Highwoods Community Primary School, Colchester
Highwoods Community Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Colchester. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 15th-highest of the 66 schools in Colchester with published results, and 3,012th of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 101% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- 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
Highwoods Community Primary School in detail
Highwoods Community Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "We hope that this gives you a flavour of what our school stands for but if you need any further support, we are only a phone call away. Even better, come and see us and we would be happy to show you around or discuss anything with you. We are immensely proud of our school."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, basketball, dance, choir, chess, coding, Lego and forest school.
The school runs after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 86% of Year 6 pupils at Highwoods Community 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 fell from 89% in reading and 89% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Highwoods Community Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 70 families put Highwoods Community Primary School as their first choice and 155 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 11 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Highwoods Community Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Highwoods Community Primary School are Brinkley Grove Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 85% reading, 87% maths); St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester (0.5 miles, Good, 88% reading, 78% maths); Friars Grove Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 71% reading, 71% maths); and Queen Boudica Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 73% reading, 78% maths).
Highwoods Community Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Brinkley Grove Primary SchoolSt John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, ColchesterFriars Grove Primary SchoolQueen Boudica Primary School
Who goes there
In 2026, 83 pupils (18.3%) received SEN support and 12 (2.6%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Colchester Rail Station, about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Highwoods Square, 100 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 195 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Essex (97), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Highwoods Community Primary School issued 10 suspensions, 2.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Highwoods Community Primary School are The Gilberd School (0.3 miles), The Trinity School (0.4 miles), Colchester Academy (1.5 miles) and St Helena School (1.6 miles).
The Gilberd SchoolThe Trinity SchoolColchester AcademySt Helena School
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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from March 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good and may be improving; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils love being part of Highwoods Community Primary School. The school is a warm, welcoming and inclusive community. Pupils thoroughly enjoy coming to school to learn and be with their friends.
Pupils look after each other, including the youngest children in Reception. Staff take any issues seriously. Any incidents are dealt with effectively, so they do not reoccur. This means pupils feel happy and safe. Pupils get along well together and respect each other's differences. Pupils focus intently in lessons.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
An ambitious, intelligently designed curriculum is securely in place. It starts from the moment children enter Reception. Children in the early years access engaging and purposeful learning that skilfully prepares them for Year 1. Pupils become confident learners with wide ranging knowledge and skills.
The school has identified, and logically ordered, the key knowledge for pupils to know. Teachers continually remind pupils what they have learned. A rigorous programme of memory training and recapping on previous lessons is in place. This helps pupils remember their learning and make connections between subjects. For instance, in art, pupils link their knowledge to history and geography. This helped them confidently explain how the artist Hokusai used printmaking in nineteenth century Japan.
From Ofsted's June 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its March 2015 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
17.2%
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 remained stable at around 86% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 86% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 84% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
30.2
Avg class size
29.6
Infant (KS1)
30.6
KS2
14
Total classes
5 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Highwoods Community Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Highwoods Community Primary School.
- Jacqui Robinson Education800m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Highwoods Community Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Highwoods Community 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
- 12
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 9 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
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 Highwoods Community Primary School
Will you get a place at Highwoods Community Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Highwoods Community Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Highwoods Community Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Highwoods Community 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 Highwoods Community 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
101%
Over capacity
453 pupils
450 places
3 pupils over capacity 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(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
83
SEN Support
12
EHC Plans
21.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
453
Total Pupils
234
Boys
219
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
21
Teachers
21.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,522
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,955
Per pupil
£2454k
Total funding
£118k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.3%
Overall absence
7.2%
Persistent absence
404
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
Highwoods Community Primary School
Questions parents ask about Highwoods Community Primary School
What are SATs results like at Highwoods Community Primary School?
Of the pupils at Highwoods Community Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 86% reached the expected standard in reading and 86% did so in maths.
What is Highwoods Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Highwoods Community Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Highwoods Community Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Highwoods Community 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 Highwoods Community Primary School?
Highwoods Community Primary School was full in 2025, at 101% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Highwoods Community Primary School?
Classes at Highwoods Community Primary School average 30.2 pupils (2025/26). 5 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Highwoods Community Primary School?
Highwoods Community Primary School has around 453 pupils on roll. 17% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Highwoods Community Primary School?
4.3% of sessions were missed at Highwoods Community Primary School in 2024/25. 7.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Highwoods Community Primary School?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming Highwoods Community 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 Highwoods Community Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Highwoods Community Primary School: Jacqui Robinson Education (800m away, 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 Highwoods Community Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 9 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 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 Highwoods Community Primary School?
Highwoods Community Primary School is at Tynedale Square, Highwoods, Colchester, Essex, CO4 9SN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)