Grafton Primary School, Dagenham

Outstanding
Primary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 311

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~375m)Possible (~535m)Unlikely (~696m)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Junaida Bana
Pupils:892 / 920 capacity
LA:Barking and Dagenham
Phone:02037275171
Address:Grafton Primary School, Grafton Road, Dagenham, RM8 3EX
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Inspected 1 April 2025View full report
URN:101206
UKPRN:10071308
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Dagenham and Rainham
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Grafton Primary School excels at creating a happy, safe environment where children develop a genuine love of learning. The school is particularly strong at supporting disadvantaged pupils and those with additional needs, helping them make excellent progress. Teachers use engaging, creative activities - like visits around London and real-life learning moments - to make lessons memorable and exciting.

Key Strengths

  • Outstanding behaviour and safety - pupils are confident, polite and have excellent attitudes to learning
  • Outstanding leadership that ensures high standards of teaching and accurate tracking of pupil progress
  • Excellent progress for disadvantaged pupils, those with special needs, and English language learners
  • Good teaching with engaging activities that develop pupils' love of learning
  • Effective use of pupil premium funding to accelerate progress for eligible pupils

Areas for Improvement

  • Too few pupils reach higher levels in writing
  • Most able pupils sometimes lack sufficiently challenging work
  • Teacher marking does not always provide challenging next steps to help pupils improve
  • Overall progress remains good rather than outstanding

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is effective - pupils confidently express how safe they feel in school and are well-prepared with e-safety knowledge.

Extracurricular Activities

School tuck shop run by pupils, charity fundraising events including discos and fairs, transition visits to secondary school, visits around London

Grafton Primary School is a good school where the headteacher and senior team lead outstandingly well. Children start below expected levels but make good progress in literacy and numeracy through fun and engaging learning experiences.

At a Glance

19.9%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

Not Applicable

SEN Provision

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

64 responses
Would recommend73%
Child is happy86%
Well taught80%
Good progress70%
Feels safe80%
Well behaved75%
Bullying dealt with20%
Kept informed84%
Handles concerns53%
Wider development64%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading+4ppMaths+7ppWriting+6pp

Reading has improved from 66% to 70%. Maths has improved from 62% to 69%. Writing has improved from 58% to 64%.

Class Sizes

26.5

Avg class size

27.3

Infant (KS1)

29.6

KS2

33

Total classes

1 class with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Winifred Road (->W)
266m · 4 min walk
Walnut Tree Road (RM8) (Stop M)
400m · 7 min walk
Whalebone Lane South (Stop A)
442m · 7 min walk
Heathway Becontree (Stop K)
467m · 8 min walk
Five Elms School (Stop L)
499m · 8 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

97%

Near capacity

892 pupils

920 capacity

28 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Dagenham

Low pressure
New homes approved:942
Projected new pupils:236

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Dagenham

Admissions Demand - Barking and Dagenham

Low demand0.75x oversubscription

Places available

4,064

Applications

3,038

Got 1st preference

96.2%

Got preferred school

99.7%

Primary admissions across Barking and Dagenham (2025/26)

Inspection History(9)

1 April 2025
30 April 2019
OutstandingReport
Leadership & ManagementOutstanding
30 April 2019
OutstandingReport
Quality of EducationOutstanding
Behaviour & AttitudesOutstanding
Personal DevelopmentOutstanding
Leadership & ManagementOutstanding
Early YearsOutstanding

House Prices

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

5.64728%

Overall absence

17.36842%

Persistent absence

760

Enrolments

Authorised3.24368%
Unauthorised2.4036%
Persistent (10%+)17.36842%
Severe (50%+)2.23684%

Absence trend

3.92854%
18/19
4.60353%
20/21
6.65922%
21/22
7.08896%
22/23
6.54996%
23/24
5.64728%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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