Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt
New Church Road, West Bergholt, Colchester, CO6 3JF
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr Darryl Crawley
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chelmsford
- Constituency
- Harwich and North Essex
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 411
- URN
- 115083
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01206240288
About this school
Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Colchester. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 411 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt, and its latest judgement is set out 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 24 April 2024, 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 | 61 | 61 | 58 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 74% | 74% | 86% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 10% | 20% | 24% |
| Expected standard in reading | 87% | 82% | 95% |
| Expected standard in maths | 79% | 85% | 95% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 79% | 84% | 90% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 107.0 | 110.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 107.0 | 110.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.80 | - | - |
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 Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt 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 | 74% | 58.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 74% | 59.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 86% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 418 |
| 2023/24 | 416 |
| 2024/25 | 408 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt compares
Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt ranked 20th of 388 primary schools in Essex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 95% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 85% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 86% | 3.9% | 8.8% | 411 | — |
| The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School | 63% | 5.6% | 15.9% | 203 | 1.3 miles |
| Braiswick Primary School | 66% | 5.7% | 14.7% | 419 | 1.4 miles |
| Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, Eight Ash Green and Aldham | 71% | 5.7% | 24.8% | 102 | 1.8 miles |
| Myland Community Primary School | 76% | 3.9% | 14.3% | 307 | 1.9 miles |
| Lexden Primary School with Unit for Hearing Impaired Pupils | 67% | 4.3% | 31.5% | 236 | 1.9 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)
- 8.82%
- English as an additional language
- 1.2%
- Overall absence
- 3.92%
- Persistent absence
- 6.59%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School1.3 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Braiswick Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, Eight Ash Green and Aldham1.8 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Myland Community Primary School1.9 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Lexden Primary School with Unit for Hearing Impaired Pupils1.9 miles
Primary · Colchester
Other schools in Colchester
Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt ranks 2nd 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 Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt teach?
- Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Colchester.
- Who is the headteacher of Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt?
- The headteacher of Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt is Mr Darryl Crawley, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt, 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 Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt?
- Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt has 411 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt full?
- Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt has capacity for 420 pupils and 411 on roll (98%), 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 Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt a faith school?
- Yes. Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chelmsford.
- Does Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt as having no nursery classes.
- How have Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 74% in 2022/23 and 86% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt compare with other schools in Essex?
- Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt ranked 20th of 388 primary schools in Essex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 95% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 85% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt's absence rate?
- Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt's overall absence rate is 3.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt'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.