Barling Magna Primary Academy, Southend-on-Sea
Barling Magna Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Southend-on-Sea, part of The Brickfields Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 8th-highest of the 15 schools in Southend-on-Sea with published results, and 8,749th of 14,452 across England. It was 80% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Essex (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Barling Magna Primary Academy in detail
Barling Magna Primary Academy in its own words
In its own words: "To be an exemplary school in which all pupils and staff excel through the ambitious opportunities offered. Our school will inspire everyone to aim high! Children will ‘broaden their horizons’ through experiencing diverse cultures, meeting a range of people and visiting new places."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include cross-country, Lego and film.
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 72% of Year 6 pupils at Barling Magna Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 76% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 76% in Essex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (78% in reading, 67% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Barling Magna Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 10 families put Barling Magna Primary Academy as their first choice and 45 named it as one of their preferences, for 18 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Barling Magna Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Barling Magna Primary Academy are Great Wakering Primary Academy (1.4 miles, Good, 77% reading, 75% maths); Bournes Green Infant School (2.1 miles, Good); Bournes Green Junior School (2.2 miles, Good, 89% reading, 86% maths); and Friars Primary School and Nursery (2.2 miles, Good, 80% reading, 75% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Barling Magna Primary Academy.
Great Wakering Primary AcademyBournes Green Infant SchoolBournes Green Junior SchoolFriars Primary School and Nursery
The trust
Barling Magna Primary Academy is one of 4 schools run by The Brickfields Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
60 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Barling Magna Primary Academy (as of September 2025): 63% would recommend the school, 73% say their child is happy there and 31% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (73%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (31%).
Who goes there
0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 32 pupils (19.2%) received SEN support and 11 (6.6%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Thorpe Bay Rail Station, about 2.4 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Weir Pond Corner (n-bound), 70 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 5 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Essex (97).
Suspensions and exclusions
Barling Magna Primary Academy recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; 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 agoThis judgement is from October 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Barling Magna creates a welcoming and inclusive environment where children thrive. The school combines a strong focus on core skills like reading and maths with an exciting, broad curriculum that includes clubs, trips, and real leadership roles. Staff are dedicated and well-supported, which translates into positive relationships with pupils and their families.
Key Strengths
- Pupils feel safe, well cared for, and experience a positive, inclusive school culture
- Strong reading programme with consistent phonics teaching and well-resourced library facilities
- Effective support for pupils with SEND, with well-trained staff helping them access the full curriculum
- Ambitious curriculum with high expectations and consistent teaching approaches
- Rich extracurricular provision and leadership opportunities that prepare pupils for future citizenship
Areas for Improvement
- Some pupils lack prior knowledge needed to engage well with more complex learning in new curriculum schemes
- Too many pupils have irregular attendance, missing vital learning on a regular basis
- Communication with parents of SEND pupils about their child's support needs could be clearer
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with strong safeguarding procedures in place.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports clubs, creative arts clubs, computing clubs, visits to local farm, Southend Planetarium, London museums, leadership roles (librarians, eco-warriors, house captains), reading sheds, breakfast and after-school clubs
Barling Magna Primary Academy has maintained good standards following its previous inspection. The school implements its vision of 'explore, aspire, succeed' across all areas of work, with pupils experiencing a wide range of engaging learning opportunities.
At a Glance
22.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
60 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 78% to 72% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 67% to 76% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 61% to 76% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
23.9
Avg class size
19.7
Infant (KS1)
27.0
KS2
7
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Barling Magna Primary Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Barling Magna Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Barling Magna Primary 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
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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 Barling Magna Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Barling Magna Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Barling Magna Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Barling Magna Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Barling Magna Primary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Essex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Barling Magna Primary 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
80%
Available places
168 pupils
210 places
42 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Southend-on-Sea
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Southend-on-Sea
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(2)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
32
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
25.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
167
Total Pupils
81
Boys
86
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
16.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£45,721
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,244
Per pupil
£1146k
Total funding
£52k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.8%
Overall absence
15.7%
Persistent absence
166
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Barling Magna Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Barling Magna Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Barling Magna Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 72% reached the expected standard in reading and 76% did so in maths.
What is Barling Magna Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Barling Magna Primary Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Barling Magna Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Barling Magna Primary 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 Barling Magna Primary Academy?
Barling Magna Primary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 80% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Barling Magna Primary Academy?
Classes at Barling Magna Primary Academy average 23.9 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Barling Magna Primary Academy?
Barling Magna Primary Academy has around 167 pupils on roll. 22% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Barling Magna Primary Academy?
5.8% of sessions were missed at Barling Magna Primary Academy in 2024/25. 15.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Barling Magna Primary Academy?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming Barling Magna Primary 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 Barling Magna Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 Barling Magna Primary Academy?
Barling Magna Primary Academy is at Little Wakering Road, Barling Magna, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS3 0LN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)