Schools

Colchester schools and Ofsted

Every state school and nursery in Colchester, 80 in all, with its latest Ofsted inspection. 91% were judged good or better at their last inspection. 6 have the new-style report cards, which grade each area of the school rather than giving one word.

80state schools and nurseries

91%good or betterat their last inspection

6new report cardssince November 2025

5inspections publishedin the last six months

Darker means a bigger share of schools judged good or better. Tap an area for its page.

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Latest inspections

Every school


Baynards Primary SchoolCO5 0ND	Primary	Tiptree	Report card Apr 2026: Expected standard in every area
Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolCO2 0LZ	Primary	Layer-de-la-Haye	Standards maintained (2025)
Boxted St Peter's Church of England SchoolCO4 5YN	Primary	Boxted	Good (2023)
Braiswick Primary SchoolCO4 5QJ	Primary	Myland	School remains Good (2024)
Brinkley Grove Primary SchoolCO4 9GF	Primary	Highwoods	Some aspects not as strong (2024)
Broomgrove Infant SchoolCO7 9QB	Primary	Rowhedge	Good (2024)
Broomgrove Junior SchoolCO7 9QB	Primary	Rowhedge	School remains Good (2024)
Camulos AcademyCO4 6AL	Primary	Myland	Standards maintained (2025)
Chappel CofE Controlled Primary SchoolCO6 2DD	Primary	Wakes Colne	Inadequate (2023)
Cherry Tree AcademyCO2 0BG	Primary	Monkwick	Good (2022)
Colchester AcademyCO4 3JL	Secondary	Greenstead	Good (2023)
Colchester County High School for GirlsCO3 3US	Secondary	Prettygate	Outstanding (2024)
Colchester Royal Grammar SchoolCO3 3ND	Secondary	Colchester	Report card Jun 2026: Exceptional in 4, strong standard in 3
Copford Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolCO6 1BX	Primary	Copford	Report card Apr 2026: Strong standard in 2, expected standard in 5
Dedham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolCO7 6BZ	Primary	Dedham	Good (2024)
Fingringhoe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolCO5 7BN	Primary	Fingringhoe	Good (2023)
Fordham All Saints CofE Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolCO6 3NN	Primary	Fordstreet	Inadequate (2023)
Friars Grove Primary SchoolCO4 0PZ	Primary	St John's	School remains Good (2023)
Gosbecks Primary SchoolCO2 9DG	Primary	Shrub End	School remains Good (2024)
Great Tey Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolCO6 1AZ	Primary	Great Tey	School remains Good (2024)
Hamilton Primary SchoolCO3 3GB	Primary	Colchester	Good in every area (2025)
Hazelmere Infant School and NurseryCO4 3JP	Primary	Greenstead	Good in 2, requires improvement in 2 (2025)
Hazelmere Junior SchoolCO4 3JP	Primary	Greenstead	Good (2022)
Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West BergholtCO6 3JF	Primary	West Bergholt	School remains Good (2024)
Highwoods Community Primary SchoolCO4 9SN	Primary	Highwoods	School remains Good (improving) (2024)
Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, Eight Ash Green and AldhamCO3 9UE	Primary	Eight Ash Green	School remains Good (2022)
Home Farm Primary SchoolCO3 4JL	Primary	Lexden	Report card Mar 2026: Exceptional in 1, strong standard in 6
Kendall Church of England Primary SchoolCO1 2HH	Primary	Hythe	Outstanding in every area (2025)
King's Ford Infant School and NurseryCO2 9AZ	Primary	Shrub End	Good in every area (2024)
Kings Ford AcademyCO2 9AZ	Primary	Shrub End	Good in 3, requires improvement in 1 (2025)
Kingswode Hoe SchoolCO3 3QJ	Special	Lexden	Report card Jul 2026: Strong standard in every area
Lakelands Primary SchoolCO3 8AJ	Primary	Stanway	Outstanding (2023)
Langenhoe Community Primary SchoolCO5 7PG	Primary	Fingringhoe	Good (2023)
Langham OaksCO4 5PA	Special	Langham	Good in every area (2024)
Langham Primary AcademyCO4 5PB	Primary	Langham	Good (2023)
Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolCO2 0DS	Primary	Layer-de-la-Haye	School remains Good (2023)
Lexden Primary School with Unit for Hearing Impaired PupilsCO3 9AS	Primary	Lexden	School remains Good (2023)
Lexden Springs SchoolCO3 0PZ	Special	Stanway	Inadequate (2024)
Mersea Island SchoolCO5 8QX	Primary	West Mersea	Good (2023)
Messing Primary SchoolCO5 9TH	Primary	Messing	Good in every area (2025)
Milldene Primary SchoolCO5 0EF	Primary	Tiptree	School remains Good (2022)
Millfields Primary SchoolCO7 9RD	Primary	Wivenhoe	Good in every area (2025)
Monkwick Infant and Nursery SchoolCO2 8NN	Primary	Monkwick	Standards maintained (2025)
Monkwick Junior SchoolCO2 8NN	Primary	Monkwick	Good (2022)
Montgomery Primary School, ColchesterCO2 9QG	Primary	St Michael's	Improved significantly (2025)
