John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery, Braintree
John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Braintree. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 15th-highest of the 16 schools in Braintree with published results, and 11,035th of 14,452 across England. It was 79% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below 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
John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery in detail
John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery in its own words
In its own words: ""Our school is a place where kindness leads, resilience grows and every learner is inspired to achieve their full potential with purpose and pride." This vision guides everything we do, from teaching and learning to relationships and the wider life of the school. We believe that children achieve their very best when they are safe, respected, supported, and inspired."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball, cricket, badminton, choir, Lego and gardening.
The school runs a breakfast club from 8:00am and after-school care, from £12.00 per session.
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils at John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery reached the expected standard in reading and 65% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 76% in Essex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 63% in reading and 64% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery
For September 2026 entry, 64 families put John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery as their first choice and 102 named it as one of their preferences, for 74 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 John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery are St Francis Catholic Primary School, Braintree (0.2 miles, Good, 93% reading, 90% maths); St Michael's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School (0.6 miles, Requires improvement, 67% reading, 66% maths); Great Bradfords Infant and Nursery School (0.9 miles, Good); and Great Bradfords Junior School (0.9 miles, Good, 76% reading, 67% maths).
John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
St Francis Catholic Primary School, BraintreeSt Michael's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolGreat Bradfords Infant and Nursery SchoolGreat Bradfords Junior School
Who goes there
41.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 121 pupils (24.2%) received SEN support and 23 (4.6%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Braintree Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Dale House (opposite), 170 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 190 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other theft. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Essex (97), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery issued 29 suspensions, 5.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery are Tabor Academy (0.2 miles), Notley High School and Sixth Form (1.4 miles) and Alec Hunter Academy (1.6 miles).
Tabor AcademyNotley High School and Sixth FormAlec Hunter Academy
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); 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 · 3 years agoThis judgement is from March 2018, 8 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 March 2018 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
41.3%
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 63% to 71% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 65% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 58% to 67% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.8
Avg class size
22.4
Infant (KS1)
26.3
KS2
18
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery 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
- 12
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 10 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot.
9 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 John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery
Will you get a place at John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery:
- The straight-line distance from your home to John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Essex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery 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
79%
Available places
499 pupils
630 places
131 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Braintree
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Braintree
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(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
121
SEN Support
23
EHC Plans
28.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
501
Total Pupils
273
Boys
228
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
25
Teachers
20.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,688
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,680
Per pupil
£3402k
Total funding
£347k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.5%
Overall absence
23.8%
Persistent absence
462
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
John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery
Questions parents ask about John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery
What are SATs results like at John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery?
Of the pupils at John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 71% reached the expected standard in reading and 65% did so in maths.
What is John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?
John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery?
No fixed boundary. When John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery is oversubscribed, Essex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery?
John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery was not full in 2025: it ran at 79% of its 630 places.
How big are the classes at John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery?
Classes at John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery average 24.8 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery?
John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery has around 501 pupils on roll. 41% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery?
7.5% of sessions were missed at John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery in 2024/25. 23.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery 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.
How many road collisions happen near John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 10 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot. 9 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 John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery?
John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery is at Lancaster Way, Braintree, Essex, CM7 5UL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)