Old Heath Community Primary School, Colchester
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 5 months agoReport card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
Old Heath excels at supporting younger children with thoughtful early years teaching that builds strong communication skills and prepares them well for Year 1. The school is genuinely inclusive, with effective support for disadvantaged pupils and those with additional needs that helps close achievement gaps. Pupils are happy, well-behaved and feel valued in a caring community where staff know families well.
Key Strengths
- Early years provision is outstanding with thoughtful curriculum planning and strong focus on communication and vocabulary development
- Pupils behave well with positive attitudes towards school and strong care for one another
- Effective support for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs, with closing attainment gaps
- Strong early reading outcomes with phonics results above national average
- Happy, welcoming school culture where pupils feel safe and included
Areas for Improvement
- Curriculum sequencing and progression differs across subjects, limiting how well pupils develop deeper knowledge
- Leadership monitoring and quality assurance systems need to be more robust and structured
- Teaching does not consistently ensure pupils apply skills independently across the wider curriculum
- Leaders need to evaluate impact of personal development programmes more regularly to ensure all pupils benefit equally
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - the school has created an open and positive culture of safeguarding where all legal requirements are fulfilled and pupils feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Residential visits
Old Heath Community Primary School is a welcoming and inclusive school where pupils feel valued and safe. While early years provision is strong and safeguarding standards are met, the school needs to improve curriculum consistency and leadership monitoring systems to drive sustained improvement across all subjects.
At a Glance
23.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 73% to 80%. Maths has declined from 87% to 80%. Writing has remained stable at around 80%.
Class Sizes
30.7
Avg class size
30.5
Infant (KS1)
30.8
KS2
6
Total classes
3 classes with more than 30 pupils
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
100%
Over capacity
209 pupils
210 capacity
1 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Colchester
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Colchester
Admissions Demand - Essex
Places available
17,913
Applications
15,619
Got 1st preference
90.3%
Got preferred school
98.4%
Primary admissions across Essex (2025/26)
Inspection History(7)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.41181%
Overall absence
10%
Persistent absence
190
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Old Heath Community Primary School
Nearby Schools
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