Great Bentley Primary School, Colchester
Great Bentley Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Colchester, part of Penrose Learning Trust. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 40th-highest of the 66 schools in Colchester with published results, and 7,614th of 14,452 across England. It was 58% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- 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
Great Bentley Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 82% of Year 6 pupils at Great Bentley Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 71% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 76% in Essex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 93% in reading and 87% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Great Bentley Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 50 families put Great Bentley Primary School as their first choice and 119 named it as one of their preferences, for 55 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Great Bentley Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Great Bentley Primary School are Weeley St Andrew's CofE Primary School (2.2 miles, Good, 52% reading, 35% maths); Alresford Primary School (2.8 miles, Good, 77% reading, 60% maths); Tendring Primary School (3 miles, Good, 76% reading, 79% maths); and Brightlingsea Primary School and Nursery (3.3 miles, Good, 81% reading, 78% maths).
Great Bentley Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Weeley St Andrew's CofE Primary SchoolAlresford Primary SchoolTendring Primary SchoolBrightlingsea Primary School and Nursery
The trust
Great Bentley Primary School is one of 9 schools run by Penrose Learning Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Great Bentley Rail Station, about 60 metres away (roughly a 1-minute walk).
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Railway Station (opposite), 40 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 12 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, other theft and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Essex (97).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Great Bentley Primary School issued 1 suspension, 0.4 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; 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
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
Great Bentley Primary School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in September 2023. Before that, as Great Bentley Primary School (URN 114736), it was rated Outstanding in September 2015.
At a Glance
17.1%
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 declined from 93% to 82% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 87% to 71% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 70% to 79% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.4
Avg class size
27.0
Infant (KS1)
31.8
KS2
8
Total classes
3 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Great Bentley Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Great Bentley Primary School.
- Premier Education WAC - Great Bentley Primary SchoolAt the school · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Great Bentley Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Great Bentley 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
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 6 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 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 Great Bentley Primary School
Will you get a place at Great Bentley Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Great Bentley Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Great Bentley Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Great Bentley 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 Great Bentley Primary School for 2024 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
58%
Available places
243 pupils
420 places
177 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
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
38
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
19.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
258
Total Pupils
131
Boys
127
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
21.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£41,340
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,854
Per pupil
£1703k
Total funding
£41k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.5%
Overall absence
10.5%
Persistent absence
190
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Great Bentley Primary School
What are SATs results like at Great Bentley Primary School?
Of the pupils at Great Bentley Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 82% reached the expected standard in reading and 71% did so in maths.
What is Great Bentley Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Great Bentley Primary School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in September 2023. Before that, as Great Bentley Primary School (URN 114736), it was rated Outstanding in September 2015.
What is the catchment area for Great Bentley Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Great Bentley 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 Great Bentley Primary School?
Great Bentley Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 58% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Great Bentley Primary School?
Classes at Great Bentley Primary School average 29.4 pupils (2025/26). 3 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Great Bentley Primary School?
Great Bentley Primary School has around 258 pupils on roll. 17% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Great Bentley Primary School?
4.5% of sessions were missed at Great Bentley Primary School in 2024/25. 10.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Great Bentley Primary School?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming Great Bentley 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 Great Bentley Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Premier Education WAC - Great Bentley Primary School (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Great Bentley Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 6 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 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 Great Bentley Primary School?
Great Bentley Primary School is at Plough Road, Great Bentley, Colchester, Essex, CO7 8LD.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)