Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Colchester
Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Colchester. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 28th-highest of the 66 schools in Colchester with published results, and 6,110th of 14,452 across England. It was 94% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Essex (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School in detail
Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "We hope the information on this web page will give you a brief picture of our school. We trust that you will find it useful. Of course,the best way to find out about a school is to visit it. We are also very glad of any time that can be given to school by adults."
The school runs after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils at Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 86% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 76% in Essex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 56% in reading and 56% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 17 families put Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School as their first choice and 40 named it as one of their preferences, for 20 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School are Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School (1.6 miles, Good, 86% reading, 89% maths); Copford Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School (2.1 miles, Good, 94% reading, 91% maths); Lakelands Primary School (2.6 miles, Outstanding); and Stanway Fiveways Primary School (2.7 miles, Good, 77% reading, 73% maths).
Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolCopford Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolLakelands Primary SchoolStanway Fiveways Primary School
What parents say
59 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School (as of September 2025): 93% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 36% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (36%).
Who goes there
10.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 0.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 15 pupils (12.1%) received SEN support and 0 (0%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Marks Tey Rail Station, about 2.9 miles away in a straight line.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Lower Rd (adjacent), 380 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 1 crime within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Essex (97).
Suspensions and exclusions
Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from December 2019, 6 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Your child will attend a school where kindness and compassion are genuinely valued, where they'll make friends easily and feel safe. The school has a strong curriculum that carefully builds on what children already know, ensuring they understand maths and other subjects deeply. Reading is taught expertly, helping almost all children become confident readers quickly.
Key Strengths
- Pupils display exceptional behaviour, kindness and compassion with strong friendships across all ages
- Well-designed curriculum that builds knowledge carefully, with excellent support for pupils with SEND
- Almost all pupils become fluent and confident readers in their first few years
- High attendance rates with swift action if pupils miss too much school
- Staff are motivated, dedicated and receive strong training and support
Areas for Improvement
- Some older pupils have gaps in knowledge around grammar and punctuation, affecting writing quality
- The school's approach to teaching writing is not yet fully established across all year groups
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with the school creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Forest area activities, Eco-Bubbles company (recycling initiative)
Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has maintained the good standards from its previous inspection. The school is a welcoming community where pupils display kindness, behave exceptionally well, and benefit from a carefully designed curriculum delivered effectively by dedicated staff.
At a Glance
10.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
59 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 56% to 73% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 56% to 86% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 64% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.8
Avg class size
27.5
Infant (KS1)
23.0
KS2
5
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is in Essex; for families living there:
- Essex's school travel policy: Education Transport Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Essex is 9 (the median across 614 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Will you get a place at Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Essex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Essex got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
94%
Near capacity
131 pupils
140 places
9 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Colchester
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Colchester
Across Essex council
Places available
17,932
Applications
15,737
Got 1st preference
90.3%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All primary applications across Essex council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(7)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
15
SEN Support
0
EHC Plans
12.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
124
Total Pupils
69
Boys
55
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
7
Teachers
17.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,842
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,643
Per pupil
£801k
Total funding
£23k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.9%
Overall absence
11.8%
Persistent absence
119
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
What are SATs results like at Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Of the pupils at Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 73% reached the expected standard in reading and 86% did so in maths.
What is Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in December 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is oversubscribed, Essex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 94% of its 140 places.
How big are the classes at Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Classes at Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School average 24.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has around 124 pupils on roll. 11% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
4.9% of sessions were missed at Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School in 2024/25. 11.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Essex is 9 (the median across 614 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is at School Hill, Birch, Colchester, Essex, CO2 0LZ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)