Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 12 Nov 2024
Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 144834.
Pupils at the January school census.
| Measure | This school |
|---|---|
| Total pupils | 237 |
| Girls | 111 |
| Boys | 126 |
| Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals. | 8.9% |
| First language not English | 3% |
| School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery. | 225 |
| Pupils excluding nurseryPupils who take up school places. | 199 |
| Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken. | 11.6% |
| SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school. | 18 |
| EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs. | 5 |
| Average class size | 28.1 |
Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.
Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.
Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.
Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.
| Measure | This school |
|---|---|
| Pupils per teacher | 26.3 |
| Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants. | 15.2 |
| Teachers (FTE) | 9 |
| Teaching assistants (FTE) | 4.48 |
| Support staff (FTE) | 11.41 |
| Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/25 | 9 |
| Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/25 | 7 |
| Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/25 | 0 |
| Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/25 | 2 |
Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.
Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.
| Measure | This school |
|---|---|
| Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day. | 57 |
| Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed. | 140 |
| First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice. | 57 |
| First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place. | 57 |
| Applications from another local authority (Reception) | 1 |
Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.
Share of possible sessions missed.
| Measure | This school | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall absence | 4.8%, similar to England, similar to Essex | 5.3% | 5.1% |
| Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions. | 9.8%, better than England, better than Essex | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions. | 1.5%, similar to England, similar to Essex | 1.2% | 1% |
Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.
Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.
| Measure | This school |
|---|---|
| Suspension rate | 3.3% |
| Pupils with one or more suspensions | 1% |
| Permanent exclusion rate | 0% |
| Permanent exclusions | 0 |
Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.
Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.
| Distance | Phase | Name | Type | Rating | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 mi | Primary | Hilltop Junior School | Academy sponsor led | Good Area360 rating. Inspected 16 Jun 2026. | |
| 0.2 mi | Secondary | Beauchamps High School | Foundation school | Good Area360 rating. Inspected 28 Jan 2025. | |
| 0.4 mi | Primary | The Wickford Church of England School | Academy converter | Outstanding Ofsted rating. Inspected 13 Sept 2023. | |
| 0.9 mi | Primary | Runwell Community Primary School | Academy converter | Requires improvement Area360 rating. Inspected 10 Dec 2024. | |
| 0.9 mi | Primary | North Crescent Primary School | Academy sponsor led | Good Ofsted rating. Inspected 17 Apr 2024. | |
| 1.0 mi | Primary | Wickford Primary School | Community school | Good Ofsted rating. Inspected 10 Jan 2023. | |
| 1.0 mi | Primary | Abacus Primary School | Community school | Good Ofsted rating. Inspected 23 Nov 2016. | |
| 1.1 mi | Primary | Oakfield Primary School | Community school | Good Ofsted rating. Inspected 16 Jul 2024. | |
| 1.3 mi | Primary | St Luke's Park Primary School | Free schools | Good Area360 rating. Inspected 7 May 2025. | |
| 1.5 mi | Primary | Grange Primary School | Community school | Good Ofsted rating. Inspected 28 Mar 2023. |
Hilltop Infant School is rated Outstanding, last inspected on 12 Nov 2024. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.
For Reception entry in 2026/27, Hilltop Infant School made 57 offers from 140 applications (2.5 per offer), and 57 of 57 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.
Hilltop Infant School has 237 pupils aged 2 to 7.
Hilltop Infant School had 225 school places in 2024/25.
At Hilltop Infant School, the average class had 28.1 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 26.3 pupils per teacher.
In 2025/26, pupils at Hilltop Infant School missed 4.8% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 9.8% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).
Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.