Find the best primary schools in Brentwood. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and parent reviews.
Brentwood has 23 primary schools, all in Essex council's area. Most state schools here offer places by distance from home once children in care and siblings of current pupils have been admitted, so how close you live decides your chances at any school with more applicants than places. Some councils draw a fixed catchment boundary instead, and the distance at which the last place went changes every year. Of the 23, 12 are faith schools that can put children of their faith first, so distance counts for less there.
Use the distance checker to measure your home's straight-line distance to any Brentwood primary school, and each school's page for its Ofsted report, results and admissions details. Check your distance to a school or try the admissions calculator.
| School | Type | Our rating |
|---|---|---|
| Shenfield St. Mary's Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.9 / 5 |
| St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, South Weald | Church of England | 4.6 / 5 |
| Mountnessing Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.5 / 5 |
| Ingrave Johnstone Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | Church of England | 4.4 / 5 |
| St Helen's Catholic Junior School | Roman Catholic | 4.4 / 5 |
| Long Ridings Primary School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| St Helen's Catholic Infant School | Roman Catholic | 4.3 / 5 |
There are 23 primary schools in Brentwood.
Apply by 15 January for a Reception place starting that September. Children start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday. You apply to the council where you live, even if the school is in another council's area, and can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference. If you live in Brentwood, that council is Essex. Offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day.
Of the 23 primary schools in Brentwood, 12 have a religious character: 9 Church of England and 3 Roman Catholic. When a faith school has more applicants than places, it can give priority to children of its faith. Many ask for a supplementary form, sometimes signed by a religious leader, so read the school's admissions policy before you apply.
On our star rating, the highest rated are Shenfield St. Mary's Church of England Primary School (4.9), St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, South Weald (4.6), Mountnessing Church of England Primary School (4.5), Ingrave Johnstone Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School (4.4) and St Helen's Catholic Junior School (4.4). The rating is our own, out of 5. It combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and SATs results, with the parent survey carrying the most weight. Of the 23 schools here, 22 have enough published data for a rating.
| Ingatestone and Fryerning Church of England Junior School | Church of England | 4.1 / 5 |
| Holly Trees Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Doddinghurst Infant School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Larchwood Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| St Joseph the Worker Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 3.9 / 5 |
| Warley Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Hogarth Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Bentley St Paul's Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.7 / 5 |
| St Thomas of Canterbury Church of England Aided Primary School, Brentwood | Church of England | 3.6 / 5 |
| Hutton All Saints' Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.6 / 5 |
| Willowbrook Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Doddinghurst Church of England Junior School | Church of England | 3.5 / 5 |
| Blackmore Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Kelvedon Hatch Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| West Horndon Primary School | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| Ingatestone Infant School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
Our rating is out of 5 and combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and published results. Source: Department for Education (GIAS) and Ofsted.
Only when you qualify for more than one school. Each school ranks applicants against its own admission criteria without knowing where you placed it. If you qualify for several, the council offers the one you ranked highest, so putting a popular school first does not lower your chances at your second choice.
No. Distance only matters when a school has more applicants than places, and then it offers places in the order its admission criteria set out. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or catchment area. Faith schools and grammar schools use different criteria. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
The council offers a place at another school with room, which may be further from home. You can accept it and still join the waiting lists for the schools you preferred. Waiting lists are ranked by the admission criteria, not by how long a child has been on them. You can also appeal to an independent panel for any school that refused you. Appeals for Reception to Year 2 rarely succeed, because infant classes are limited to 30 pupils by law and a panel can only admit above that limit in narrow circumstances.