Schools by area › Essex › Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Primary · Mixed · Ages 4–11 · Voluntary controlled
Birchwood, Birchanger, Bishop's Stortford CM23 5QL · birchanger.essex.sch.uk · 01279 812362
On the mapSearch near CM23 5QL
Overview
- Ofsted
- Report card
- Apr 2026 · graded by area, with no overall grade
- Key stage 2, 2024/25
- 64%
- reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. Essex 63%, England 62%
- Last distance offered
- No limit
- Reception, September 2025 entry · Essex Council
- Demand for places
- 1.0
- first choices for each place · Reception, September 2026
- Pupils
- 93
- 79% of 117 places
- Local authority
- Essex
- Nursery class
- No
- Free school meals
- 10.8%
- First language not English
- 12.9%
- School census 2025/26
The official school record (Department for Education)
Admissions
For Reception in September 2025, everyone who applied was offered a place. Source: Essex Council’s document.
For Reception in September 2026, 10 families put the school first and 10 places were offered; 100% of those families were offered a place there. Admission depends on the school’s own rules.
First choices against places
| Reception | Places | First choices | Per place | % offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026Sept 2026 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 100% |
| September 2025Sept 2025 | 9 | 8 | 0.9 | 100% |
| September 2024Sept 2024 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 100% |
| September 2023Sept 2023 | 13 | 13 | 1 | 100% |
| September 2022Sept 2022 | 15 | 21 | 1.4▲ | 71% |
Results
In 2024/25, 64% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at the end of key stage 2, and 0% the higher standard. Across Essex it was 63%, and across England 62%.
Expected standard reading, writing and maths
| 2024/25 | Trend | School | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading, writing and maths | |||
| ●64% | 62% | ||
| ▼0% | 8% | ||
| Average scaled score | |||
| ●104 | 106 | ||
| ●104 | 105 | ||
| ●103 | 105 | ||
Ofsted
Ofsted inspected Birchanger Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School on 28 April 2026 and published a report card: each area has its own grade, and there is no overall grade.
- Inclusion: Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard
- Achievement: Expected standard
- Attendance and behaviour: Expected standard
- Personal development and well-being: Expected standard
- Early years: Expected standard
- Leadership and governance: Expected standard
- Inspected
- 28 Apr 2026
- Report card
- Safeguarding
- Met
Graded areas
| Inclusion | Expected standard |
|---|---|
| Curriculum and teaching | Expected standard |
| Achievement | Expected standard |
| Attendance and behaviour | Expected standard |
| Personal development and well-being | Expected standard |
| Early years | Expected standard |
| Leadership and governance | Expected standard |
Previously: Remains Good, ungraded inspection, May 2022
Earlier inspections
September 2019 to November 2025
May 2022Ungraded inspectionRemains Good
Safeguarding Effective
Before September 2019
Feb 2017Good
Outcomes for pupils Good Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good Leadership and management Good Early years Good Safeguarding Effective Feb 2015Requires improvement
Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years Good
What parents said
92% of the parents who answered Ofsted’s Parent View survey would recommend the school (25 replies, to 2 April 2023).
- Recommend
- 92%
- Replies
- 25
- 25% · 2 Apr 2023
based on the 76% who raised concerns
based on the 40% who had a child bullied