Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
High Road, Layer-de-la-Haye, Colchester, CO2 0DS
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Donna Gaffney
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chelmsford
- Constituency
- Witham
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 203
- URN
- 115080
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01206734249
About this school
Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Colchester. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 203 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 9 February 2023, 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 | 28 | 29 | 28 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 71% | 69% | 75% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 11% | 7% | 21% |
| Expected standard in reading | 79% | 76% | 86% |
| Expected standard in maths | 86% | 90% | 89% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 71% | 86% | 93% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 104.0 | 109.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 108.0 | 105.0 | 109.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | 0.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +2.50 | - | - |
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 Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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 | 71% | 58.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 69% | 59.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 75% | 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 | 3.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 202 |
| 2023/24 | 207 |
| 2024/25 | 209 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School compares
Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranked 91st of 388 primary schools in Essex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 78% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 91% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 75% | 3.6% | 11.5% | 203 | — |
| Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 55% | 4.9% | 11.5% | 124 | 1.6 miles |
| St Michael's Primary School and Nursery, Colchester | 56% | 5.7% | 28.5% | 228 | 1.6 miles |
| Montgomery Primary School, Colchester | 67% | 3.7% | 25.9% | 608 | 1.9 miles |
| Gosbecks Primary School | 53% | 5.4% | 16.9% | 227 | 1.9 miles |
| Kings Ford Academy | 29% | 6.7% | 36.7% | 152 | 2.1 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)
- 11.48%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 3.6%
- Persistent absence
- 3.8%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School1.6 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
St Michael's Primary School and Nursery, Colchester1.6 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Montgomery Primary School, Colchester1.9 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Gosbecks Primary School1.9 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Kings Ford Academy2.1 miles
Primary · Colchester
Other schools in Colchester
Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranks 16th 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 ages does Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School teach?
- Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Colchester.
- Who is the headteacher of Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
- The headteacher of Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is Mrs Donna Gaffney, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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 many pupils are at Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
- Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has 203 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School full?
- Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 203 on roll (97%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chelmsford.
- Does Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 71% in 2022/23 and 75% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School compare with other schools in Essex?
- Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranked 91st of 388 primary schools in Essex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 78% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 91% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's absence rate?
- Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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.