Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School, Essendon
Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Essendon. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2022 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 314th-highest of the 340 schools in Hertfordshire with published results, and 13,208th of 14,452 across England. It was 69% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- 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 Hertfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School in detail
Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "A very warm welcome to Hertfordshire's best kept secret: Essendon C of E Primary School. We are the hidden gem within our local community with the most fantastic site and a historical building filled with great people. Our expansive outdoor areas, including our very own forest, promote positive, creative and resourceful outdoor learning and play."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 83% of Year 6 pupils at Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 33% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 76% in Hertfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (46% in reading, 69% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 1 family put Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School as their first choice and 5 named it as one of their preferences, for 1 place offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School are Bayford Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School (1.9 miles, Good, 62% reading, 38% maths); Commonswood Primary & Nursery School (2 miles, Good, 88% reading, 82% maths); Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School (2.1 miles, Good, 93% reading, 83% maths); and Ponsbourne St Mary's Church of England Primary School (2.7 miles, Good, 92% reading, 100% maths).
Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Bayford Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolCommonswood Primary & Nursery SchoolHertingfordbury Cowper Primary SchoolPonsbourne St Mary's Church of England Primary School
Who goes there
9.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (55%), Mixed (9%) and Asian (5%).
Staffing
Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School had 7 teachers in 2026, one for every 10 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Bayford Rail Station, about 2.3 miles away in a straight line.
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Glebe Cottages Eastview (opposite), 100 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 8 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour and violence and sexual offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Hertfordshire (138).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School issued 7 suspensions, 8.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
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; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from April 2013, 13 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 April 2013 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
27.3%
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 46% to 83% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 69% to 33% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 46% to 50% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
19.3
Avg class size
14.0
Infant (KS1)
24.5
KS2
4
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School
The Essendon Echo 19.06.2026
19 Jun 2026
The Essendon Echo 11.06.2026
11 Jun 2026
The Essendon Echo 22.05.2026
22 May 2026
The Essendon Echo 15.05.2026
15 May 2026
The Essendon Echo 24.04.2026
24 Apr 2026
The Essendon Echo 27.03.2026
27 Mar 2026
From Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School.
- Ohana ChildcareAt the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School is a voluntary controlled school, so its term dates are set by Hertfordshire. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Thursday 22 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Monday 24 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School is in Hertfordshire; for families living there:
- Hertfordshire's school travel policy: Read the home to school transport policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 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 Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 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 Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School
Will you get a place at Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Hertfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Hertfordshire 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
69%
Available places
72 pupils
105 places
33 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Essendon
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Essendon
Across Hertfordshire council
Places available
14,776
Applications
12,543
Got 1st preference
89.1%
Got preferred school
98.4%
All primary applications across Hertfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
10
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
18.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
77
Total Pupils
40
Boys
37
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
7
Teachers
11.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£57,904
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,841
Per pupil
£655k
Total funding
£29k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.1%
Overall absence
12.7%
Persistent absence
71
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School
What are SATs results like at Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School?
Of the pupils at Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 83% reached the expected standard in reading and 33% did so in maths.
What is Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2022, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School is oversubscribed, Hertfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School?
Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 69% of its 105 places.
How big are the classes at Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School?
Classes at Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School average 19.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School?
Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School has around 77 pupils on roll. 27% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School?
6.1% of sessions were missed at Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School in 2024/25. 12.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Essendon CofE (VC) 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 Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Ohana Childcare (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School's term dates?
Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School is a voluntary controlled school, so its term dates are set by Hertfordshire. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Thursday 22 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027). In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Monday 24 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 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 Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School?
Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School is at School Lane, Essendon, Hertfordshire, AL9 6HD.
Sources: Hertfordshire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)