The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School
Coach Road, Great Horkesley, Colchester, CO6 4AT
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr Toby Bull
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chelmsford
- Constituency
- Harwich and North Essex
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 203
- URN
- 115144
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01206271336
About this school
The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Colchester. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 203 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. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
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 | 30 | 32 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 57% | 53% | 63% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 14% | 10% | 9% |
| Expected standard in reading | 71% | 73% | 81% |
| Expected standard in maths | 75% | 57% | 72% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 71% | 60% | 69% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 106.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 103.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -2.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.70 | - | - |
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 The Bishop William Ward Church of England 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 | 57% | 58.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 53% | 59.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 63% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 188 |
| 2023/24 | 202 |
| 2024/25 | 207 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School compares
The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School ranked 220th of 388 primary schools in Essex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 47% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 63% | 5.6% | 15.9% | 203 | — |
| Myland Community Primary School | 76% | 3.9% | 14.3% | 307 | 1.3 miles |
| Camulos Academy | 80% | 4% | 17.7% | 406 | 1.3 miles |
| Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt | 86% | 3.9% | 8.8% | 411 | 1.3 miles |
| Braiswick Primary School | 66% | 5.7% | 14.7% | 419 | 1.5 miles |
| Queen Boudica Primary School | 66% | 4.6% | 17.2% | 408 | 1.8 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
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 15.94%
- English as an additional language
- 6.3%
- Overall absence
- 5.55%
- Persistent absence
- 9.84%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Myland Community Primary School1.3 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Camulos Academy1.3 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt1.3 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Braiswick Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Queen Boudica Primary School1.8 miles
Primary · Colchester
Other schools in Colchester
The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School ranks 36th 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 The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School teach?
- The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Colchester.
- Who is the headteacher of The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School is Mr Toby Bull, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Bishop William Ward Church of England 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 The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School?
- The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School has 203 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School full?
- The Bishop William Ward Church of England 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 The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chelmsford.
- Does The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 57% in 2022/23 and 63% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School rank locally?
- The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School ranked 220th of 388 primary schools in Essex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 47% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Bishop William Ward Church of England 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.