⌘ K
Overview
SCHOOL PROFILE

Downham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Primary Academy converter URN 152141
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 210 Published school capacity
Capacity used 82.4% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 5 – 11 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

29 September 2021
Latest published outcome School remains Good
Published 10 November 2021 View Ofsted record
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Primary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Church of England
Local authority Essex
Trust BERLESDUNA ACADEMY TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 173 173 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 89 51.4% of pupils
Male pupils 84 48.6% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

6.9%
17.9 pts below England
School 6.9%
Chelmsford 14.4%
East of England 19.7%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

0.6%
19.7 pts below England
School 0.6%
Chelmsford 11.6%
East of England 16.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.0%
1.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
Chelmsford 1.3%
East of England 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
88.4%
153
Gypsy / Roma
2.9%
5
White and Black African
2.3%
4
White and Asian
1.7%
3
Any other White background
1.2%
2
Irish
1.2%
2
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 11.0% 19 of 173 pupils
9.8 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 11.0%
Chelmsford 16.0%
East of England 19.8%
England 20.8%
SEN support 8.7% 15 pupils
England 14.8% 6.1 pts below
EHC plans 2.3% 4 pupils
England 6.0% 3.7 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Speech, language & communication 8
Autistic spectrum disorder 3
Social, emotional & mental health 3
Moderate learning difficulty 2
Specific learning difficulty 2
Physical disability 1

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open primary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

82.4% 5.8 pts below England
Downham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
82.4%
Chelmsford
91.7%
East of England
87.4%
England
88.2%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information