R J Mitchell Primary School, Hornchurch

Requires Improvement
Primary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~314m)Possible (~448m)Unlikely (~582m)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Ms Catherine Deighan
Pupils:268 / 291 capacity
LA:Havering
Phone:01708551684
Address:Tangmere Crescent, Hornchurch, RM12 5PP
Federation:The Aspire Learning Federation
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 January 1999

Ofsted Rating

Requires Improvement

Overall

URN:131590
UKPRN:10076706
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Dagenham and Rainham
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

R J Mitchell Primary School excels at supporting all children to feel valued and included, with particularly strong provision for pupils with additional needs through specialist staff expertise and tailored resources. The school creates a warm, welcoming environment where children enjoy learning and developing important life skills through enriching experiences like museum visits, community service and work experience. Staff are approachable and supportive, with leaders creating a positive workplace culture that parents and staff genuinely appreciate.

Key Strengths

  • Exceptional inclusion provision with strong support for pupils with additional needs through nurture groups, adapted resources and external agency partnerships
  • Effective safeguarding culture where concerns are actively identified and managed, keeping pupils safe
  • Strong personal development programme offering enriching experiences including after-school clubs, community involvement and educational visits
  • High-quality early years curriculum focused on communication and language development
  • Positive behaviour across the school with pupils showing respect and collaboration

Areas for Improvement

  • Early writing skills not secure enough - pupils lack fluency and accuracy in pencil grip, letter formation, spelling and punctuation
  • Teaching does not always build sufficiently on pupils' prior knowledge, causing them to struggle with more complex curriculum content
  • Pupil attendance remains below national average with too many persistently absent from school
  • Not enough pupils achieving age-appropriate expectations in national tests, leaving some unprepared for their next stage of education

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed, helping pupils feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

After-school clubs (Spanish, football), visits from emergency services, museum and gallery visits, visits to local places of interest (farm, Chalkwell Beach, Hornchurch Country Park), peer mentor programme, school council, community food bank support, work experience day at a bank

R J Mitchell Primary School is an inclusive primary school where leaders have established a strong culture of safeguarding and are ambitious for all pupils, particularly those with additional needs. The school has particular strengths in inclusion and personal development, though there are areas requiring improvement in writing skills and pupil attendance.

At a Glance

28.1%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder

SEN Provision

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-3ppMaths-7ppWriting+2pp

Reading has remained stable at around 60%. Maths has declined from 67% to 60%. Writing has remained stable at around 55%.

Class Sizes

17.3

Avg class size

16.0

Infant (KS1)

22.8

KS2

16

Total classes

1 class with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Tube / Metro / Tram

Elm Park Underground Station
950m · 15 min walk
Elm Park Station
950m · 15 min walk

Bus Stops

Gosport Drive (Stop C)
173m · 3 min walk
Wood Lane Hornchurch (Stop H)
183m · 3 min walk
Heron Flight Avenue (Stop J)
185m · 3 min walk
Dowding Way (Stop K)
366m · 6 min walk
Sarre Avenue (Stop B)
382m · 6 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

92%

Near capacity

268 pupils

291 capacity

23 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Hornchurch

High pressure
New homes approved:896
Projected new pupils:224

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Hornchurch

Admissions Demand - Havering

Low demand0.89x oversubscription

Places available

3,462

Applications

3,096

Got 1st preference

89.8%

Got preferred school

98.4%

Primary admissions across Havering (2025/26)

Inspection History(109)

Date not published by Ofsted
Requires Improvement
Date not published by Ofsted
Requires Improvement
Date not published by Ofsted
Requires Improvement

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

7.44084%

Overall absence

22.97297%

Persistent absence

296

Enrolments

Authorised6.44565%
Unauthorised0.99519%
Persistent (10%+)22.97297%
Severe (50%+)1.01351%

Absence trend

4.91551%
18/19
3.73894%
20/21
7.78411%
21/22
8.24101%
22/23
7.75955%
23/24
7.44084%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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