Down Hall Primary School, Rayleigh
Down Hall Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Rayleigh. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2016. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the highest of the 8 schools in Rayleigh with published results, and 1,455th of 14,452 across England. It was 86% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2016)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
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
Down Hall Primary School in detail
Down Hall Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "At Down Hall Primary School, everyone is a learner and each learner strives to reach his/her potential, academically, socially and personally. We are a Rights Respecting School and follow UNICEF Guidelines in order to achieve our school vision. We put children’s wellbeing at the heart of everything we do."
The school runs a breakfast club.
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 94% of Year 6 pupils at Down Hall Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 87% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 76% in Essex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 71% in reading and 71% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Down Hall Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 25 families put Down Hall Primary School as their first choice and 99 named it as one of their preferences, for 31 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 Down Hall Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Down Hall Primary School are St Nicholas Church of England Primary School (0.5 miles, 55% reading, 36% maths); Glebe Primary School (0.5 miles, Requires improvement, 84% reading, 69% maths); Edward Francis Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 76% reading, 62% maths); and Rayleigh Primary School (1 mile, Good, 87% reading, 89% maths).
Down Hall Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
St Nicholas Church of England Primary SchoolGlebe Primary SchoolEdward Francis Primary SchoolRayleigh Primary School
What parents say
44 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Down Hall Primary School (as of September 2025): 91% would recommend the school, 93% say their child is happy there and 86% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (96%); the weakest, that the school has high expectations for their child (80%).
Who goes there
4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 34 pupils (12.5%) received SEN support and 6 (2.2%) 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 a moderate learning difficulty.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Rayleigh Rail Station, about 1100 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Brooklyn Drive (adjacent), 250 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Down Hall Primary School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
Down Hall Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Down Hall Primary School are The Sweyne Park School (0.4 miles) and The FitzWimarc School (0.6 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 April 2016, 10 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 February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Down Hall Primary School creates a family-like atmosphere where children feel supported and valued. Teachers have strong subject knowledge and present learning clearly, with excellent support for all learners including those with additional needs. The school offers rich enrichment through trips, clubs, and character education that prepares pupils well for life beyond school.
Key Strengths
- Well-planned phonics programme and strong reading culture helping pupils become confident, fluent readers
- Ambitious, carefully sequenced curriculum that deepens learning as pupils progress through the school
- Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities
- High expectations for behaviour and learning that pupils rise to meet
- Wide range of clubs, trips, and leadership opportunities that develop resilience and social responsibility
Areas for Improvement
- Recent curriculum changes not yet fully embedded in key stage 2, with some older pupils not achieving the same success as younger children
- Higher rates of absence among disadvantaged pupils, affecting their access to educational and personal development opportunities
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Football, netball, performing arts, chess, library clubs, reading ambassadors, school trips to Colchester Castle and the Globe Theatre, residential visits, charitable initiatives
Down Hall Primary School is a happy and welcoming place where pupils feel safe and valued. The school has maintained good standards and taken effective action since the previous inspection.
At a Glance
19.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
44 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 improved from 71% to 94% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 71% to 87% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 71% to 87% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.7
Avg class size
22.0
Infant (KS1)
27.0
KS2
11
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Down Hall Primary School
Before and after school care
Down Hall Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Essex
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Down Hall Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Down Hall 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
- 13
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 8 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was 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 Down Hall Primary School
Will you get a place at Down Hall Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Down Hall Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Down Hall Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Down Hall 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 Down Hall 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
86%
Available places
271 pupils
315 places
44 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Rayleigh
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Rayleigh
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(10)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
34
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
14.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
272
Total Pupils
119
Boys
153
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
15
Teachers
18.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,414
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,090
Per pupil
£1473k
Total funding
£70k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.9%
Overall absence
12.8%
Persistent absence
242
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
Down Hall Primary School
Questions parents ask about Down Hall Primary School
What are SATs results like at Down Hall Primary School?
Of the pupils at Down Hall Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 94% reached the expected standard in reading and 87% did so in maths.
What is Down Hall Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Down Hall Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2016, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Down Hall Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Down Hall 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 Down Hall Primary School?
Down Hall Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 86% of its 315 places.
How big are the classes at Down Hall Primary School?
Classes at Down Hall Primary School average 24.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Down Hall Primary School?
Down Hall Primary School has around 272 pupils on roll. 20% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Down Hall Primary School?
4.9% of sessions were missed at Down Hall Primary School in 2024/25. 12.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Down Hall Primary School?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming Down Hall 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 Down Hall Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Down Hall Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Down Hall Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 8 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was 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 Down Hall Primary School?
Down Hall Primary School is at Brooklyn Drive, Rayleigh, Essex, SS6 9LW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)