Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery, Harwich
Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Harwich. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 5th-highest of the 5 schools in Harwich with published results, and 13,886th of 14,452 across England. It was 94% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Essex (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery in detail
Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "I would like to give you a warm welcome to our school. I am Mrs Rachel Anderson and I'm the Headteacher here at Harwich Community Primary School! I believe that primary school memories should be amongst the best a person has. It is a time when children have great enthusiasm and a thirst for discovery and learning."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, athletics, gymnastics and multi-sports.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils at Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery reached the expected standard in reading and 48% 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 (50% in reading, 50% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery
For September 2026 entry, 31 families put Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery as their first choice and 56 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is slightly more first choices than places. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery are The Mayflower Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 72% reading, 60% maths); St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (1 mile, 88% reading, 65% maths); Spring Meadow Primary School & Nursery (1.3 miles); and All Saints' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Dovercourt (1.4 miles, Good, 75% reading, 75% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery.
The Mayflower Primary SchoolSt Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolSpring Meadow Primary School & NurseryAll Saints' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Dovercourt
Who goes there
42.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 3.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (85%) and Mixed (9%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Dovercourt Rail Station, about 500 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Barrack Lane (adjacent), 150 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery issued 5 suspensions, 2.3 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 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
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its October 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
42.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 52% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 48% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 70% to 52% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.8
Avg class size
27.7
Infant (KS1)
28.0
KS2
5
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery
Getting There
Train Stations
Ferry Terminals
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery 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
- 11
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 4 serious and 6 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle.
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 Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery
Will you get a place at Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Essex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery 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
197 pupils
210 places
13 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Harwich
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Harwich
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)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
30
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
18.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
222
Total Pupils
103
Boys
119
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
20.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,701
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,591
Per pupil
£1727k
Total funding
£156k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.0%
Overall absence
22.5%
Persistent absence
178
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
Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery
Questions parents ask about Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery
What are SATs results like at Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery?
Of the pupils at Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 52% reached the expected standard in reading and 48% did so in maths.
What is Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?
Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2023.
What is the catchment area for Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery?
No fixed boundary. When Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery is oversubscribed, Essex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery?
Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery was not full in 2025: it ran at 94% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery?
Classes at Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery average 27.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery?
Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery has around 222 pupils on roll. 43% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery?
8% of sessions were missed at Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery in 2024/25. 22.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery 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 Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 4 serious and 6 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle. 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 Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery?
Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery is at Barrack Lane, Harwich, CO12 3NS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)