Great Sampford Community Primary School, Saffron Walden
Great Sampford Community Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Saffron Walden. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 7th-highest of the 11 schools in Saffron Walden with published results, and 4,096th of 14,452 across England. It was 83% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
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
Great Sampford Community Primary School in detail
Great Sampford Community Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to our school. It is a great privilege to be the Head Teacher here, and I am very proud of the achievements and progress our children make each and every day. At Great Sampford, we have a fantastic ethos as the teaching team believe that every child needs to be happy before they are ready to learn."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include choir and art.
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 92% of Year 6 pupils at Great Sampford Community Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 75% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 76% in Essex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 60% in reading and 60% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Great Sampford Community Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 13 families put Great Sampford Community Primary School as their first choice and 34 named it as one of their preferences, for 13 places 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 Great Sampford Community Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Great Sampford Community Primary School are Radwinter Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School (2.6 miles, Good, 88% reading, 63% maths); Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy (3.2 miles, 83% reading, 83% maths); Wimbish Primary Academy (3.2 miles, 36% reading, 45% maths); and Thaxted Primary School (3.4 miles, Good, 83% reading, 81% maths).
Great Sampford Community Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 2 of them.
Radwinter Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolFinchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary AcademyWimbish Primary AcademyThaxted Primary School
Who goes there
7.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 2.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 13 pupils (16.5%) received SEN support and 6 (7.6%) 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 autism.
Staffing
Great Sampford Community Primary School had 6 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Great Sampford Community Primary School.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Willetts Field (opposite), 30 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 3 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Essex (97).
Suspensions and exclusions
Great Sampford Community Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
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
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 · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its April 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
7.6%
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 improved from 60% to 92% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 60% to 75% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 80% to 92% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
19.8
Avg class size
16.5
Infant (KS1)
23.0
KS2
4
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Great Sampford Community Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Great Sampford Community Primary School.
- Prestige Wraparound Great SampfordAt the school · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Great Sampford Community Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Great Sampford Community 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)
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025.
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 Great Sampford Community Primary School
Will you get a place at Great Sampford Community Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Great Sampford Community Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Great Sampford Community Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Great Sampford Community 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 Great Sampford Community 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
83%
Available places
87 pupils
105 places
18 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Saffron Walden
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Saffron Walden
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(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
13
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
24.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
79
Total Pupils
41
Boys
38
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
6
Teachers
13.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,155
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,679
Per pupil
£608k
Total funding
£6k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.1%
Overall absence
8.2%
Persistent absence
73
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Great Sampford Community Primary School
What are SATs results like at Great Sampford Community Primary School?
Of the pupils at Great Sampford Community Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 92% reached the expected standard in reading and 75% did so in maths.
What is Great Sampford Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Great Sampford Community Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in April 2023.
What is the catchment area for Great Sampford Community Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Great Sampford Community 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 Great Sampford Community Primary School?
Great Sampford Community Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 83% of its 105 places.
How big are the classes at Great Sampford Community Primary School?
Classes at Great Sampford Community Primary School average 19.8 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Great Sampford Community Primary School?
Great Sampford Community Primary School has around 79 pupils on roll. 8% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Great Sampford Community Primary School?
4.1% of sessions were missed at Great Sampford Community Primary School in 2024/25. 8.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Great Sampford Community Primary School?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming Great Sampford Community 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 Great Sampford Community Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Prestige Wraparound Great Sampford (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 Great Sampford Community Primary School?
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025. The typical figure for schools in Essex is 9 (the median across 614 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Great Sampford Community Primary School?
Great Sampford Community Primary School is at Finchingfield Road, Great Sampford, Saffron Walden, Essex, CB10 2RL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)