Ofsted rates the Brentwood primary strong for achievement, inclusion and personal development, its first report since the infant and junior schools merged.
Ofsted has rated St Thomas of Canterbury Church of England Aided Primary School in Brentwood at “strong standard” in three of the seven areas it inspected. The school on Sawyers Hall Lane met the expected standard in the other four, and its safeguarding standards were met.
It is the school’s first inspection under Ofsted’s new report cards, which replaced the single-word judgements such as “good” and “outstanding”. The inspection took place on 14 July 2026 and the report was published on 23 September. (Ofsted, St Thomas of Canterbury CE Aided Primary School, URN 115179)
It is also the first since the infant and junior schools on the site merged into one primary on 31 August 2023, according to the government’s schools register. (Get Information about Schools, URN 115179) Inspectors said leaders “have successfully led the amalgamation” and established “a shared vision, which staff understand”.
The junior school’s last inspection, in February 2023, found it “continues to be a good school”. (Ofsted, February 2023 report)
The grades
| Area | Grade |
|---|---|
| Achievement | Strong standard |
| Inclusion | Strong standard |
| Personal development and wellbeing | Strong standard |
| Curriculum and teaching | Expected standard |
| Attendance and behaviour | Expected standard |
| Early years | Expected standard |
| Leadership and governance | Expected standard |
| Safeguarding | Met |
“Strong standard” is the second-highest of Ofsted’s five grades, below “exceptional”. It means leaders are working above the standard expected of them. “Expected standard” means the school is doing what is required.
What the inspectors found
On achievement, the report opens: “Pupils achieve highly.” Inspectors said pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, and those who are more vulnerable, “make rapid progress across the curriculum from their starting points”. They found pupils “very well prepared for their next stage of education”.
On personal development, they wrote that pupils “develop into self-confident individuals who are ready for secondary school”. Pupils “speak confidently about the school’s values” and show “detailed knowledge of different faiths and beliefs”.
On inclusion, inspectors said leaders identify pupils’ needs accurately and “act quickly”, with “highly individualised” plans for pupils who need extra support.
The four areas graded expected standard carry the criticism:
- In a few subjects, staff “do not check pupils’ understanding closely enough” and do not always correct misconceptions, which “slows the progress that some pupils make”.
- The report says the amalgamation “has taken time to embed new ways of working”.
- Some pupils join the school part way through the year, which affects its attendance figures. Leaders have reduced persistent absence over time.
Ofsted’s two next steps are to make sure teachers consistently spot and correct misconceptions and give pupils “meaningful guidance on how to improve their work in some subjects”, and to keep working to reduce persistent absence.
Year 6 results
The report card carries the school’s Key Stage 2 results. In 2024/25, 69% of Year 6 pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, against 62% nationally. The school was above the national figure in each subject.
Over the last three years the combined figure averages 69%, against a national 61%.
The figures for disadvantaged pupils are weaker. Over three years, 36% of the school’s disadvantaged pupils reached the combined standard, against 46% of disadvantaged pupils nationally. Inspectors noted that leaders had “identified the need for more precise mathematics support for disadvantaged pupils”.
The school
St Thomas of Canterbury is a Church of England aided primary in the Diocese of Chelmsford. It had 523 pupils at the time of the inspection, against a capacity of 535. That is almost twice the national average for a primary school of 272 pupils.
About 23% of pupils have been eligible for free school meals in the last six years, close to the national average. The report names the chair of governors as Father Mark North.
What it means for you
- Parents choosing a Reception place for September 2027 can read the full report card on Ofsted’s website. The national closing date for Reception applications is 15 January.
- The grades are not comparable with old-style “good” or “outstanding” judgements. Ofsted now grades each area separately, so a school’s report card has to be read as a whole.
- Term dates for Brentwood schools, including the coming half terms, are on our school term dates page.
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