Elmwood Primary School, Chelmsford
Elmwood Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Chelmsford. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 38th-highest of the 46 schools in Chelmsford with published results, and 10,359th of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- 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
Elmwood Primary School in detail
Elmwood Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "Elmwood Primary School is a GOOD school and as described by Ofsted (Nov 2023) is a nurturing, welcoming school. Elmwood Primary School is a mainstream, friendly, child-centred, fully inclusive, family orientated school community. With over 80 years of educational history Elmwood Primary School still has that “small school feel” and remains an important part of the local community."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils at Elmwood Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 72% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 76% in Essex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 74% in reading and 77% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Elmwood Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 51 families put Elmwood Primary School as their first choice and 107 named it as one of their preferences, for 52 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 Elmwood Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Elmwood Primary School are St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, SWF (0.2 miles, Good, 81% reading, 84% maths); Trinity St Mary's CofE Voluntary Aided Primary School, South Woodham Ferrers (0.3 miles, Good, 55% reading, 48% maths); Collingwood Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 74% reading, 74% maths); and Woodville Primary School (0.5 miles, Outstanding, 83% reading, 81% maths).
Elmwood Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, SWFTrinity St Mary's CofE Voluntary Aided Primary School, South Woodham FerrersCollingwood Primary SchoolWoodville Primary School
Who goes there
9.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 1.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 56 pupils (13.5%) received SEN support and 7 (1.7%) 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 South Woodham Ferrers Rail Station, about 630 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Mount Pleasant Road (adjacent), 160 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Elmwood Primary School issued 10 suspensions, 2.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); 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 · 3 years agoThis judgement is from February 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its February 2014 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
9.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 74% to 68% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 77% to 72% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 77% to 60% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.6
Avg class size
29.7
Infant (KS1)
29.5
KS2
14
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Elmwood Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Elmwood Primary School.
- Essex Kids Camp - ElmwoodAt the school · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Elmwood Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Elmwood 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
- 14
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 12 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
2 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 Elmwood Primary School
Will you get a place at Elmwood Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Elmwood Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Elmwood Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Elmwood 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 Elmwood 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
99%
Near capacity
416 pupils
420 places
4 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Chelmsford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Chelmsford
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
56
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
15.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
414
Total Pupils
216
Boys
198
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
18
Teachers
23.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,047
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,977
Per pupil
£2252k
Total funding
£70k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.0%
Overall absence
10.8%
Persistent absence
361
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
Elmwood Primary School
Questions parents ask about Elmwood Primary School
What are SATs results like at Elmwood Primary School?
Of the pupils at Elmwood Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 68% reached the expected standard in reading and 72% did so in maths.
What is Elmwood Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Elmwood Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Elmwood Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Elmwood 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 Elmwood Primary School?
Elmwood Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Elmwood Primary School?
Classes at Elmwood Primary School average 29.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Elmwood Primary School?
Elmwood Primary School has around 414 pupils on roll. 10% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Elmwood Primary School?
5% of sessions were missed at Elmwood Primary School in 2024/25. 10.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Elmwood Primary School?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming Elmwood 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 Elmwood Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Essex Kids Camp - Elmwood (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 Elmwood Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 12 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 2 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 Elmwood Primary School?
Elmwood Primary School is at Guys Farm Road, South Woodham Ferrers, Chelmsford, Essex, CM3 5NB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)