Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #315 in Essex public Top 72% UK

Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMrs Rebekah May

location_onColchester, CO2 0LZ

language Visit Website phone 1206330224

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2019

groups

Students

133

school

Expected Standard

55%

local_fire_department

Demand Ratio

0.9x

summarize

Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a Voluntary aided school primary school in Colchester, serving ages 5-11. Rated Good by Ofsted. Ranks in the top 72% of primary schools nationally.

article

School Summary

Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a voluntary aided school in Colchester, Essex, admitting pupils aged 5-11. The school has approximately 131 pupils on roll, of whom 11% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 55% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, with 5% achieving the higher standard. The school ranks #315 of 387 primaries in Essex and #11,598 of 14,143 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2019. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Outstanding, personal development Outstanding, and leadership and management Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.9× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 21.0:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 0.0 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

55%

LA 61%

Reading73% LA 74%

Writing64% LA 70%

Maths86% LA 72%

Read SS

106

Maths SS

106

GPS SS

106

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

44%

LA 60%England 61%

Reading56% LA 73% · Eng 74%

Writing61% LA 70% · Eng 72%

Maths56% LA 71% · Eng 73%

Read SS

103

Maths SS

101

GPS SS

102

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

91%

LA 59%England 60%

Reading91% LA 72% · Eng 73%

Writing95% LA 71% · Eng 71%

Maths95% LA 72% · Eng 73%

Read SS

108

Maths SS

107

GPS SS

108

Progress (0 = national avg)

1.2

Read

LA -0.1

-1.5 to 3.9

0.2

Write

LA 0.0

-2.4 to 2.8

0.9

Maths

LA -0.3

-1.7 to 3.4

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

88%

LA 64%England 65%

Reading88% LA 73% · Eng 73%

Writing88% LA 77% · Eng 78%

Maths96% LA 77% · Eng 79%

Read SS

108

Maths SS

107

GPS SS

109

Progress (0 = national avg)

1.4

Read

LA -0.5

-1.0 to 3.8

-0.4

Write

LA -0.2

-2.6 to 1.9

0.5

Maths

LA -0.6

-1.6 to 2.6

2018

R/W/M Expected Standard

92%

LA 63%

Reading100% LA 75%

Writing92% LA 77%

Maths96% LA 73%

Read SS

107

Maths SS

105

GPS SS

107

Progress (0 = national avg)

-0.6

Read

LA -0.3

-3 to 1.8

-1.6

Write

LA -0.2

-3.9 to 0.7

-1.5

Maths

LA -0.6

-3.7 to 0.7

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

25 February 2025

Inspection Report

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03 December 2019

Inspection Report

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28 November 2013

Inspection Report

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09 January 2012

Inspection Report

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03 December 2008

Inspection Report

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16 May 2006

Inspection Report

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17 January 2000

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2019-12-03

Exempt School Inspection EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Good

2013-11-28

S5 Inspection EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

2008-12-03

None Legacy

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

Good

history Predecessor Link

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

0.0%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 0.8% for this term (primary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.0%(0 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 1.225% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 131 pupils. During this period, there were 0 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.0%, which is below the termly national average of 0.8%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg
2024/25 (Spring term)	131	0.0%	0.8%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	129	0.0%	0.9%
2023/24 (Summer term)	122	0.0%	0.8%
2023/24 (Spring term)	119	0.0%	0.7%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	122	0.0%	0.8%
2022/23 (Summer term)	133	0.0%	0.7%
2022/23 (Spring term)	133	0.0%	0.6%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	134	0.0%	0.6%
2021/22 (Summer term)	142	0.0%	0.5%
2021/22 (Spring term)	143	0.0%	0.5%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	142	0.0%	0.5%
2020/21 (Summer term)	148	0.0%	0.4%
2020/21 (Spring term)	145	0.0%	0.1%
2020/21 (Autumn term)	145	0.0%	0.4%
2019/20 (Summer term)	147	0.0%	0.0%
2019/20 (Spring term)	147	0.0%	0.4%
2019/20 (Autumn term)	148	0.0%	0.6%
2018/19 (Summer term)	151	0.0%	0.4%
2018/19 (Spring term)	151	0.0%	0.5%
2018/19 (Autumn term)	147	0.0%	0.5%
2017/18 (Summer term)	151	0.0%	0.5%
2017/18 (Spring term)	150	0.0%	0.4%
2017/18 (Autumn term)	150	0.0%	0.5%
2016/17 (Summer term)	147	0.0%	0.4%
2016/17 (Spring term)	148	0.0%	0.4%
2016/17 (Autumn term)	147	0.0%	0.5%

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Moderate Learning Difficulty 15 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 6 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 5 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 3 pupils

Physical Disability 2 pupils

Hearing Impairment 1 pupils

Visual Impairment 1 pupils

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Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

School Summary

Academic Performance

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Faith Priority (Church of England)

Distance to School

School Capacity

Primary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Primary Schools in Essex

Kingston Primary School

Lift Westerings

Quilters Junior School

Lee Chapel Primary School

Hereward Primary School

Perryfields Junior School