Oaklands Infant School, Chelmsford
Oaklands Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 7 in Chelmsford, part of Bridge Academy Trust. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. It was 95% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2013)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Essex (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Oaklands Infant School in detail
Getting a place at Oaklands Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 40 families put Oaklands Infant School as their first choice and 155 named it as one of their preferences, for 54 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 Oaklands Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Oaklands Infant School are Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 88% reading, 84% maths); Moulsham Junior School (0.3 miles, Good, 87% reading, 79% maths); Moulsham Infant School (0.3 miles, Good); and The Cathedral Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Chelmsford (0.8 miles, Good, 94% reading, 94% maths).
Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Primary SchoolMoulsham Junior SchoolMoulsham Infant SchoolThe Cathedral Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Chelmsford
The trust
Oaklands Infant School is one of 11 schools run by Bridge Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 58% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
88 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Oaklands Infant School (as of September 2025): 97% would recommend the school, 98% say their child is happy there and 78% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (99%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (78%).
Who goes there
7.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 29.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (70%) and Asian (11%).
In 2026, 30 pupils (17.9%) received SEN support and 1 (0.6%) 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.
Staffing
Oaklands Infant School had 12 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Chelmsford Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Vicarage Road (sw-bound), 50 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Oaklands Infant School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 609 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. 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, Oaklands Infant School issued 10 suspensions, 5.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Oaklands Infant School are Moulsham High School (0.5 miles); King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford (1.1 miles); Great Baddow High School (1.1 miles); and Hylands School (1.3 miles).
Moulsham High SchoolKing Edward VI Grammar School, ChelmsfordGreat Baddow High SchoolHylands School
Sources: 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
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 October 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
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Oaklands Infant School excels at creating confident, curious learners who thrive in a nurturing environment. Staff have strong subject knowledge and use effective teaching to help all pupils master key skills, including exceptional support for children who need extra help. The school offers a rich, ambitious curriculum that helps children understand the world around them and become well-rounded individuals.
Key Strengths
- Well-designed curriculum that builds knowledge progressively from early years, with effective support for pupils with lower starting points
- Strong phonics programme taught with consistency, fostering a love of reading from Reception onwards
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND, with highly skilled staff who adapt learning so pupils can progress quickly
- High attendance rates and secure oversight of pupil attendance
- Extensive personal development opportunities including trips, community work, and learning about different religions and cultures
Areas for Improvement
- Inconsistent enforcement of behaviour expectations outside the classroom - pupils do not always follow the school's code when not in class, and staff do not consistently address behaviour that falls short of expectations
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with strong oversight and a positive culture that prioritises pupils' interests.
Extracurricular Activities
School trips, community visits to elderly residents, charity fundraising, dancing on outdoor stage, religious and cultural learning experiences
Oaklands Infant School is an outstanding school where pupils thrive in a warm, supportive environment with an ambitious curriculum. The school has been rated Outstanding for quality of education, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision.
At a Glance
7.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
88 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
28.0
Avg class size
28.0
Infant (KS1)
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Oaklands Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Oaklands Infant School.
- Kings Camps470m away · Not yet graded
- Activitots Holiday Club470m away · Not yet graded
- Moulsham Infant School - Out of School520m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Oaklands Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Oaklands Infant 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
- 33
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 33 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 27 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 Oaklands Infant School
Will you get a place at Oaklands Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Oaklands Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Oaklands Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Oaklands Infant School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Essex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Oaklands Infant School for 2019 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
95%
Near capacity
171 pupils
180 places
9 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Chelmsford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Chelmsford
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(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
30
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
18.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
168
Total Pupils
87
Boys
81
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
14.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,945
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,311
Per pupil
£991k
Total funding
£9k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.5%
Overall absence
6.4%
Persistent absence
125
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
Questions parents ask about Oaklands Infant School
What is Oaklands Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Oaklands Infant School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2013, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Oaklands Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Oaklands Infant 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 Oaklands Infant School?
Oaklands Infant School was close to full in 2025, at 95% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Oaklands Infant School?
Classes at Oaklands Infant School average 28 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Oaklands Infant School?
Oaklands Infant School has around 168 pupils on roll. 7% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Oaklands Infant School?
3.5% of sessions were missed at Oaklands Infant School in 2024/25. 6.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Oaklands Infant School?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming Oaklands Infant 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 Oaklands Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 3 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Oaklands Infant School: Kings Camps (470m away, registered, not yet graded), Activitots Holiday Club (470m away, registered, not yet graded) and Moulsham Infant School - Out of School (520m 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 Oaklands Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 33 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 27 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 Oaklands Infant School?
Oaklands Infant School is at Vicarage Road, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 9PH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)