Earls Colne Primary School and Nursery

Earls Colne Primary School and Nursery continues to maintain its good standing as a supportive and friendly environment for its pupils. Students feel safe and enjoy their learning, responding positively to high expectations set by their teachers. The school offers a broad curriculum that is inclusive of all students, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Leadership is strong, with a well-structured approach to personal development and well-being, ensuring that pupils are prepared for their future roles as citizens in modern Britain.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and are well looked after by staff.
• High expectations set by teachers lead to good performance in most subjects.
• Strong focus on reading, starting from Nursery with phonics.
• Inclusion team effectively supports pupils with SEND.
• Pupils participate in diverse extracurricular activities.
• A positive culture around personal development and well-being.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent effectiveness in teaching key vocabulary across some subjects.
• Students in a few subjects are not sufficiently challenged to extend their 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 Earls Colne Primary School and Nursery attended 94.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.6% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Earls Colne 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 Earls Colne Primary School and Nursery had 20.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.2% 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, 19.2% of pupils at Earls Colne Primary School and Nursery were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.5% 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 Earls Colne Primary School and Nursery received £6,779 and spent £6,744 for each of its 402 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £407,000 (£1,012 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 Earls Colne Primary School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Earls Colne Primary School and Nursery is Good, from an inspection in June 2023.

When was Earls Colne Primary School and Nursery last inspected by Ofsted?

Earls Colne Primary School and Nursery was last inspected in June 2023.

How many pupils does Earls Colne Primary School and Nursery have?

Earls Colne Primary School and Nursery has 402 pupils on roll.

What age range does Earls Colne Primary School and Nursery cover?

Earls Colne Primary School and Nursery for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 54% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Earls Colne Primary School and Nursery?

Earls Colne Primary School and Nursery is at Park Lane, Earls Colne, Colchester, Essex, CO6 2RH.