Parkwood Academy

School overview

Parkwood Academy is a primary school serving Chelmsford, Essex, classified by the DfE as a sponsor-led academy. It has 210 pupils aged 3 to 11 on roll. At its most recent graded inspection, Ofsted rated Parkwood Academy 'Requires improvement'. 66% of its pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at the end of Key Stage 2, above the national average (national figure: 61%). The proportion reaching the expected standard has risen by 29.0 percentage points year on year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the lower half of primary schools nationally.

Pupils achieved an average scaled score of 104 in reading and 105 in maths (national averages are about 105 and 104). 3% reached the higher standard across all three subjects (around 8% do so nationally). Getting a place is straightforward: for the September 2026 intake every family who made Parkwood Academy their first choice was offered one of its 19 Reception places. Overall pupil absence was 5.6%. There are about 21.5 pupils per teacher. The school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage: about 40% of pupils have been eligible for free school meals in the last six years, compared with roughly 24% nationally — useful context when reading the results above. If you are considering Parkwood Academy, it may be worth asking how leaders have responded to Ofsted's findings and what has changed since the inspection. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.