Kendall Church of England Primary School

Kendall Church of England Primary School is a warm, inclusive and highly effective school where pupils are happy, safe and exceptionally well prepared for their next steps. Inspectors found the school outstanding across all key judgements, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This follows a previous inspection grade of Good, and the report notes that graded inspections from September 2024 do not result in an overall effectiveness grade.

Strengths

• An ambitious curriculum is carefully sequenced and delivered consistently across subjects.
• Staff receive effective, tailored professional development that builds strong subject expertise.
• Pupils achieve exceptionally well and develop deep knowledge across the curriculum.
• Reading is taught well from the start of Reception, with precise phonics teaching and rapid support for pupils who struggle.
• Pupils with SEND thrive in an inclusive school where staff know them well and adapt support expertly.
• Behaviour is exemplary, pupils are highly respectful and attendance is strong.
• Personal development is exceptional, with rich opportunities for debate, leadership and celebrating difference.
• Enrichment, outdoor learning, clubs and community activities build pupils’ confidence and character.
• Staff feel well supported by leaders for their workload and well-being.
• Governors are knowledgeable, robust in holding the school to account and have strong oversight.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

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 Kendall Church of England Primary School attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.5% 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, 2.3% of pupils at Kendall Church of England Primary School 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 Kendall Church of England Primary School had 20.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 1.9% 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, 15.3% of pupils at Kendall Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.3% 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 Kendall Church of England Primary School received £7,477 and spent £7,267 for each of its 209 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £177,000 (£846 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 Kendall Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Kendall Church of England Primary School is Outstanding, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was Kendall Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Kendall Church of England Primary School was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does Kendall Church of England Primary School have?

Kendall Church of England Primary School has 209 pupils on roll.

What age range does Kendall Church of England Primary School cover?

Kendall Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Kendall Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 72% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Kendall Church of England Primary School?

Kendall Church of England Primary School is at Recreation Road, Colchester, Essex, CO1 2HH.