Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester
Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Colchester. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2012. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 12th-highest of the 66 schools in Colchester with published results, and 2,457th of 14,452 across England. It was 98% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2012)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than 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
Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 86% of Year 6 pupils at Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 89% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 76% in Essex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 76% in reading and 90% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 28 families put Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School as their first choice and 79 named it as one of their preferences, for 29 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 Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School are Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School (1.6 miles, Good, 73% reading, 86% maths); St Michael's Primary School and Nursery, Colchester (1.6 miles, Good, 73% reading, 76% maths); Montgomery Primary School, Colchester (1.9 miles, Good, 80% reading, 76% maths); and Gosbecks Primary School (1.9 miles, Good, 71% reading, 60% maths).
Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolSt Michael's Primary School and Nursery, ColchesterMontgomery Primary School, ColchesterGosbecks Primary School
Who goes there
10.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 21 pupils (10.3%) received SEN support and 10 (4.9%) 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 City Rail Station, about 3.6 miles away in a straight line.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Fox (opposite), 40 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 8 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Essex (97).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School issued 12 suspensions, 5.7 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from September 2012, 14 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 2012 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
10.8%
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 76% to 86% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 89% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 82% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.0
Avg class size
30.3
Infant (KS1)
28.0
KS2
7
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
You apply to the council where you live. Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
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 Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Will you get a place at Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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 Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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
98%
Near capacity
205 pupils
210 places
5 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(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
21
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
15.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
203
Total Pupils
98
Boys
105
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
22.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,346
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,068
Per pupil
£1155k
Total funding
£32k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.6%
Overall absence
3.8%
Persistent absence
184
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
What are SATs results like at Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
Of the pupils at Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 86% reached the expected standard in reading and 89% did so in maths.
What is Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2012, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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 Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
Classes at Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School average 29 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has around 203 pupils on roll. 11% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
3.6% of sessions were missed at Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School in 2024/25. 3.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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.
How many road collisions happen near Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 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 Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is at High Road, Layer-de-la-Haye, Colchester, Essex, CO2 0DS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)