Primary schools1 · best KS2 results first
Photo: Robert Lamb · CC BY-SA 2.0B+School Grade
Schools in Purfleet-on-Thames · DfE, Ofsted
Purfleet-on-Thames’s state schools get better results than 72% of towns in England
In reading, writing and maths together, 68% of Purfleet-on-Thames’s eleven-year-olds met the expected standard, above both Essex’s towns (64%) and towns in England (62%). 2 state-funded schools are located in Purfleet-on-Thames’s built-up area. Purfleet-on-Thames grades B+ for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #32 of 81 in Essex. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
State schools
2
1 primary, 1 secondary
Reading, writing & maths
68%
meet the expected standard at 11 · 2023–25
England’s schools: 62%
Attainment 8
47
GCSE average across 8 subjects · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47.3
Grade 5+ English & maths
45%
a strong pass in both · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47%
Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.
School Grade
Purfleet-on-Thames grades B+ for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (68% meet the standard)Better than 81% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (47 and 45%)Better than 53% of towns in England
The primary figure lifts Purfleet-on-Thames; the secondary figure holds it back.
Purfleet-on-Thames has 1 primary of its own with KS2 results, too few to judge on, so the primary figure uses the 19 graded primaries in and within 3 km of the town (3,904 pupils in results). Purfleet-on-Thames has 1 secondary of its own with GCSE results, too few to judge on, so the secondary figure uses the 4 graded secondaries in and within 3 km of the town (680 pupils in results). Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.
Map
Where Purfleet-on-Thames’s 2 state schools are
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Purfleet-on-Thames’s built-up area.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
PrimarySecondary (named)Special, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsABCDNo letter
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table.
Getting a place
How school places work in Purfleet-on-Thames
Thurrock Council handles applications for every state school in Purfleet-on-Thames, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Secondary (starting at 11)Apply by 31 October of Year 6. Offers on 1 March.
Primary (starting in Reception)Apply by 15 January before the September your child starts. Offers on 16 April.
Moving mid-yearApply to the council for an in-year place; it tells you which schools have room.
When a school is full
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Useful: Apply for a primary place (GOV.UK) · Apply for a secondary place (GOV.UK) · How admissions criteria work
How full each school is
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%; 1 school is at or over it.
Harris Academy Riverside101%
Purfleet incl. nursery98%
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
The schools
2 state schools in Purfleet-on-Thames
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Letters of Purfleet-on-Thames’s schoolsA 0B 2C 0D 0
Secondary schools1 · best GCSE results first
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Ofsted
Ofsted report cards
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 2 of Purfleet-on-Thames’s 2 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
| School | Safeguarding | Achievement | Curriculum and teaching | Inclusion | Attendance and behaviour | Personal development and well-being | Leadership and governance | Early years | Sixth form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris Academy RiversideApril 2026 | Met | Expected standard | Expected standard | Strong standard | Strong standard | Expected standard | Strong standard | — | Expected standard |
| Purfleet Primary AcademyMarch 2026 | Met | Expected standard | Expected standard | Expected standard | Expected standard | Expected standard | Expected standard | Expected standard | — |
After 16
Where Purfleet-on-Thames’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
The state secondary in Purfleet-on-Thames has its own sixth form. The nearest college is North Kent College, a further-education college 3.9 miles away.
Secondaries with a sixth form
1 of 1
state schools in Purfleet-on-Thames
Colleges within 12 miles
4
nearest: North Kent College
Grammar schools in Thurrock
0
no selective state secondaries
| College | Distance |
|---|---|
| North Kent CollegeFurther-education college · DA1 2JT | 3.9 mi |
| Barking and Dagenham CollegeFurther-education college · RM7 0XU | 5.9 mi |
| Newham College of Further EducationFurther-education college · E6 6ER | 8.5 mi |
| Christ The King Sixth Form CollegeFurther-education college · SE13 5GE | 10.4 mi |
Towns its size
155th of 567 English towns of 4,000 to 8,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Purfleet-on-Thames, and the top and bottom of the group.
| # | Town | Schools | KS2 | Attainment 8 | Grade 5+ E&M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bowdon Greater Manchester | A+ | 83% | 78.4 | 99% |
| … | |||||
| 151 | Wingerworth Derbyshire | B+ | 71% | 45.4 | 43% |
| 152 | Milton Cambridgeshire | B+ | 60% | 57.1 | 61% |
| 153 | Appley Bridge Greater Manchester | B+ | 63% | 51.3 | 51% |
| 154 | Ashingdon Essex | B+ | 72% | 45.4 | 42% |
| 155 | Purfleet-on-Thames Essex | B+ | 68% | 47 | 45% |
| 156 | High Lane Greater Manchester | B+ | 60% | 54 | 61% |
| 157 | New Alresford Hampshire | B+ | 64% | 48.8 | 51% |
| 158 | Meols Merseyside | B+ | 59% | 56.5 | 70% |
| 159 | Helsby Cheshire | B+ | 67% | 46.6 | 47% |
| … | |||||
| 567 | Amble Northumberland | D− | 35% | 32.7 | 16% |
Neighbours
Purfleet-on-Thames and the places around it
Coloured by School Grade.
AveleyChafford Hundred and West ThurrockDartfordSouth OckendonStoneSwanscombeGraysPurfleet-on-Thames
| Town | Schools | KS2 | Att. 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purfleet-on-Thames 2 schools | B+ | 68% | 47 |
| Aveley 3 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 1.4 mi | A | 80% | 48.8 |
| Chafford Hundred and West Thurrock 6 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 2.4 mi | A− | 73% | 47.2 |
| Dartford 23 schools · 2.8 mi | A+ | 70% | 60.4 |
| South Ockendon 8 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 2.9 mi | A− | 72% | 46.9 |
| Stone 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 3.1 mi | B | 70% | 43.9 |
| Swanscombe 4 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 3.5 mi | B | 65% | 44.7 |
| Grays 15 schools · 4.1 mi | B | 65% | 45.4 |
Dartford has the best-graded schools nearby (A+). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
- Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Purfleet-on-Thames: 10% (England’s average school: 8%).
- Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
- Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
- Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
- Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
- Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
- Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.
Questions about schools in Purfleet-on-Thames
Are schools in Purfleet-on-Thames good?
Purfleet-on-Thames’s state schools earn a B+ against schools across England: primary results beat 81% of towns in England; secondary results beat 53% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Thurrock council.
Do Purfleet-on-Thames secondary schools have sixth forms?
Yes, it has one.
How do I apply for a school place in Purfleet-on-Thames?
Through Thurrock Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
How many schools in Purfleet-on-Thames are full?
1 of 2 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as places, on DfE’s January 2026 census. A full school still admits by its rules, usually distance after siblings.
How many state schools are in Purfleet-on-Thames?
2 open state-funded schools are located in Purfleet-on-Thames’s built-up area: 1 primary, 1 secondary and 0 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.