Highfields Primary School
Colchester Road, Lawford, Manningtree, CO11 2BN
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Tara Marshall
- Constituency
- Harwich and North Essex
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 315
- Pupils on roll
- 320
- URN
- 114769
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01206392223
About this school
Highfields Primary School is a community primary school in Manningtree. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 320 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 16 November 2022, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Outstanding. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 46 | 44 | 47 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 76% | 82% | 74% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 20% | 27% | 9% |
| Expected standard in reading | 87% | 91% | 81% |
| Expected standard in maths | 93% | 95% | 83% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 96% | 95% | 94% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 109.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 109.0 | 110.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +3.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +4.60 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Highfields Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Essex average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 76% | 58.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 82% | 59.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 74% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 317 |
| 2023/24 | 320 |
| 2024/25 | 320 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Highfields Primary School compares
Highfields Primary School ranked 107th of 388 primary schools in Essex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 76% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 61% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 74% | 5% | 6.3% | 320 | — |
| Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 76% | 3.7% | 6.9% | 349 | 0.5 miles |
| Brooklands Primary School | 71% | 3.2% | 10.2% | 268 | 1.4 miles |
| Stourview Church of England Primary Academy | — | 10.5% | 68.2% | 39 | 1.5 miles |
| Dedham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | 83% | 3.9% | 10.8% | 202 | 2.5 miles |
| Bradfield Primary School | 70% | 4.2% | 18.3% | 111 | 2.6 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 6.25%
- English as an additional language
- 1.9%
- Overall absence
- 4.99%
- Persistent absence
- 8.66%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Manningtree
-
Brooklands Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · Nr Manningtree
-
Stourview Church of England Primary Academy1.5 miles
Primary · Mistley
-
Dedham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School2.5 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Bradfield Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Manningtree
Other schools in Manningtree
- Bradfield Primary School Primary
- Lawford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Wix and Wrabness Primary School Primary
- Manningtree High School Secondary
Common questions
- What year groups does Highfields Primary School teach?
- Highfields Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Manningtree.
- Who is the headteacher of Highfields Primary School?
- The headteacher of Highfields Primary School is Mrs Tara Marshall, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Highfields Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Highfields Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Highfields Primary School?
- Highfields Primary School has 320 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Highfields Primary School full?
- Highfields Primary School has capacity for 315 pupils and 320 on roll (102%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Highfields Primary School a faith school?
- No. Highfields Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Highfields Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Highfields Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Highfields Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 76% in 2022/23 and 74% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Highfields Primary School rank locally?
- Highfields Primary School ranked 107th of 388 primary schools in Essex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 76% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 61% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Highfields Primary School's absence rate?
- Highfields Primary School's overall absence rate is 5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Highfields Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Highfields Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 30 June 2026.