Brightlingsea Primary School and Nursery

Brightlingsea Primary School and Nursery has shown significant improvement since its last inspection, moving from a grade of Requires Improvement to Good overall. The school has developed a broad and ambitious curriculum that sets high expectations for all pupils, and they are now achieving better than in the past. There is a positive and nurturing atmosphere where pupils feel respected, develop strong relationships with staff, and showcase outstanding behavior and attitudes towards learning. Despite the progress made, there are still a few areas, particularly in subject knowledge retention across some subjects, that require attention to ensure all pupils can thrive.

Strengths

• Pupils show outstanding behavior and positive attitudes to learning.
• The school provides a broad and ambitious curriculum for all pupils.
• Teachers create trusting relationships with pupils, fostering a caring environment.
• There's effective support for pupils with SEND, ensuring they achieve well.
• Pupils engage in a wide range of extracurricular activities, developing their talents.

Areas for Improvement

• In a few subjects, teachers do not always emphasize and revisit important subject knowledge.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Brightlingsea Primary School and Nursery attended 94.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.2% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.8% of pupils at Brightlingsea Primary School and Nursery were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Brightlingsea Primary School and Nursery had 24.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.4% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 15.5% of pupils at Brightlingsea Primary School and Nursery were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.5% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Brightlingsea Primary School and Nursery received £6,561 and spent £6,717 for each of its 606 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £681,000 (£1,125 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Colchester · Essex local authority: places and applications

What is Brightlingsea Primary School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Brightlingsea Primary School and Nursery is Good, from an inspection in June 2024.

When was Brightlingsea Primary School and Nursery last inspected by Ofsted?

Brightlingsea Primary School and Nursery was last inspected in June 2024.

How many pupils does Brightlingsea Primary School and Nursery have?

Brightlingsea Primary School and Nursery has 653 pupils on roll.

What age range does Brightlingsea Primary School and Nursery cover?

Brightlingsea Primary School and Nursery for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Brightlingsea Primary School and Nursery's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 69% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Brightlingsea Primary School and Nursery?

Brightlingsea Primary School and Nursery is at Eastern Road, Brightlingsea, Colchester, Essex, CO7 0HU.