St John the Baptist Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Pebmarsh
The Street, Pebmarsh, Halstead, CO9 2NHOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
St John the Baptist Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Pebmarsh is a primary school in Halstead for ages 4 to 11. It is one of the 604 schools in Essex. It ranks 242nd of 387 primary schools in Essex. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in September 2011.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 12 September 2011, report published 30 September 2011
- Overall effectiveness
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years provision
- Good
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 6 July 2023
Pupils are happy and proud to attend St John the Baptist School. They enjoy learning. Teachers think carefully about how to make lessons build their knowledge in engaging ways. Well-chosen visits and visitors complement what they learn in the curriculum, for example about local geography. As a result, pupils are excited to learn. They are curious to find out more about social issues, such as refugees, and are keen to learn about the experiences of people whose lives may be different to their own. There are many opportunities for pupils to become more confident and develop their interests and skills. This is in line with the school's motto: 'let your light shine'. Pupils learn about democracy as part of elections to the school council. There are a range of clubs including art and musical theatre. Pupils are kind and tolerant. They treat adults and each other with respect. They behave very well in and out of lessons. Bullying is very uncommon. Pupils know that if pupils do misbehave or bully, teachers will make it stop. Pupils enjoy the support of a close-knit community in this small school. They feel safe and know that, if they have concerns, adults will help them.
What the school should improve
- While leaders have made significant improvements to the reading curriculum in Reception, Year 1 and 2, the assessment of older pupils' reading is not sufficiently precise. As a result, texts are not always precisely matched to their needs. This means they do not always get the support they need to become accurate and confident readers. Leaders should ensure that staff in all key stages are trained to assess all readers rigorously and that texts are precisely matched to pupils' needs.
- On occasion, teachers do not always have high enough expectations of what pupils can do. As a result, the curriculum is not always sufficiently ambitious to push learners to acquire knowledge as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that opportunities to extend pupils' knowledge and deepen their understanding are identified throughout the curriculum and that teachers are trained to adapt their teaching accordingly.
Exam results
SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25
10 pupils took the tests
Pupil numbers and mix
97 pupils on roll, with places for 105
Schools near St John the Baptist Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Pebmarsh
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colne Engaine Church of England Primary School | 2 miles | Ofsted: Good | 28% met the expected standard |
| St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, Halstead | 3 miles | Ofsted: Good | 82% met the expected standard |
| Earls Colne Primary School and Nursery | 3 miles | Ofsted: Good | 54% met the expected standard |
| St Giles' Church of England Primary School | 3 miles | Ofsted: Good | 67% met the expected standard |
| Richard de Clare Community Academy | 3 miles | Report card: Expected standard | 48% met the expected standard |
School details
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Sector
- Local authority maintained
- Age range
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Nursery classes
- No
- Headteacher
- Miss Teresa Gage
- Phone
- 01787269300
- Address
- The Street, Pebmarsh, Halstead, CO9 2NH
- Local authority
- Essex
- URN
- 115137
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.