Katherine Semar Junior School, Saffron Walden
Katherine Semar Junior School is a primary school for pupils aged 7 to 11 in Saffron Walden, part of Saffron Academy Trust. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 5th-highest of the 11 schools in Saffron Walden with published results, and 1,757th of 14,452 across England. It was 93% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2013)
- Capacity
- 93% full
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Katherine Semar Junior School in detail
Results
In 2025, 88% of Year 6 pupils at Katherine Semar Junior School reached the expected standard in reading and 91% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 76% in Essex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 87% in reading and 84% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Katherine Semar Junior School
Across Essex, 90% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 98% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2026, families in Essex lodged 375 appeals against primary school offers; 241 reached a hearing and 31 succeeded (12.9% of those heard).
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Katherine Semar Junior School are Katherine Semar Infant School (under 0.1 miles, Outstanding); St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, Saffron Walden (0.6 miles, Good, 97% reading, 94% maths); R A Butler Infant School (0.7 miles, Good); and R A Butler Junior School (0.7 miles, Outstanding, 93% reading, 93% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Katherine Semar Junior School.
Katherine Semar Infant SchoolSt Thomas More Catholic Primary School, Saffron WaldenR A Butler Infant SchoolR A Butler Junior School
The trust
Katherine Semar Junior School is one of 9 schools run by Saffron Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 76% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
112 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Katherine Semar Junior School (as of September 2025): 95% would recommend the school, 97% say their child is happy there and 70% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (97%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (70%).
Who goes there
13.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
Staffing
Katherine Semar Junior School had 16 teachers in 2026, one for every 16 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Audley End Rail Station, about 1.7 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Katherine Semar School (opposite), 70 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Katherine Semar Junior School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 48 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Essex (97).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Katherine Semar Junior School issued 1 suspension, 0.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; 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
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from September 2013, 13 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
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school truly excels at creating a nurturing environment where children thrive academically and develop into respectful, confident citizens. Teachers use a consistent, well-structured approach that helps pupils confidently master new knowledge and vocabulary. The school goes the extra mile to ensure every child - including those with additional needs - gets the support they need to succeed, with a vast range of clubs and activities so no child is left out.
Key Strengths
- Exemplary behaviour in class and around the school with pupils showing excellent learning behaviours and love of learning
- Ambitious, carefully sequenced curriculum with clear progression year-on-year, particularly strong reading programme with well-trained adults supporting all pupils
- Highly effective teaching with consistent approach ensuring pupils remember key knowledge and vocabulary securely
- Well-supported pupils with SEND who access same learning as peers or bespoke approaches suited to their needs
- Wide range of clubs, sports, music and performances ensuring all pupils participate in enrichment opportunities
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports clubs, sports squads, arts clubs, music clubs, competitions, performances, trips to places of worship, library monitors programme, play leaders programme
Katherine Semar Junior School strives to be a 'nurturing school of exceptional quality' and achieves this vision, with pupils feeling safe, well cared for, and achieving very high standards both academically and wider. The school received Outstanding grades across all areas inspected: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.
At a Glance
13.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
112 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 remained stable at around 88% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 84% to 91% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 90% to 85% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.4
Avg class size
28.4
KS2
9
Total classes
3 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Katherine Semar Junior School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Katherine Semar Junior School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Katherine Semar Junior 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)
- Collisions
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
93%
Near capacity
250 pupils
270 places
20 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.
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
33
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
16.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
256
Total Pupils
115
Boys
141
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
16
Teachers
16.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,074
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,955
Per pupil
£1323k
Total funding
£50k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.1%
Overall absence
3.5%
Persistent absence
254
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
Katherine Semar Junior School
Questions parents ask about Katherine Semar Junior School
What are SATs results like at Katherine Semar Junior School?
Of the pupils at Katherine Semar Junior School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 88% reached the expected standard in reading and 91% did so in maths.
What is Katherine Semar Junior School's Ofsted rating?
Katherine Semar Junior School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2013, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Katherine Semar Junior School?
No fixed boundary. When Katherine Semar Junior 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 Katherine Semar Junior School?
Katherine Semar Junior School was not full in 2025: it ran at 93% of its 270 places.
How big are the classes at Katherine Semar Junior School?
Classes at Katherine Semar Junior School average 28.4 pupils (2025/26). 3 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Katherine Semar Junior School?
Katherine Semar Junior School has around 256 pupils on roll. 13% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Katherine Semar Junior School?
3.1% of sessions were missed at Katherine Semar Junior School in 2024/25. 3.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Katherine Semar Junior School?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming Katherine Semar Junior School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Katherine Semar Junior School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Katherine Semar Junior School?
Katherine Semar Junior School is at Ross Close, Saffron Walden, Essex, CB11 4DU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)