Highwoods Community Primary School

Highwoods Community Primary School continues to maintain its 'good' judgment following an ungraded inspection, with evidence suggesting that it may achieve an outstanding rating in a future graded inspection. The school boasts a warm and inclusive environment where pupils thrive, feeling safe and happy. The curriculum is well-designed and ambitious, focusing on strong literacy skills, particularly in reading, which is central to the school’s ethos and success. Pupils engage in a variety of enriching experiences that support their learning and personal development.

Strengths

• Pupils display enthusiasm for learning and have excellent attitudes.
• The curriculum is ambitious and effectively prepares pupils for future learning.
• Strong emphasis on reading helps pupils become confident, fluent readers.
• Support for pupils with SEND is tailored and effective, contributing to their achievement.
• High standards of behavior observed across the school.
• Pupils take pride in their work and presentation.
• The school fosters a strong sense of community and inclusivity.

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 Highwoods Community Primary School attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.2% 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, 1.3% of pupils at Highwoods Community 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 Highwoods Community Primary School had 24.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 2.2% 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, 18.3% of pupils at Highwoods Community Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.6% 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 2024–25 Highwoods Community Primary School received £6,002 and spent £5,982 for each of its 447 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £113,000 (£253 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

What is Highwoods Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Highwoods Community Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2024.

When was Highwoods Community Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Highwoods Community Primary School was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does Highwoods Community Primary School have?

Highwoods Community Primary School has 453 pupils on roll.

What age range does Highwoods Community Primary School cover?

Highwoods Community Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Highwoods Community Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 78% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Highwoods Community Primary School?

Highwoods Community Primary School is at Tynedale Square, Highwoods, Colchester, Essex, CO4 9SN.