In 2012, New Hall School was invited to become the first independent school in the country to sponsor a state primary school that was seeking to become an Academy under the new Government scheme.  Our Governing Body responded to this request for assistance from the Department for Education and the Governing Body of Messing Primary School. The new academy, sponsored by New Hall, formally opened in September 2013, forming the New Hall Multi Academy Trust (NHMAT).

Messing Primary School, 15 miles northeast of Chelmsford, is a rural village school, with a small number of pupils and staff. The school was built in 1914 and serves the villages of Messing, Inworth and the wider community. The primary school grounds are home to a three-room school house, a play area, sensory garden and outside classroom with a recent acquisition of an allotment adjacent to the school proving excellent opportunities for all pupils to take part in planting and harvesting their produce. We believe schools like this are hugely important to village life and, over the years, we have enjoyed working with a number of local schools.

In the 2018/19 academic year, Messing Primary School roll increased significantly ahead of target, to 84 pupils by September 2019.  The primary school was rated by Ofsted as ‘good with outstanding leadership and management, outstanding personal development, behaviour and welfare, and outstanding Early Years provision’ in 2019.

The partnership enables pupils from Messing Primary School to benefit from the wealth of experience of dedicated subject-specialist teachers from New Hall, including staff specialising in PE who teach at Messing Primary School at different times throughout the week.  Pupils from Messing Primary School join New Hall for occasional lessons in other subjects and quizzes.  The primary school also shares the use of the outstanding facilities on offer at New Hall, including our 25-metre indoor swimming pool where they can receive swimming lessons, free of charge, from the dedicated swimming coaches at New Hall. The partnership has also facilitated improved access to ICT resources during teaching and learning sessions at the primary school.