The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School

The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School is a growing primary school in Essex that was inspected in March 2025. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the school was found to be performing well across all inspected areas. Pupils are happy, confident and proud of their school, and parents are positive about the care and support their children receive. The curriculum is ambitious and well designed, with particularly strong practice in mathematics and early reading, effective support for pupils with SEND, good behaviour, and a comprehensive personal development programme. Attendance systems are robust, and governors and staff are well supported. The main area for improvement is that, in some subjects other than English and mathematics, the school has not fully identified the important knowledge pupils need to know and when they should know it. This leaves gaps in pupils’ knowledge and means they are less well prepared for future learning. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. Under the current inspection framework, no overall effectiveness grade is given.

Strengths

• Ambitious and well-designed curriculum across the school
• Strong mathematics teaching with effective questioning, feedback and problem-solving
• Effective, consistent phonics teaching that builds confident and fluent readers
• Pupils with SEND are well identified and supported to progress from their starting points
• Pupils behave well in lessons and around school, and bullying is rare
• Comprehensive personal development programme covering safety, relationships, mental health and British values
• Wide range of clubs and leadership roles that build pupils’ confidence and self-esteem
• Robust attendance systems that are making a difference for pupils
• Governors understand their roles and responsibilities and strive for further improvement
• Staff feel valued and supported with workload and well-being

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects beyond English and mathematics, essential knowledge is not fully identified or sequenced, leaving gaps in pupils’ knowledge and reducing preparedness for future learning

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 The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.8% 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, 1.0% of pupils at The Bishop William Ward 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 The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School had 22.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 21.1% 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, 18.2% of pupils at The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.0% 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 The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School received £6,376 and spent £6,322 for each of its 203 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £49,000 (£241 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 The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School have?

The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School has 203 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School cover?

The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School?

The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School is at Coach Road, Great Horkesley, Colchester, Essex, CO6 4AT.