Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery
Barnardiston Road, Colchester, CO4 0DT
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE KEMNAL ACADEMIES TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Lynne Kapovic
- Religious ethos
- None
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The Kemnal Academies Trust
- Constituency
- Colchester
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 186
- URN
- 141195
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01206864375
About this school
Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery is a primary academy in Colchester. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 186 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery, 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
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
- 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 | 29 | 28 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 45% | 43% | 50% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 59% | 50% | 80% |
| Expected standard in maths | 72% | 54% | 77% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 38% | 43% | 73% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 100.0 | 99.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 99.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -3.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.20 | - | - |
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 Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery 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 | 45% | 58.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 43% | 59.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 50% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 10% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 187 |
| 2023/24 | 197 |
| 2024/25 | 180 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery compares
Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery ranked 322nd of 388 primary schools in Essex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 21% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 18% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 50% | 7.7% | 38.5% | 186 | — |
| Friars Grove Primary School | 59% | 5.2% | 20.1% | 408 | 0.4 miles |
| Parsons Heath Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | 47% | 5.4% | 42.6% | 197 | 0.5 miles |
| Roach Vale Primary School | 57% | 5.1% | 39.1% | 177 | 0.6 miles |
| St James the Great Church of England Primary School | 48% | 5.9% | 27% | 438 | 0.7 miles |
| Hazelmere Junior School | 38% | 7.4% | 46.8% | 229 | 0.7 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 38.46%
- English as an additional language
- 37.8%
- Overall absence
- 7.73%
- Persistent absence
- 21.62%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Friars Grove Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Parsons Heath Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Roach Vale Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
St James the Great Church of England Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Hazelmere Junior School0.7 miles
Primary · Colchester
Other schools in Colchester
Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery ranks 55th 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 Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery teach?
- Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Colchester.
- Who is the headteacher of Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery?
- The headteacher of Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery is Mrs Lynne Kapovic, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery, 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 Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery?
- Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery has 186 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery full?
- Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery has capacity for 210 pupils and 186 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 Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery a faith school?
- No. Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery has no designated religious character.
- Does Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery as having nursery classes.
- Is Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery part of an academy trust?
- Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery is part of THE KEMNAL ACADEMIES TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 45% in 2022/23 and 50% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery compare with other schools in Essex?
- Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery ranked 322nd of 388 primary schools in Essex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 21% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 18% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery's absence rate?
- Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery's overall absence rate is 7.7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery'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 1 July 2026.