Upshire Primary Foundation School, WALTHAM ABBEY
Upshire Primary Foundation School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Waltham Abbey. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 374th-highest of the 388 schools in Essex with published results, and 13,886th of 14,452 across England. It was 96% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Essex (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Upshire Primary Foundation School in detail
Upshire Primary Foundation School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to the Upshire Primary Foundation School. There has been a school at Upshire since 1874. It was then housed in a building on the Warlies Estate. The present school has been on this site since 1939. The buildings have been extended and altered a lot during this time."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 57% of Year 6 pupils at Upshire Primary Foundation School reached the expected standard in reading and 43% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 76% in Essex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 72% in reading and 74% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Upshire Primary Foundation School
For September 2026 entry, 25 families put Upshire Primary Foundation School as their first choice and 57 named it as one of their preferences, for 26 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 Upshire Primary Foundation School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Upshire Primary Foundation School are Hillhouse CofE Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 66% reading, 66% maths); Leverton Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 69% reading, 64% maths); Waltham Holy Cross Primary Academy (1.3 miles, Good, 84% reading, 82% maths); and High Beech CofE Primary School (2 miles, Good, 57% reading, 43% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Upshire Primary Foundation School.
Hillhouse CofE Primary SchoolLeverton Primary SchoolWaltham Holy Cross Primary AcademyHigh Beech CofE Primary School
What parents say
25 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Upshire Primary Foundation School (as of September 2025): 88% would recommend the school, 92% say their child is happy there and 80% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child does well at the school (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (80%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Waltham Cross Rail Station, about 2.7 miles away in a straight line.
1 bus stop is within a five-minute walk; the closest is Princesfield Rd (ne-bound), 280 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 62 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, vehicle crime and anti-social behaviour. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Essex (97).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Upshire Primary Foundation School issued 16 suspensions, 7.8 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; Ofsted Parent View; 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 November 2019, 6 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 March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Upshire Primary has created a welcoming community where pupils feel safe and valued. The school excels in teaching reading through quality phonics instruction and careful book choices that encourage children to love reading. Pupils develop strong personal qualities including confidence, empathy and respect for others through the school's well-planned personal development teaching.
Key Strengths
- Pupils achieve well in reading with effective phonics teaching and targeted support for struggling readers
- Strong personal development programme helps pupils build confidence, empathy and respect for others
- Good early years provision with learning opportunities linked to children's interests
- Effective support for pupils with SEND through personalised curricula and close work with parents
- Improved playtime experiences help pupils enjoy school and be ready to learn in lessons
Areas for Improvement
- Teachers lack information about gaps in pupils' knowledge in new curriculum subjects, meaning some learning activities are too challenging or not matched to what pupils can do
- Some pupils display persistent negative behaviour that disrupts their own learning and that of others, which is not being effectively challenged
- Early years curriculum does not map important knowledge and skills children need to be ready for some subjects in Year 1, leaving gaps in their understanding
- Teachers do not always design activities that effectively build on pupils' existing knowledge and skills
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with staff attentive to pupils' needs and pupils feeling safe at school.
Upshire Primary Foundation School is a primary school in Essex that requires improvement in the quality of education and behaviour, though it has good personal development and leadership. The school has undergone recent changes to its curriculum but needs to better assess what pupils already know before teaching new content.
At a Glance
31.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
25 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 declined from 72% to 57% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 74% to 43% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 50% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.7
Avg class size
27.7
Infant (KS1)
29.7
KS2
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Upshire Primary Foundation School
Upshire Achieves OPAL Gold! 🥇
2 Oct 2026
New Entrance Display
25 Sep 2026
New Staircase Display
11 Sep 2026
Decking
9 Sep 2026
From Upshire Primary Foundation School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Upshire Primary Foundation School
Before and after school care
Upshire Primary Foundation School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Essex
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Upshire Primary Foundation School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Upshire Primary Foundation 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
- 5
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 4 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 Upshire Primary Foundation School
Will you get a place at Upshire Primary Foundation School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Upshire Primary Foundation School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Upshire Primary Foundation School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Upshire Primary Foundation School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Essex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Upshire Primary Foundation School for 2014 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
96%
Near capacity
202 pupils
210 places
8 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - WALTHAM ABBEY
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for WALTHAM ABBEY
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(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
30
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
20.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
198
Total Pupils
92
Boys
106
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
22.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,107
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,639
Per pupil
£1305k
Total funding
£82k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.1%
Overall absence
20.8%
Persistent absence
178
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
Upshire Primary Foundation School
Questions parents ask about Upshire Primary Foundation School
What are SATs results like at Upshire Primary Foundation School?
Of the pupils at Upshire Primary Foundation School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 57% reached the expected standard in reading and 43% did so in maths.
What is Upshire Primary Foundation School's Ofsted rating?
Upshire Primary Foundation School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Upshire Primary Foundation School?
No fixed boundary. When Upshire Primary Foundation 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 Upshire Primary Foundation School?
Upshire Primary Foundation School was close to full in 2025, at 96% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Upshire Primary Foundation School?
Classes at Upshire Primary Foundation School average 28.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Upshire Primary Foundation School?
Upshire Primary Foundation School has around 198 pupils on roll. 32% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Upshire Primary Foundation School?
6.1% of sessions were missed at Upshire Primary Foundation School in 2024/25. 20.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Upshire Primary Foundation School?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming Upshire Primary Foundation 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 Upshire Primary Foundation School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Upshire Primary Foundation School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Upshire Primary Foundation School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 4 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 Upshire Primary Foundation School?
Upshire Primary Foundation School is at Upshire Road, Upshire, WALTHAM ABBEY, Essex, EN9 3PX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)