Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #344 in Essex public Top 95% UK

Water Lane Primary Academy

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMiss Amy Rawlinson

corporate_fareREACH2 ACADEMY TRUST

location_onHarlow, CM19 5RD

language Visit Website phone 1279417410

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2017

groups

Students

194

school

Expected Standard

36%

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Demand Ratio

1.0x

summarize

Water Lane Primary Academy is a Academy sponsor led primary school in Harlow, serving ages 4-11. Rated Good by Ofsted. Ranks in the top 95% of primary schools nationally.

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School Summary

Water Lane Primary Academy is an academy sponsor led in Harlow, Essex, admitting pupils aged 4-11. It is part of REACH2 ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 184 pupils on roll, of whom 32% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 36% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, with 4% achieving the higher standard. The school ranks #344 of 387 primaries in Essex and #12,640 of 14,143 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2017. The school's current overall rating is Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 1.0× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 23.0:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 11.8 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

36%

LA 61%

Reading60% LA 74%

Writing76% LA 70%

Maths48% LA 72%

Read SS

100

Maths SS

GPS SS

100

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

27%

LA 60%England 61%

Reading42% LA 73% · Eng 74%

Writing54% LA 70% · Eng 72%

Maths35% LA 71% · Eng 73%

Read SS

101

Maths SS

GPS SS

100

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

48%

LA 59%England 60%

Reading66% LA 72% · Eng 73%

Writing69% LA 71% · Eng 71%

Maths52% LA 72% · Eng 73%

Read SS

102

Maths SS

GPS SS

102

Progress (0 = national avg)

-2.6

Read

LA -0.1

-5.1 to -0.1

-0.3

Write

LA 0.0

-2.6 to 2.1

-4.9

Maths

LA -0.3

-7.2 to -2.6

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

71%

LA 64%England 65%

Reading79% LA 73% · Eng 73%

Writing71% LA 77% · Eng 78%

Maths79% LA 77% · Eng 79%

Read SS

103

Maths SS

102

GPS SS

100

Progress (0 = national avg)

2.6

Read

LA -0.5

0.0 to 5.2

3.3

Write

LA -0.2

0.9 to 5.7

0.4

Maths

LA -0.6

-1.8 to 2.7

2018

R/W/M Expected Standard

65%

LA 63%

Reading91% LA 75%

Writing70% LA 77%

Maths78% LA 73%

Read SS

106

Maths SS

103

GPS SS

102

Progress (0 = national avg)

0.9

Read

LA -0.3

-1.5 to 3.3

0.2

Write

LA -0.2

-2.1 to 2.5

-0.7

Maths

LA -0.6

-2.9 to 1.5

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

10 May 2023

Inspection Report

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14 June 2017

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2017-06-14

Academy First Section 5 Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2013-01-17

None Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

6.5%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 0.8% for this term (primary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

4.3%(8 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 1.225% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 184 pupils. During this period, there were 12 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 6.5%, which is above the termly national average of 0.8%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg
2024/25 (Spring term)	184	12	6.5%	0.8%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	187	32	17.1%	0.9%
2023/24 (Summer term)	191	21	11.0%	0.8%
2023/24 (Spring term)	202	26	12.9%	0.7%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	203	37	18.2%	0.8%
2022/23 (Summer term)	196	3	1.5%	0.7%
2022/23 (Spring term)	194	2	1.0%	0.6%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	194	1	0.5%	0.6%
2021/22 (Summer term)	195	0	0.0%	0.5%
2021/22 (Spring term)	193	0	0.0%	0.5%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	193	0	0.0%	0.5%
2020/21 (Summer term)	187	0	0.0%	0.4%
2020/21 (Spring term)	190	0	0.0%	0.1%
2020/21 (Autumn term)	191	0	0.0%	0.4%
2019/20 (Summer term)	205	0	0.0%	0.0%
2019/20 (Spring term)	205	0	0.0%	0.4%
2019/20 (Autumn term)	203	1	0.5%	0.6%
2018/19 (Summer term)	192	0	0.0%	0.4%
2018/19 (Spring term)	197	0	0.0%	0.5%
2018/19 (Autumn term)	195	0	0.0%	0.5%
2017/18 (Summer term)	188	0	0.0%	0.5%
2017/18 (Spring term)	183	0	0.0%	0.4%
2017/18 (Autumn term)	179	0	0.0%	0.5%
2016/17 (Summer term)	179	0	0.0%	0.4%
2016/17 (Spring term)	181	0	0.0%	0.4%
2016/17 (Autumn term)	183	0	0.0%	0.5%

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 14 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 12 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 8 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 2 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 2 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils

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Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

89.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

92.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

34.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree52%

agree26%

disagree12%

strongly disagree6%

don't know3%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree48%

agree18%

disagree28%

strongly disagree6%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree45%

agree9%

disagree15%

strongly disagree8%

don't know3%

not applicable20%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes20%

no80%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree31%

agree15%

disagree15%

strongly disagree31%

dont know8%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree51%

agree35%

disagree3%

strongly disagree6%

don't know5%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree60%

agree26%

disagree5%

strongly disagree5%

don't know5%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree52%

agree20%

disagree17%

strongly disagree8%

don't know3%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree54%

agree32%

disagree5%

strongly disagree3%

don't know6%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree58%

agree26%

disagree9%

strongly disagree5%

don't know2%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree54%

agree18%

disagree14%

strongly disagree9%

don't know5%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes74%

no26%

Top Primary Schools in Essex

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

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Outstanding

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Lift Westerings

Good

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Outstanding

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Lee Chapel Primary School

Outstanding

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Hereward Primary School

Outstanding

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Perryfields Junior School

Outstanding

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View all schools in Essex arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Primary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Primary Schools in Essex

Kingston Primary School

Lift Westerings

Quilters Junior School

Lee Chapel Primary School

Hereward Primary School

Perryfields Junior School