St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester
Clay Lane Grove, Colchester, CO4 0HH
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr Craig Twin
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chelmsford
- Constituency
- Colchester
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 210
- URN
- 115065
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01206841288
About this school
St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Colchester. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 210 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 5 October 2022, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. 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 | 31 | 30 | 32 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 61% | 77% | 72% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 10% | 3% | 16% |
| Expected standard in reading | 71% | 93% | 88% |
| Expected standard in maths | 87% | 87% | 78% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 71% | 83% | 78% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 107.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 106.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | 0.00 | - | - |
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 St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester 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 | 61% | 58.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 77% | 59.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 72% | 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 | 3.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 210 |
| 2023/24 | 210 |
| 2024/25 | 210 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester compares
St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester ranked 124th of 388 primary schools in Essex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 71% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 89% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 72% | 3.7% | 11.4% | 210 | — |
| Highwoods Community Primary School | 78% | 4.3% | 18.6% | 453 | 0.5 miles |
| Friars Grove Primary School | 59% | 5.2% | 20.1% | 408 | 0.5 miles |
| Brinkley Grove Primary School | 76% | 6.6% | 26.8% | 403 | 0.6 miles |
| Parsons Heath Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | 47% | 5.4% | 42.6% | 197 | 0.8 miles |
| Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery | 50% | 7.7% | 38.5% | 186 | 0.9 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)
- 11.43%
- English as an additional language
- 13.3%
- Overall absence
- 3.72%
- Persistent absence
- 5.32%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Highwoods Community Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Friars Grove Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Brinkley Grove Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Parsons Heath Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery0.9 miles
Primary · Colchester
Other schools in Colchester
St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester ranks 19th of the 66 ranked primary schools in Colchester.
- Alresford Primary School Primary
- Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy Primary
- Baynards Primary School Primary
- Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Boxted St Peter's Church of England School Primary
- Braiswick Primary School Primary
- Brightlingsea Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Brinkley Grove Primary School Primary
- Broomgrove Infant School Primary
- Broomgrove Junior School Primary
- Camulos Academy Primary
- Chappel CofE Controlled Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester teach?
- St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Colchester.
- Who is the headteacher of St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester?
- The headteacher of St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester is Mr Craig Twin, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester, 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 St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester?
- St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester has 210 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester full?
- St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester has capacity for 210 pupils and 210 on roll (100%), 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 St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester a faith school?
- Yes. St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chelmsford.
- Does St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester as having no nursery classes.
- How have St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 61% in 2022/23 and 72% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester rank locally?
- St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester ranked 124th of 388 primary schools in Essex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 71% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 89% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester's absence rate?
- St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester's overall absence rate is 3.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester'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.