High Beech CofE Primary School

School overview

High Beech CofE Primary School is a primary school serving Loughton, Essex, classified by the DfE as a converter academy with a Church of England religious character. It has 92 pupils aged 4 to 11 on roll. At its most recent graded inspection, Ofsted rated High Beech CofE Primary School 'Good'. In the most recent Key Stage 2 SATs, 29% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — well below the national average of 61%. That is down 21.0 percentage points in the proportion reaching the expected standard on the previous year, though small year groups can make these figures swing sharply from year to 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 103 in reading and 101 in maths (national averages are about 105 and 104). Competition for places is real here - 81% of first-choice applicants were offered a Reception place for September 2026 (16 first choices for 15 places). The council's own allocation figures show the last child offered a place for 2025 lived 1.27 miles away in a straight line — that distance is not a fixed catchment and moves each year. Overall pupil absence was 6.1%. There are about 15.9 pupils per teacher. When you visit, you might ask how the school stretches its higher-attaining pupils and supports those who need to catch up. 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.