Primary school in Halstead, Essex
Richard de Clare Community Academy
Parsonage Street, Halstead, Essex, CO9 2JT
Ofsted
Graded Good at its last graded inspection, on 15 March 2022.
Ofsted stopped awarding single-word overall grades in September 2024. This grade is 4 years old and will not be updated — the school keeps it until its next inspection, which will not produce a replacement grade.
Key stage 2 results 2024/25
Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Reached the higher standard
Average reading score
Average maths score
On the headline measure this school is in the bottom quarter of state-funded primaries in England.
Compared with the fifth of schools whose intake is second most disadvantaged, which is where this one sits, it is in the bottom quarter.
There are no progress measures for primary schools any more. They were calculated from a key stage 1 baseline, and statutory key stage 1 tests ended in 2023, so nothing has been published since. That makes attainment the only official measure — and attainment tracks intake closely, which is why the comparison against similar schools above is the more useful of the two lines.
Pupils
- Pupils on roll
- 370
- Places
- 466
- How full
- 79% full — 370 of 466 places taken, so places are likely to be available
- Girls / boys
- 167 / 203
- Overall absence
- 7%
- Persistently absent
- 19%
primary schools average 5.2%
primary schools average 12.8% — pupils missing 10% or more of sessions
- Free school meals, last 6 years
- 33%
- English as an additional language
- 14%
- With an EHC plan
- 4%
- On SEN support
- 21%
England 25.7%
England 18.7%
England 3.5%
England 15%
The neighbourhood around the school
Census 2021 figures for Braintree 004B, the statistical neighbourhood the school sits in — roughly 1,500 residents. It describes the area, not the pupils, who may travel in from further away.
- Adults with a degree
- 24%
- Adults with no qualifications
- 19%
- Households owning their home
- 61%
- Households in social housing
- 21%
- Households with no car
- 16%
- Adults economically inactive
- 38%
England 33.8%
England 18.3%
England 62.7%
England 17%
England 21.9%
England 39.9%
School details
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- Ages 3–11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Sixth form
- No
- Nursery
- Yes
- Boarding
- Day school
- Trust
- BRIDGE ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Headteacher: Lucinda Bellett
- Local authority
- Essex
- Ward
- Halstead St Andrew's
- Constituency
- Braintree
- URN
- 143204
The unique reference number used in all official school data.
Nearest primary schools
| School | Ofsted | Expected standard | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holy Trinity Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, HalsteadVoluntary controlled school | Good 2023 | 60% | 0.4 mi |
| St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, HalsteadAcademy converter | Good 2022 | 82% | 0.6 mi |
| Gosfield Community Primary SchoolAcademy converter | Good 2023 | 35% | 2.1 mi |
| Colne Engaine Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy converter | Good 2023 | 28% | 2.4 mi |
| St Margaret's Preparatory SchoolOther independent school | No grade | — | 2.5 mi |
| St Giles' Church of England Primary SchoolVoluntary controlled school | Good 2023 | 67% | 2.7 mi |
| Earls Colne Primary School and NurseryFoundation school | Good 2023 | 54% | 3 mi |
| St John the Baptist Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School PebmarshVoluntary aided school | Good 2023 | 50% | 3.2 mi |
Schools with a similar intake
State-funded primary schools nationally whose share of disadvantaged pupils is closest to this school's. This is the fairest like-for-like comparison the published data supports.
| School | Ofsted | Expected standard |
|---|---|---|
| Cherry Orchard Primary SchoolCommunity school | No grade | 80% |
| St Thomas A Becket Roman Catholic Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school | Good 2023 | 75% |
| Paxton Primary SchoolCommunity school | Good 2024 | 64% |
| Beecroft Garden PrimaryCommunity school | No grade | 69% |
| Brindishe Green SchoolCommunity school | Good 2023 | 69% |
| St Margaret's Lee CofE Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school | Outstanding 2024 | 78% |
| St John's and St Clement's Church of England Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school | No grade | 73% |
| Saint Joseph's Catholic Primary School, the BoroughVoluntary aided school | Good 2023 | 83% |
Where these figures come from
- School details, address and pupil numbers — Get Information About Schools, the DfE register, as at 14 August 2026.
- Exam results — DfE performance tables, 2024/25.
- Free school meals, EAL and SEN — school census, 2024/25.
- Ofsted — Ofsted management information, latest inspections as at 30 June 2026.
- Neighbourhood figures — ONS Census 2021, lower layer super output area.
All published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. If something here looks wrong, the school's own website is the authority on admissions and open days.