St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester

Voluntary controlled school·Primary school COLCHESTER, Essex·CO4 0HH
Composite score
65.5
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#2,542
National rank
#271
In East of England
#81
In Essex
Top 17%
Nationally

Performance (KS2 SATs)

% meeting expected RWM
72%
% achieving higher RWM
16%
Reading average scaled score
108.0
National avg ≈ 105
Maths average scaled score
107.0
National avg ≈ 104
Reading progress
—
Maths progress
—

Getting a place

Offered a place after putting it first
94%
31 first choices, 30 places
First choices per place
1.03
more first choices than places
Applications naming the school
99
any preference, for 30 places
Last place offered lived
0.53 mi
straight line, 2025 intake · 850 m
Applications from another council area
1%
First preferences per place, last five years▼ 0.23
00.511.52
1 per place
1.1020221.3720230.8920241.2720251.032026

Red dashed line = one first choice per place. How to read this

The cut-off distance is how far the last child offered a place lived, not a catchment boundary: it moves every year with the number of applicants. Published by the council in its 2025 allocation figures, and checked against that document before we show it.

Application figures: DfE, school level applications and offers (2026 intake).

School profile

Age range
4–11
Pupils on roll
210
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England

Pupil background

% FSM ever-6
11.4%
Typical primary: 21.5%
% EAL
13.3%
Typical primary: 9.6%

Special educational needs

% SEN support
10.5%
Typical primary: 14.3%
% with an EHC plan
3.3%
Typical primary: 3.0%

Attendance

Overall absence
3.8%
Typical primary: 5.3%
Persistently absent
7.4%
Typical primary: 13.3%

Staffing & funding

Pupils per teacher
23.3
Typical primary: 20.7
Spend per pupil
£6,949
Typical primary: £6,960

“Typical” = the median primary school in England. What this means

Nearby primary schools

Location

St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester at a glance

Located in COLCHESTER, Essex, St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester is a primary school, classified by the DfE as a voluntary controlled school with a Church of England religious character. The school educates roughly 210 pupils aged 4 to 11. 72% of its pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at the end of Key Stage 2, above the national average (national figure: 61%). The proportion reaching the expected standard has fallen by 5.0 percentage points compared with the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it among the top 17% of primary schools in England.

Pupils achieved an average scaled score of 108 in reading and 107 in maths (national averages are about 105 and 104). 16% reached the higher standard across all three subjects (around 8% do so nationally). St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester is oversubscribed: about 9 in 10 of the families who made it their first choice were offered a Reception place for September 2026, with 31 first choices for 30 places. In 2025 the furthest child offered a place lived 0.53 miles from the school in a straight line, according to the council's published allocation figures; the distance changes every year with demand. Overall pupil absence was 3.8%. There are about 23.3 pupils per teacher. Its intake is relatively advantaged, with around 11% of pupils eligible for free school meals in the last six years versus about 24% nationally. St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester does not currently have a recent graded Ofsted judgement on record (often the case for newer or recently converted schools), so it is worth asking when its next inspection is expected. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.

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