Myland Community Primary SchoolCO4 5LD	Primary	Myland	Improved significantly (2025)
North East Essex Co-operative AcademyCO2 9BS	Alternative provision	Shrub End	Good (2024)
North Primary School and NurseryCO1 1RP	Primary	Colchester	School remains Good (2023)
Old Heath Community Primary SchoolCO2 8DD	Primary	Old Heath	Report card Jun 2026: Strong standard in 1, expected standard in 4, needs attention in 2
Parsons Heath Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolCO4 3EZ	Primary	St John's	School remains Good (2023)
Paxman AcademyCO2 9DB	Secondary	Shrub End	Good (2024)
Philip Morant School and CollegeCO3 4QS	Secondary	Prettygate	Good (2023)
Prettygate Infant SchoolCO3 4PH	Primary	Prettygate	Good (2022)
Prettygate Junior SchoolCO3 4PH	Primary	Prettygate	School remains Good (improving) (2024)
Queen Boudica Primary SchoolCO4 5XT	Primary	Myland	School remains Good (2023)
Roach Vale Primary SchoolCO4 3YN	Primary	St John's	Good (2023)
St Andrew's Church of England Primary Academy, Marks TeyCO6 1HL	Primary	Marks Tey	School remains Good (2022)
St Benedict's Catholic CollegeCO3 3US	Secondary	Prettygate	School remains Good (2023)
St Helena SchoolCO3 3LE	Secondary	Colchester	Good (2024)
St James the Great Church of England Primary SchoolCO1 2RA	Primary	Colchester	Standards maintained (2025)
St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, ColchesterCO4 0HH	Primary	Highwoods	School remains Good (2022)
St John's Green Primary SchoolCO2 7HE	Primary	Colchester	School remains Good (2023)
St Lawrence Church of England Primary School, RowhedgeCO5 7HR	Primary	Rowhedge	Standards maintained (2024)
St Luke's Church of England Controlled Primary SchoolCO5 0SU	Primary	Tiptree	School remains Good (2024)
St Michael's Primary School and Nursery, ColchesterCO2 9RA	Primary	St Michael's	Outstanding in 1, good in 3 (2025)
St Teresa's Catholic Primary School, ColchesterCO3 9BE	Primary	Prettygate	Outstanding in every area (2025)
St Thomas More's Catholic Primary School, ColchesterCO1 2QB	Primary	New Town	Outstanding (2024)
St. George's SchoolCO2 7RU	Primary	New Town	Good (2024)
Stanway Fiveways Primary SchoolCO3 0QG	Primary	Stanway	Good (2023)
Stanway Primary SchoolCO3 0RH	Primary	Stanway	Good (2022)
The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary SchoolCO6 4AT	Primary	Horkesley Heath	Good in every area (2025)
The Gilberd SchoolCO4 9PU	Secondary	Highwoods	Standards maintained (2025)
The St Aubyn Centre Education DepartmentCO4 5HG	Alternative provision	Myland	School remains Outstanding (2023)
The Stanway SchoolCO3 0QA	Secondary	Stanway	School remains Good (2023)
The Thomas Lord Audley SchoolCO2 8NJ	Secondary	Monkwick	Standards maintained (2025)
The Trinity SchoolCO4 6ED	Secondary	Myland	Outstanding in 1, good in 3 (2025)
Thurstable SchoolCO5 0EW	Secondary	Tiptree	Good in every area (2025)
Tiptree Heath Primary SchoolCO5 0PG	Primary	Tiptree	Standards maintained (2024)
Unity Primary AcademyCO4 3QJ	Primary	Greenstead	Outstanding in 1, good in 3 (2025)
Willow Brook Primary School and NurseryCO4 0DT	Primary	St John's	Good (2023)

How the new report cards work

Since November 2025 Ofsted grades each area of a school (achievement, teaching, behaviour, personal development, inclusion, leadership) on a five-point scale: exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement. Safeguarding is met or not met. Across the 6 Colchester report cards so far, the grades given were: strong standard 18 times, expected standard 16 times, exceptional 5 times, needs attention 2 times.

Schools inspected before then have a single grade (outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate), or from September 2024 a grade for each area without an overall one. Short “ungraded” visits check a school is still at its last grade.

Where the figures come from

Ofsted publishes the latest inspection of every state-funded school each month, under the Open Government Licence. We keep those at CO and CM postcodes and show here the ones in Colchester. Independent schools and childminders aren’t included. Each school links to its full report on the Ofsted website.

Schools in every area

Questions people ask

How many schools in Colchester are rated good or better?

91% of the 80 state schools and nurseries in Colchester were judged good or better at their last Ofsted inspection.

What are Ofsted report cards?

Since November 2025 Ofsted grades each area of a school separately, from exceptional to urgent improvement, instead of giving one overall word.

How many schools are there in Colchester?

There are 80 state-funded schools and nurseries in Colchester: 63 primary, 12 secondary, 3 special, 2 alternative provision.