Brightside Primary School, Billericay
Brightside Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Billericay. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 5th-highest of the 7 schools in Billericay with published results, and 4,824th of 14,452 across England. It was 93% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than 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
Brightside Primary School in detail
Brightside Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "To give all pupils every opportunity through a range of activities and a broad and balanced curriculum. To ensure everyone is treated fairly and challenged to progress and develop. To research and continually develop and be at the forefront of initiatives."
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Coming up: an open day on Friday 8 January 2027, an open day on Monday 11 January 2027 and an open day on Thursday 14 January 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 83% of Year 6 pupils at Brightside Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 81% 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 (80% in reading, 80% in maths).
Getting a place at Brightside Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 78 families put Brightside Primary School as their first choice and 257 named it as one of their preferences, for 89 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 Brightside Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Brightside Primary School are Buttsbury Primary School (0.8 miles, Outstanding, 88% reading, 87% maths); Quilters Junior School (1.4 miles, Outstanding, 92% reading, 89% maths); Quilters Infant School (1.4 miles, Outstanding); and Sunnymede Primary School (1.6 miles, Good, 84% reading, 81% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Brightside Primary School.
Buttsbury Primary SchoolQuilters Junior SchoolQuilters Infant SchoolSunnymede Primary School
What parents say
142 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Brightside Primary School (as of September 2025): 94% would recommend the school, 99% say their child is happy there and 75% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (99%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (75%).
Who goes there
9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 3.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (86%) and Mixed (5%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Billericay Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Goldington Crescent (adjacent), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 55 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Essex (97).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Brightside Primary School issued 2 suspensions, 0.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Brightside Primary School are Mayflower High School (1.1 miles) and Harris Academy Billericay (1.5 miles).
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 September 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's December 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Brightside Primary School has high expectations for every child and provides an engaging curriculum where pupils achieve well. The school prioritizes reading enjoyment and provides excellent support for children who need extra help, including those with special educational needs. Beyond academics, the school excels at developing well-rounded children through trips, clubs, leadership opportunities and teaching important life lessons about mental health, relationships and online safety.
Key Strengths
- Pupils are polite, well-behaved and feel safe with positive relationships with staff
- Strong teaching in reading with systematic phonics approach - pupils become fluent and confident readers
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND who receive bespoke help and overcome barriers to learning
- High-quality character development including trips, residentials, leadership roles and after-school clubs
- Strong subject knowledge in mathematics and science with clear teaching and quick address of misunderstandings
Areas for Improvement
- Assessment systems in some subjects do not identify knowledge gaps early enough
- Some pupils have gaps in knowledge and do not build understanding well over time in certain subjects
- Earlier identification needed so teachers can support pupils to secure key skills before leaving the school
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with staff creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
multi-skills, bright striders, choir, film making, leadership roles, trips, residentials, before- and after-school club
Brightside Primary School has maintained the good standards from its previous inspection. The school has high expectations, provides an ambitious curriculum, and ensures all pupils achieve well.
About
Billericay is a historic market town and civil parish in the Borough of Basildon, Essex, England. It lies 23 miles (37 km) east of the City of London.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
9.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
142 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 remained stable at around 83% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 81% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 78% to 86% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.8
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
29.6
KS2
18
Total classes
3 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Brightside Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Brightside Primary School.
- Fun Fest BillericayAt the school · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Brightside Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Brightside Primary School 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
- 1
- 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, 1 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 Brightside Primary School
Will you get a place at Brightside Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Brightside Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Brightside Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Brightside Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Essex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Brightside Primary School for 2014 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
93%
Near capacity
586 pupils
630 places
44 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Billericay
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Billericay
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(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
94
SEN Support
25
EHC Plans
19.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
621
Total Pupils
320
Boys
301
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
32
Teachers
19.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,255
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,018
Per pupil
£3310k
Total funding
£121k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.9%
Overall absence
8.2%
Persistent absence
514
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
Brightside Primary School
Questions parents ask about Brightside Primary School
What are SATs results like at Brightside Primary School?
Of the pupils at Brightside Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 83% reached the expected standard in reading and 81% did so in maths.
What is Brightside Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Brightside Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Brightside Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Brightside Primary School is oversubscribed, Essex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Brightside Primary School?
Brightside Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 93% of its 630 places.
How big are the classes at Brightside Primary School?
Classes at Brightside Primary School average 29.8 pupils (2025/26). 3 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Brightside Primary School?
Brightside Primary School has around 621 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Brightside Primary School?
3.9% of sessions were missed at Brightside Primary School in 2024/25. 8.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Brightside Primary School?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming Brightside Primary School 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.
Does Brightside Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Fun Fest Billericay (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Brightside Primary School?
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, 1 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Brightside Primary School?
Brightside Primary School is at Brightside, Billericay, Essex, CM12 0LE.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)