Cold Norton Primary School

  • Primary
  • Local authority maintained
  • Ages 4 to 11
Ofsted: Good

St Stephens Road, Cold Norton, Chelmsford, CM3 6JEOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)

Cold Norton Primary School is a primary school in Chelmsford for ages 4 to 11. It is one of the 604 schools in Essex. It ranks 17th of 45 primary schools in Chelmsford. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in March 2024.

Ofsted inspection

Inspected 19 March 2024, report published 7 May 2024

Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Early years provision
Good
Safeguarding
Met

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 19 March 2024

Pupils commend their school highly. They trust adults because they are fair and treat everyone equally. Adults listen to pupils and value their opinions. Pupils and adults get on well together. Pupils feel safe and cared for at school. Pupils are encouraged to lead on important issues that matter to them. They know the benefits of eating healthily and keeping fit. School and eco-councillors lead the campaign for healthy snacks with less packaging. Pupils are proud they can make a difference to school life. Playtimes are joyful. There are lots of activities to suit everyone. All pupils play happily together with older pupils looking out for younger ones. They help them in the lunch hall and organise games for them, such as with the parachute. Behaviour in some lessons is not always as good as it could be. Some pupils get distracted and do not work as hard as they should. Pupils enjoy learning and achieve very well. Leaders have identified aspects of the curriculum that need to improve. They are making changes, some of which are very recent. There is still some work to do before pupils benefit fully from these changes.

What the school should improve

  • Some staff do not yet have the training and expertise to be able to teach the new curriculum as well as they might. This hinders pupils' progress. Leaders must ensure staff have the subject knowledge and skills they need to teach the curriculum effectively.
  • Not all staff have sufficiently high expectations for pupils' behaviour during lessons. Sometimes pupils show low-level off-task behaviour and do not pay attention to their teachers. Leaders must ensure all staff address any incidents of off-task behaviour swiftly and effectively.

Exam results

SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25

23 pupils took the tests

Expected standard in reading, writing and maths70%

70%, 8 percentage points above the England average of 62%.

Higher standard in reading, writing and maths22%

22%, 14 percentage points above the England average of 8%.

Reading, average scaled score106

106, the same as the England average.

Maths, average scaled score107

107, 2 above the England average of 105.

Grammar, punctuation and spelling, average scaled score108

108, 3 above the England average of 105.

Pupil numbers and mix

157 pupils on roll, with places for 147

Eligible for free school meals7.6%

7.6%, 18.9 percentage points below the England average of 26.5%.

English as an additional language0%

0%, 21.6 percentage points below the England average of 21.6%.

Special educational needs support12.1%

12.1%, 2.7 percentage points below the England average of 14.8%.

Education, health and care plan1.3%

1.3%, 4.7 percentage points below the England average of 6%.

Schools near Cold Norton Primary School

SchoolDistanceOfstedResults
Purleigh Community Primary School1 mileOfsted: Good74% met the expected standard
Christchurch Church of England Primary School2 milesReport card: Needs attention to expected standard33% met the expected standard
Trinity St Mary's CofE Voluntary Aided Primary School, South Woodham Ferrers3 milesOfsted: Good31% met the expected standard
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, SWF3 milesOfsted: Good77% met the expected standard
Woodville Primary School3 milesOfsted judgements: Good67% met the expected standard

School details

School type
Community school
Sector
Local authority maintained
Age range
4 to 11
Gender
Mixed
Nursery classes
No
Headteacher
Ms Emily Penkett
Address
St Stephens Road, Cold Norton, Chelmsford, CM3 6JE
Local authority
Essex
URN
114904

School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.