Cherry Tree Academy, Colchester
Cherry Tree Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Colchester, part of Inspires MAT. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2022. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 18th-highest of the 66 schools in Colchester with published results, and 3,694th of 14,452 across England. It was 85% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2022)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
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
Cherry Tree Academy in detail
Cherry Tree Academy in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include dance, choir, STEM and cooking.
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 83% of Year 6 pupils at Cherry Tree Academy 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 were similar in 2024 (82% in reading, 88% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Cherry Tree Academy
For September 2026 entry, 14 families put Cherry Tree Academy as their first choice and 32 named it as one of their preferences, for 15 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Cherry Tree Academy are Monkwick Infant and Nursery School (0.8 miles, Good); Monkwick Junior School (0.8 miles, Good, 64% reading, 68% maths); Old Heath Community Primary School (1.2 miles, Good, 80% reading, 80% maths); and Montgomery Primary School, Colchester (1.4 miles, Good, 80% reading, 76% maths).
Cherry Tree Academy's 2025 results were higher than all 3 of them.
Monkwick Infant and Nursery SchoolMonkwick Junior SchoolOld Heath Community Primary SchoolMontgomery Primary School, Colchester
The trust
Cherry Tree Academy is one of 5 schools run by Inspires MAT, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 51% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
19 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Cherry Tree Academy (as of April 2026): 84% would recommend the school, 84% say their child is happy there and 25% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (84%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (25%).
Who goes there
38.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 10.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (70%), Black (8%) and Mixed (7%).
In 2026, 43 pupils (23.9%) received SEN support and 11 (6.1%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Cherry Tree Academy has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 8 places, 5 pupils on roll.
Staffing
Cherry Tree Academy had 13 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Wivenhoe Rail Station, about 2 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Cherry Tree (opposite), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 64 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Essex (97).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Cherry Tree Academy issued 2 suspensions, 1.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 5 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its February 2022 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
38.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Speech and language
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
19 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at April 2026 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 83% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 86% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 83% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.0
Avg class size
27.0
Infant (KS1)
27.0
KS2
5
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Cherry Tree Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Cherry Tree Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Cherry Tree Academy 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
- 4
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 1 serious and 2 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
1 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 Cherry Tree Academy
Will you get a place at Cherry Tree Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Cherry Tree Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Cherry Tree Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Cherry Tree Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Essex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Cherry Tree Academy for 2016 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
85%
Available places
176 pupils
206 places
30 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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
43
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
30.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Cherry Tree Academy has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 8 places, 5 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
180
Total Pupils
85
Boys
95
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
13.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,175
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,015
Per pupil
£1202k
Total funding
£88k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.5%
Overall absence
20.9%
Persistent absence
182
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Cherry Tree Academy
Questions parents ask about Cherry Tree Academy
What are SATs results like at Cherry Tree Academy?
Of the pupils at Cherry Tree Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 83% reached the expected standard in reading and 86% did so in maths.
What is Cherry Tree Academy's Ofsted rating?
Cherry Tree Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2022. At its previous graded inspection in 2018 it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Cherry Tree Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Cherry Tree Academy is oversubscribed, Essex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Cherry Tree Academy?
Cherry Tree Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 85% of its 206 places.
How big are the classes at Cherry Tree Academy?
Classes at Cherry Tree Academy average 27 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Cherry Tree Academy?
Cherry Tree Academy has around 180 pupils on roll. 38% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Cherry Tree Academy have specialist SEN provision?
Cherry Tree Academy has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 8 places, 5 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Cherry Tree Academy?
6.5% of sessions were missed at Cherry Tree Academy in 2024/25. 20.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Cherry Tree Academy?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming Cherry Tree Academy 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 Cherry Tree Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 1 serious and 2 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 1 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 Cherry Tree Academy?
Cherry Tree Academy is at Holt Drive, Mersea Road, Colchester, Essex, CO2 0BG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)