Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
School Hill, Birch, Colchester, CO2 0LZ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Rebekah May
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chelmsford
- Constituency
- Witham
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 140
- Pupils on roll
- 124
- URN
- 115138
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01206330224
About this school
Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Colchester. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 124 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
A short monitoring inspection followed on : inspectors found that standards have been maintained.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 22 | 18 | 22 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 91% | 44% | 55% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 5% |
| Expected standard in reading | 91% | 56% | 73% |
| Expected standard in maths | 95% | 56% | 86% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 91% | 78% | 82% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 103.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 101.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.90 | - | - |
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 Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided 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 | 91% | 58.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 44% | 59.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 55% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 133 |
| 2023/24 | 119 |
| 2024/25 | 131 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School compares
Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranked 283rd of 388 primary schools in Essex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 30% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 64% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 55% | 4.9% | 11.5% | 124 | — |
| Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | 75% | 3.6% | 11.5% | 203 | 1.6 miles |
| Copford Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | 85% | 3.4% | 4.4% | 202 | 2.1 miles |
| Lakelands Primary School | — | 5% | 16.4% | 340 | 2.6 miles |
| Stanway Fiveways Primary School | 54% | 5.2% | 21.4% | 473 | 2.7 miles |
| Gosbecks Primary School | 53% | 5.4% | 16.9% | 227 | 2.7 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.
Inspection history
-
Ungraded inspection report25 February 2025
- 3 December 2019
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 11.45%
- English as an additional language
- 2.3%
- Overall absence
- 4.89%
- Persistent absence
- 11.76%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School1.6 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Copford Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School2.1 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Lakelands Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Stanway Fiveways Primary School2.7 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Gosbecks Primary School2.7 miles
Primary · Colchester
Other schools in Colchester
Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranks 49th 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
- 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
- Cherry Tree Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School teach?
- Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Colchester.
- Who is the headteacher of Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
- The headteacher of Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is Mrs Rebekah May, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided 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 Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
- Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has 124 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School full?
- Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has capacity for 140 pupils and 124 on roll (89%), so it has space against 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 Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chelmsford.
- Does Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 91% in 2022/23 and 55% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School compare with other schools in Essex?
- Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranked 283rd of 388 primary schools in Essex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 30% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 64% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's absence rate?
- Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided 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.