Gosbecks Primary School, Colchester
Gosbecks Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Colchester. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 57th-highest of the 66 schools in Colchester with published results, and 11,772nd of 14,452 across England. It was 92% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- 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
Gosbecks Primary School in detail
Gosbecks Primary School in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care, from £6 per session.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils at Gosbecks Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 60% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 76% in Essex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 57% in reading and 65% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Gosbecks Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 22 families put Gosbecks Primary School as their first choice and 63 named it as one of their preferences, for 22 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Gosbecks Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Gosbecks Primary School are Prettygate Junior School (0.5 miles, Good, 89% reading, 89% maths); Prettygate Infant School (0.5 miles, Good); Kings Ford Academy (0.5 miles, Good, 55% reading, 41% maths); and King's Ford Infant School and Nursery (0.5 miles, Good).
Gosbecks Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 2 schools.
Prettygate Junior SchoolPrettygate Infant SchoolKings Ford AcademyKing's Ford Infant School and Nursery
Who goes there
2.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (83%) and Mixed (7%).
In 2026, 53 pupils (23.3%) received SEN support and 8 (3.5%) 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 Colchester City Rail Station, about 2 miles away in a straight line.
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Gosbecks Road (se-bound), 110 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Gosbecks Primary School issued 36 suspensions, 14.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Gosbecks Primary School are Paxman Academy (0.2 miles), Philip Morant School and College (0.7 miles), St Benedict's Catholic College (1 mile) and Colchester County High School for Girls (1 mile).
Paxman AcademyPhilip Morant School and CollegeSt Benedict's Catholic CollegeColchester County High School for Girls
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); 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 · 3 years agoThis judgement is from September 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its September 2014 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
21.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 57% to 71% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 65% to 60% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 61% to 76% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.4
Avg class size
28.0
Infant (KS1)
28.6
KS2
8
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Gosbecks Primary School
Gosbecks Newsletter issue 25th September 2026
25 Sep 2026
Gosbecks Newsletter issue 18th September 2026
18 Sep 2026
Gosbecks Newsletter issue 11th September 2026
11 Sep 2026
Gosbecks Newsletter issue 4th September 2026
4 Sep 2026
Gosbecks Newsletter issue 13th February 2026
13 Feb 2026
Gosbecks Newsletter issue 6th February 2026
6 Feb 2026
From Gosbecks Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Gosbecks Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Gosbecks Primary School.
- CMXSC @ Gosbecks Primary SchoolAt the school · Not yet graded
- Premier Education Activities - Kings Ford Infants School780m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Gosbecks Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Gosbecks 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
- 21
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 21 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 15 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle.
8 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 Gosbecks Primary School
Will you get a place at Gosbecks Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Gosbecks Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Gosbecks Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Gosbecks 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 Gosbecks 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
92%
Near capacity
249 pupils
270 places
21 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(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
53
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
26.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
227
Total Pupils
113
Boys
114
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
20.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,285
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,317
Per pupil
£1443k
Total funding
£61k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.4%
Overall absence
11.8%
Persistent absence
229
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
Questions parents ask about Gosbecks Primary School
What are SATs results like at Gosbecks Primary School?
Of the pupils at Gosbecks Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 71% reached the expected standard in reading and 60% did so in maths.
What is Gosbecks Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Gosbecks Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Gosbecks Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Gosbecks 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 Gosbecks Primary School?
Gosbecks Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 92% of its 270 places.
How big are the classes at Gosbecks Primary School?
Classes at Gosbecks Primary School average 28.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Gosbecks Primary School?
Gosbecks Primary School has around 227 pupils on roll. 22% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Gosbecks Primary School?
5.4% of sessions were missed at Gosbecks Primary School in 2024/25. 11.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Gosbecks Primary School?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming Gosbecks 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.
Does Gosbecks Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: CMXSC @ Gosbecks Primary School (registered, not yet graded). There is another within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Gosbecks Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 21 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 15 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle. 8 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 Gosbecks Primary School?
Gosbecks Primary School is at Owen Ward Close, Shrub End, Colchester, Essex, CO2 9DG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)