Squirrels Heath Primary School, Romford
Squirrels Heath Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Romford. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 6th-highest of the 34 schools in Romford with published results, and 2,822nd of 14,452 across England. It was 89% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Havering (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Squirrels Heath Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 85% of Year 6 pupils at Squirrels Heath Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 88% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 78% in Havering and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 86% in reading and 81% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Squirrels Heath Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 60 families put Squirrels Heath Primary School as their first choice and 234 named it as one of their preferences, for 89 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 Squirrels Heath Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Squirrels Heath Primary School are Hylands Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 81% reading, 74% maths); Towers Infant School (0.6 miles, Outstanding); Towers Junior School (0.6 miles, Good, 81% reading, 78% maths); and Gidea Park Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 81% reading, 80% maths).
Squirrels Heath Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 3 of them.
Hylands Primary SchoolTowers Infant SchoolTowers Junior SchoolGidea Park Primary School
Who goes there
25.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (42%), Asian (18%) and Mixed (12%).
In 2026, 46 pupils (7.7%) received SEN support and 33 (5.5%) 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
Squirrels Heath Primary School had 30 teachers in 2026, one for every 11 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Gidea Park Station, about 490 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Salisbury Road Romford, 150 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 371 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Havering (201), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
Squirrels Heath Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Squirrels Heath Primary School are The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls (0.4 miles), The Royal Liberty School (0.6 miles), The Campion School (1.2 miles) and Marshalls Park Academy (1.3 miles).
The Frances Bardsley Academy for GirlsThe Royal Liberty SchoolThe Campion SchoolMarshalls Park 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; 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 December 2018, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good and may be improving; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school creates an exciting place to learn where pupils genuinely enjoy their education and take pride in their work. Teachers have strong subject knowledge and carefully plan learning so pupils build skills step-by-step, from identifying skeleton parts to learning Latin names for body parts. The school excels at developing responsible, kind pupils who care about their environment and understand how to stay safe online.
Key Strengths
- Broad, well-sequenced curriculum with ambitious subject teaching and strong staff knowledge
- Excellent behaviour and warm relationships with high pupil motivation and independence
- Exceptional character development including responsibility for the environment and online safety
- Outstanding reading engagement with peer book reviews and phonics support
- Rich clubs offer and outdoor learning environments including sensory garden and biodome
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with pupils knowing there are trusted adults to speak to and being quick to report concerns.
Extracurricular Activities
French club with international communication, sporting events, Year 6 residential trip, rich and varied clubs offer, outdoor learning in sensory garden and biodome, organised games and activities at lunchtime
Squirrels Heath Junior School is a vibrant and friendly school where pupils achieve very well and behaviour is excellent. The inspection found evidence suggesting the school could be outstanding, with the next inspection being a graded inspection.
At a Glance
18.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 85% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 81% to 88% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 78% to 83% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.6
Avg class size
28.1
Infant (KS1)
29.0
KS2
19
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Squirrels Heath Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Squirrels Heath Primary School.
- Kidz Camp Essex Romford820m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Squirrels Heath Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Squirrels Heath Primary School is in Havering; for families living there:
Apply to Havering for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 40
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 8
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 40 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 38 slight.
8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 6 in a vehicle or otherwise.
8 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 Havering is 23.5 (the median across 92 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 Squirrels Heath Primary School
Will you get a place at Squirrels Heath Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Squirrels Heath Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Squirrels Heath Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Squirrels Heath Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Havering, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Squirrels Heath Primary School for 2026 entry.
- How many families in Havering 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
89%
Available places
343 pupils
386 places
43 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Romford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Romford
Across Havering council
Places available
3,373
Applications
3,066
Got 1st preference
91.5%
Got preferred school
98.6%
All primary applications across Havering council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(11)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
46
SEN Support
33
EHC Plans
13.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
600
Total Pupils
309
Boys
291
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
30
Teachers
20.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,000
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,527
Per pupil
£2094k
Total funding
£123k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.7%
Overall absence
10.8%
Persistent absence
371
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 Squirrels Heath Primary School
What are SATs results like at Squirrels Heath Primary School?
Of the pupils at Squirrels Heath Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 85% reached the expected standard in reading and 88% did so in maths.
What is Squirrels Heath Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Squirrels Heath Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in December 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Squirrels Heath Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Squirrels Heath Primary School is oversubscribed, Havering allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Squirrels Heath Primary School?
Squirrels Heath Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 89% of its 386 places.
How big are the classes at Squirrels Heath Primary School?
Classes at Squirrels Heath Primary School average 28.6 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Squirrels Heath Primary School?
Squirrels Heath Primary School has around 600 pupils on roll. 19% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Squirrels Heath Primary School?
4.7% of sessions were missed at Squirrels Heath Primary School in 2024/25. 10.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Squirrels Heath Primary School?
Apply through Havering's coordinated admissions process, naming Squirrels Heath Primary 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 Squirrels Heath Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Squirrels Heath Primary School: Kidz Camp Essex Romford (820m 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 Squirrels Heath Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 40 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 38 slight. 8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 6 in a vehicle or otherwise. 8 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 Havering is 23.5 (the median across 92 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Squirrels Heath Primary School?
Squirrels Heath Primary School is at Salisbury Road, Gidea Park, Romford, Essex, RM2 5TP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)