Mersea Island School, Colchester
Mersea Island School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Colchester. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 49th-highest of the 66 schools in Colchester with published results, and 9,595th of 14,452 across England. It was 81% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than 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
Mersea Island School in detail
Mersea Island School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Our caring community ethos is integral to everything we do. We expect the highest standards of behaviour and every member of the school community to try their best. Effort is recognised and celebrated and mistakes are seen as positive learning opportunities."
The school runs after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 72% of Year 6 pupils at Mersea Island School reached the expected standard in reading and 72% 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 (67% in reading, 76% in maths).
Getting a place at Mersea Island School
For September 2026 entry, 41 families put Mersea Island School as their first choice and 45 named it as one of their preferences, for 41 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. 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 Mersea Island School are St Cedd's Church of England Primary School (3.7 miles, Good, 75% reading, 81% maths); Tollesbury School (3.8 miles, Good, 83% reading, 83% maths); Langenhoe Community Primary School (3.8 miles, 78% reading, 83% maths); and Fingringhoe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School (4.8 miles, Good, 62% reading, 62% maths).
Mersea Island School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
St Cedd's Church of England Primary SchoolTollesbury SchoolLangenhoe Community Primary SchoolFingringhoe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Who goes there
1.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (92%) and Mixed (6%).
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Mersea Island School.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Barfield Rd (adjacent), 90 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 20 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Essex (97).
Suspensions and exclusions
Mersea Island School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
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 agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its March 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
17.0%
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 improved from 67% to 72% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 76% to 72% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 76% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.2
Avg class size
23.2
Infant (KS1)
25.0
KS2
13
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Mersea Island School
New Website Launching!
12 May 2026
Diary Overview Spring 2 2026
7 Jan 2026
Winter Weather Arrangements
7 Jan 2026
NOW OPEN - Rapid Refills
3 Mar 2025
From Mersea Island School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Mersea Island School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Mersea Island School.
- Mersea CampAt the school · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Mersea Island School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Mersea Island 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
- 6
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
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 Mersea Island School
Will you get a place at Mersea Island School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Mersea Island School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Mersea Island School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Mersea Island School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Essex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Mersea Island 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
81%
Available places
364 pupils
450 places
86 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(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
64
SEN Support
14
EHC Plans
19.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
394
Total Pupils
213
Boys
181
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
22
Teachers
17.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,747
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,982
Per pupil
£1982k
Total funding
£89k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.0%
Overall absence
10.1%
Persistent absence
328
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Mersea Island School
What are SATs results like at Mersea Island School?
Of the pupils at Mersea Island School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 72% reached the expected standard in reading and 72% did so in maths.
What is Mersea Island School's Ofsted rating?
Mersea Island School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2023.
What is the catchment area for Mersea Island School?
No fixed boundary. When Mersea Island 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 Mersea Island School?
Mersea Island School was not full in 2025: it ran at 81% of its 450 places.
How big are the classes at Mersea Island School?
Classes at Mersea Island School average 24.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Mersea Island School?
Mersea Island School has around 394 pupils on roll. 17% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Mersea Island School?
4% of sessions were missed at Mersea Island School in 2024/25. 10.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Mersea Island School?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming Mersea Island 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 Mersea Island School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Mersea Camp (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 Mersea Island School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 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 Mersea Island School?
Mersea Island School is at Barfield Road, West Mersea, Colchester, Essex, CO5 8QX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)