Water Lane Primary Academy, Harlow
Water Lane Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Harlow, part of Reach2 Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 29th-highest of the 30 schools in Harlow with published results, and 13,680th of 14,452 across England. It was 90% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2017)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
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
Water Lane Primary Academy in detail
Water Lane Primary Academy in its own words
Coming up: an open day on Monday 9 November 2026 and an open day on Monday 7 December 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils at Water Lane Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 48% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 76% in Essex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 42% in reading and 35% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Water Lane Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 20 families put Water Lane Primary Academy as their first choice and 28 named it as one of their preferences, for 23 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 Water Lane Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Water Lane Primary Academy are Milwards Primary School and Nursery (0.5 miles, Good, 87% reading, 90% maths); Katherines Primary Academy and Nursery (0.6 miles, Good, 80% reading, 75% maths); Kingsmoor Academy (0.7 miles, Good, 83% reading, 87% maths); and Jerounds Primary Academy (0.7 miles, Good, 88% reading, 88% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Water Lane Primary Academy.
Milwards Primary School and NurseryKatherines Primary Academy and NurseryKingsmoor AcademyJerounds Primary Academy
The trust
Water Lane Primary Academy is one of 65 schools run by Reach2 Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
31.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (52%), Black (8%) and Mixed (7%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Roydon Rail Station, about 2.4 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Herald (outside), 90 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 185 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. 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, Water Lane Primary Academy issued 60 suspensions, 32.6 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; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; 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 · 3 years agoThis judgement is from June 2017, 9 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its June 2017 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
32.3%
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 improved from 42% to 60% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 35% to 48% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 54% to 76% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.6
Avg class size
29.0
Infant (KS1)
27.3
KS2
5
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Water Lane Primary Academy
Newsletter 4 Autumn Term 2026
2 Oct 2026
Newsletter 3 Autumn Term 2026
25 Sep 2026
Newsletter 2 Autumn Term 2026
21 Sep 2026
Newsletter 1 Autumn Term 2026
11 Sep 2026
Newsletter 36 & 37 Summer Term 2026
3 Jul 2026
Newsletter 35 Summer Term 2026
22 Jun 2026
From Water Lane Primary Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Water Lane Primary Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Water Lane Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Water Lane Primary Academy 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
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 4 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were 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 Water Lane Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Water Lane Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Water Lane Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Water Lane Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Water Lane Primary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Essex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Water Lane Primary Academy for 2015 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
90%
Near capacity
188 pupils
210 places
22 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Harlow
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Harlow
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
32
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
19.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
198
Total Pupils
96
Boys
102
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
19.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,124
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,738
Per pupil
£1230k
Total funding
£88k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.6%
Overall absence
26.6%
Persistent absence
173
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
Water Lane Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about Water Lane Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Water Lane Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Water Lane Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 60% reached the expected standard in reading and 48% did so in maths.
What is Water Lane Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Water Lane Primary Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2017, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Water Lane Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Water Lane Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Essex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Water Lane Primary Academy?
Water Lane Primary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 90% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Water Lane Primary Academy?
Classes at Water Lane Primary Academy average 27.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Water Lane Primary Academy?
Water Lane Primary Academy has around 198 pupils on roll. 32% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Water Lane Primary Academy?
6.6% of sessions were missed at Water Lane Primary Academy in 2024/25. 26.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Water Lane Primary Academy?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming Water Lane Primary Academy 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 Water Lane Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 4 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were 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 Water Lane Primary Academy?
Water Lane Primary Academy is at Broadley Road, Harlow, Essex, CM19 5RD.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)