John Ray Infant School, Braintree

From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to John Ray Infant School! It is with great pleasure that I extend a warm welcome to you all as the headteacher of this vibrant and nurturing educational community. At John Ray Infant School, we are dedicated to creating a safe, inclusive, and stimulating environment where every child is encouraged to explore, learn, and grow."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, hockey, tennis, athletics, gymnastics, choir, STEM and French.

For September 2026 entry, 89 families put John Ray Infant School as their first choice and 153 named it as one of their preferences, for 90 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.

The nearest other state primary schools to John Ray Infant School are John Ray Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 76% reading, 72% maths); St Michael's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School (1 mile, Requires improvement, 67% reading, 66% maths); Notley Green Primary School (1 mile, Good, 80% reading, 81% maths); and St Francis Catholic Primary School, Braintree (1.1 miles, Good, 93% reading, 90% maths).

John Ray Infant School is one of 28 schools run by The Compass Partnership of Schools, an academy trust.

Across the trust's primary schools, 77% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.

The nearest railway station is Braintree Rail Station, about 980 metres away (roughly a 12-minute walk).

9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is John Ray School (outside), 30 metres away.

In 2024/25, John Ray Infant School issued 1 suspension, 0.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to John Ray Infant School are Notley High School and Sixth Form (0.1 miles), Alec Hunter Academy (1 mile) and Tabor Academy (1.4 miles).