overall absence
19.6%
Persistent absence
363
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Questions parents ask about Bardfield Academy
What are SATs results like at Bardfield Academy?
Of the pupils at Bardfield Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 75% reached the expected standard in reading and 75% did so in maths.
What is Bardfield Academy's Ofsted rating?
Bardfield Academy was rated Requires Improvement at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2013 it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Bardfield Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Bardfield Academy is oversubscribed, Essex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Bardfield Academy?
Bardfield Academy was close to full in 2025, at 95% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Bardfield Academy?
Classes at Bardfield Academy average 25.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Bardfield Academy?
Bardfield Academy has around 421 pupils on roll. 46% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Bardfield Academy?
6.9% of sessions were missed at Bardfield Academy in 2024/25. 19.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Bardfield Academy?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming Bardfield Academy on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Bardfield Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 36 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 14 serious and 22 slight. 11 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 7 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 7 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Essex is 9 (the median across 614 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Bardfield Academy?
Bardfield Academy is at Clay Hill Road, Vange, Basildon, Essex, SS16 4NL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)