Hilldene Primary School, Romford
Hilldene Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Romford. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 26th-highest of the 34 schools in Romford with published results, and 9,595th of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- 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 Havering (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Hilldene Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 76% of Year 6 pupils at Hilldene Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 68% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 78% in Havering and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 57% in reading and 49% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Hilldene Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 59 families put Hilldene Primary School as their first choice and 119 named it as one of their preferences, for 63 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 Hilldene Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Hilldene Primary School are St Ursula's Catholic Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 81% reading, 75% maths); Broadford Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 60% reading, 63% maths); Drapers' Brookside Junior School (0.8 miles, Good, 65% reading, 57% maths); and Drapers' Brookside Infant School (0.9 miles, Good).
Hilldene Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
St Ursula's Catholic Primary SchoolBroadford Primary SchoolDrapers' Brookside Junior SchoolDrapers' Brookside Infant School
What parents say
74 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Hilldene Primary School (as of September 2025): 91% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 58% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (95%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (58%).
Who goes there
40.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (40%), Asian (18%) and Black (10%).
In 2026, 54 pupils (8.4%) received SEN support and 32 (5%) 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 Harold Wood Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Hilldene Primary School (->w), 80 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Hilldene Primary School issued 2 suspensions, 0.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Hilldene Primary School are Bower Park Academy (1.1 miles), The Royal Liberty School (1.2 miles), Drapers' Academy (1.5 miles) and Redden Court School (1.5 miles).
Bower Park AcademyThe Royal Liberty SchoolDrapers' AcademyRedden Court School
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); 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 December 2014, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's December 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Hilldene creates a happy, safe community where children enjoy coming to school and behave well. The school offers a broad curriculum with many enrichment activities, and staff work hard to support each child's individual needs. Parents are actively involved in their child's learning, particularly through reading support.
Key Strengths
- Strong behaviour and personal development - pupils are polite, well-behaved, and take on leadership roles
- Effective safeguarding arrangements with clear systems in place
- Good support for pupils with special educational needs through personalized help and wider agency involvement
- Reading is prioritized with high staff expectations and regular library visits
- Well-designed broad and balanced curriculum with high expectations for achievement
Areas for Improvement
- Phonics programme is not taught with consistent precision, limiting some pupils' reading progress
- Teaching in some subjects does not focus enough on helping pupils secure important knowledge and vocabulary
- Assessment is not used effectively to check what pupils have learned, leading to persistent gaps in understanding
- Early years children do not have enough opportunities to practice vocabulary and prepare for reading
- Leaders' checks on curriculum implementation have not been robust enough
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with governors maintaining good oversight and the school creating a positive culture around pupil safety.
Extracurricular Activities
Guitar, social enterprise club, library visits, Houses of Parliament trips, Roman castle visits, singing at care homes, school council, house captain roles, junior travel ambassador roles
Hilldene Primary School is a larger-than-average primary school where pupils are happy, safe, and well-behaved. However, the quality of education requires improvement because the planned curriculum is not being consistently implemented well enough to ensure pupils achieve highly.
At a Glance
23.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
74 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 57% to 76% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 49% to 68% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 63% to 69% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.6
Avg class size
27.8
Infant (KS1)
29.6
KS2
22
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 Hilldene Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Hilldene Primary School.
- Super Star Sport Essex After School Sports Care - St Ursula's210m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Hilldene Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Hilldene Primary School is in Havering; for families living there:
Apply to Havering for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 17
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 16 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
4 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 Havering is 23.5 (the median across 92 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 Hilldene Primary School
Will you get a place at Hilldene Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Hilldene Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Hilldene Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Hilldene Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Havering, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Hilldene Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Havering 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
621 pupils
630 places
9 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Romford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Romford
Across Havering council
Places available
3,373
Applications
3,066
Got 1st preference
91.5%
Got preferred school
98.6%
All primary applications across Havering council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
54
SEN Support
32
EHC Plans
13.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
643
Total Pupils
328
Boys
315
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
31
Teachers
20.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£58,309
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,953
Per pupil
£4060k
Total funding
£220k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.8%
Overall absence
17.6%
Persistent absence
564
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
Hilldene Primary School
Questions parents ask about Hilldene Primary School
What are SATs results like at Hilldene Primary School?
Of the pupils at Hilldene Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 76% reached the expected standard in reading and 68% did so in maths.
What is Hilldene Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Hilldene Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in December 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Hilldene Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Hilldene Primary School is oversubscribed, Havering allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Hilldene Primary School?
Hilldene Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Hilldene Primary School?
Classes at Hilldene Primary School average 28.6 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 Hilldene Primary School?
Hilldene Primary School has around 643 pupils on roll. 23% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Hilldene Primary School?
5.8% of sessions were missed at Hilldene Primary School in 2024/25. 17.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Hilldene Primary School?
Apply through Havering's coordinated admissions process, naming Hilldene 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 Hilldene Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Hilldene Primary School: Super Star Sport Essex After School Sports Care - St Ursula's (210m away, 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 Hilldene Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 16 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 4 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 Havering is 23.5 (the median across 92 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Hilldene Primary School?
Hilldene Primary School is at Grange Road, Romford, Essex, RM3 7DU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)