Howbridge Church of England Junior School

  • Primary
  • Academy
  • Ages 7 to 11
Ofsted: Good

Howbridge Road, Witham, CM8 1BZOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)

Howbridge Church of England Junior School is a primary school in Witham for ages 7 to 11. It is one of the 604 schools in Essex. It ranks 7th of 9 primary schools in Witham. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in November 2023.

Ofsted inspection

Inspected 21 November 2023, report published 15 January 2024

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

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 21 November 2023

The school threads the values of friendship, compassion and perseverance through school life at Howbridge. The school is inclusive. Pupils have a strong understanding of difference and show tolerance in their relationships with peers. Adults encourage pupils to work hard and have high aspirations. Pupils feel proud of their work. They enjoy their learning. Pupils use what they know to learn even more and are inspired by the work they do. They are creative in their work, and produce high-quality pieces of writing, artwork and musical compositions. Pupils participate in a range of activities out of the classroom, such as trips, the Community Speed Watch, fundraising, food collections and visits to the local care home. Pupils are proud of their school's sporting achievements, including recently winning a district sports event. The majority of pupils want to follow leaders' high expectations of how they should behave, and they behave well during lessons. However, there is a minority who find regulating their behaviour harder and need adult support. This prevents them, and sometimes other pupils, from being able to learn. A focus on outdoor play and learning to be social has made sure that pupils typically play well together at breaktimes.

What the school should improve

  • A few staff are not as well versed at managing the more complex behaviour of a few pupils. This means that some pupils struggle to learn in their lessons. The school should make sure that staff receive appropriate training for managing pupils' complex behaviour so that lessons are not disrupted.
  • The current system for recording behaviour incidents does not give a sufficiently clear view of patterns or trends. This hampers staff's ability to identify issues and possible solutions. The school should review the current system so that the monitoring and evaluation of actions to improve behaviour are sharper.

Exam results

SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25

95 pupils took the tests

Expected standard in reading, writing and maths51%

51%, 11 percentage points below the England average of 62%.

Higher standard in reading, writing and maths2%

2%, 6 percentage points below the England average of 8%.

Reading, average scaled score104

104, 2 below the England average of 106.

Maths, average scaled score102

102, 3 below the England average of 105.

Grammar, punctuation and spelling, average scaled score102

102, 3 below the England average of 105.

Pupil numbers and mix

356 pupils on roll, with places for 384

Eligible for free school meals28.1%

28.1%, 1.6 percentage points above the England average of 26.5%.

English as an additional language8.4%

8.4%, 13.2 percentage points below the England average of 21.6%.

Special educational needs support18%

18%, 3.2 percentage points above the England average of 14.8%.

Education, health and care plan2%

2%, 4 percentage points below the England average of 6%.

Schools near Howbridge Church of England Junior School

SchoolDistanceOfstedResults
Howbridge Infant School0.1 milesOfsted: GoodNot published
Holy Family Catholic Primary School0.1 milesOfsted: Good70% met the expected standard
Chipping Hill Primary School0.4 milesOfsted judgements: Good to outstanding67% met the expected standard
Acorn Infant Academy1 mileOfsted judgements: GoodNot published
Witham Oaks Academy1 mileOfsted: Good72% met the expected standard

School details

School type
Academy sponsor led
Sector
Academy
Trust
THE DIOCESE OF CHELMSFORD VINE SCHOOLS TRUST
Age range
7 to 11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England
Nursery classes
No
Headteacher
Ms Lucie Levett
Address
Howbridge Road, Witham, CM8 1BZ
Local authority
Essex
URN
140666

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.