St Luke's Park Primary School, Wickford
St Luke's Park Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Wickford, part of Quantum Multi-Academy Trust. It was 68% full in 2025.
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Below 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
St Luke's Park Primary School in detail
St Luke's Park Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "I am very proud to be the headteacher of St. Luke's Park Primary School, a lovely new school situated on St. Luke's Park development in Runwell. We opened in September 2022 and over the next 4 years we will grow into a single-form-entry primary school with a total capacity of 210 children across seven classes."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, karate, dance and guitar.
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Coming up: an open evening on Friday 13 November 2026, an open day on Thursday 3 December 2026 and an open day on Friday 4 December 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at St Luke's Park Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 26 families put St Luke's Park Primary School as their first choice and 54 named it as one of their preferences, for 26 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Luke's Park Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Luke's Park Primary School are Rettendon Primary School (0.7 miles); Runwell Community Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 79% reading, 67% maths); Hilltop Junior School (1.3 miles, Good, 77% reading, 79% maths); and Hilltop Infant School (1.3 miles, Outstanding).
Rettendon Primary SchoolRunwell Community Primary SchoolHilltop Junior SchoolHilltop Infant School
The trust
St Luke's Park Primary School is one of 8 schools run by Quantum Multi-Academy Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
43 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Luke's Park Primary School (as of September 2025): 84% would recommend the school, 93% say their child is happy there and 50% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (93%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (50%).
Who goes there
2.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (82%), Mixed (8%) and Black (5%).
In 2026, 33 pupils (18.8%) received SEN support and 5 (2.8%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Staffing
St Luke's Park Primary School had 10 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 Battlesbridge Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Bruton Link (w-bound), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 33 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Essex (97).
Suspensions and exclusions
St Luke's Park Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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 · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Luke's Park creates a warm, caring environment where children feel genuinely looked after by staff and part of a close community. The school excels at teaching reading through fun, engaging approaches that help pupils develop a real love of books. Staff go the extra mile to support all learners, including those with additional needs, ensuring every child can participate fully in school life.
Key Strengths
- Strong reading programme with engaging activities like book bingo and reading challenges that foster a love of books
- Excellent support for pupils with special educational needs through skilled staff and various communication methods
- Caring, close-knit community where pupils feel safe and supported by staff they trust
- Well-managed growth and thoughtful curriculum development across most subjects
- Positive behaviour and attitudes reinforced through school values and routines
Areas for Improvement
- Early years curriculum lacks clarity and does not help children build securely on what they know, leaving some unprepared for Year 1
- Gaps in pupils' foundational knowledge of grammar, punctuation and spelling limit their writing accuracy
- Teaching of writing is not effective enough to address gaps in foundational knowledge
- Some pupils' attendance has been lower than desired, though showing signs of improvement
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with strong procedures in place to keep pupils safe and supported.
Extracurricular Activities
British Sign Language, working with an artist, buddy system mentoring, termly walks exploring local history and changing seasons, singing assembly
St Luke's Park Primary School is a relatively new academy that opened in September 2022 and has grown to five classes serving pupils aged 4 to 11. The school is judged as Good overall, though its early years provision requires improvement.
At a Glance
17.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
43 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
29.0
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
28.7
KS2
4
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Luke's Park Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Luke's Park Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Luke's Park Primary 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
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 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
Your chances of a place at St Luke's Park Primary School
Will you get a place at St Luke's Park Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Luke's Park Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Luke's Park Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Luke's Park Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Essex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Luke's Park Primary School for 2023 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
68%
Available places
143 pupils
210 places
67 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Wickford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Wickford
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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
33
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
21.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
176
Total Pupils
85
Boys
91
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
17.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,472
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,274
Per pupil
£1059k
Total funding
£41k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.7%
Overall absence
10.3%
Persistent absence
117
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
St Luke's Park Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Luke's Park Primary School
What is the catchment area for St Luke's Park Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Luke's Park Primary 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 St Luke's Park Primary School?
St Luke's Park Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 68% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at St Luke's Park Primary School?
Classes at St Luke's Park Primary School average 29 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Luke's Park Primary School?
St Luke's Park Primary School has around 176 pupils on roll. 18% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Luke's Park Primary School?
6.7% of sessions were missed at St Luke's Park Primary School in 2024/25. 10.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Luke's Park Primary School?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming St Luke's Park 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.
How many road collisions happen near St Luke's Park Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 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 St Luke's Park Primary School?
St Luke's Park Primary School is at Liberty Way, Runwell, Wickford, Essex, SS11 7LH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)