St James the Great Church of England Primary School
Guildford Road, Colchester, CO1 2RA
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- THE DIOCESE OF CHELMSFORD VINE SCHOOLS TRUST
- Headteacher
- Lucy Turner
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chelmsford
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Diocese of Chelmsford
- Constituency
- Colchester
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 438
- URN
- 143516
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01206865747
About this school
St James the Great Church of England Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Colchester. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 438 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St James the Great Church of England 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
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
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 | 60 | 60 | 63 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 53% | 40% | 48% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 12% | 2% | 8% |
| Expected standard in reading | 78% | 60% | 79% |
| Expected standard in maths | 78% | 45% | 70% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 75% | 57% | 79% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 103.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 100.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -4.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.20 | - | - |
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 St James the Great 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 | 53% | 58.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 40% | 59.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 48% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 437 |
| 2023/24 | 448 |
| 2024/25 | 456 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St James the Great Church of England Primary School compares
St James the Great Church of England Primary School ranked 327th of 388 primary schools in Essex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 19% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 41% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 48% | 5.9% | 27% | 438 | — |
| St Thomas More's Catholic Primary School, Colchester | 93% | 4.6% | 4.4% | 209 | 0.2 miles |
| Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery | 50% | 7.7% | 38.5% | 186 | 0.7 miles |
| St John's Green Primary School | 61% | 4.7% | 22.5% | 591 | 0.7 miles |
| North Primary School and Nursery | 47% | 5.1% | 21.7% | 458 | 0.8 miles |
| St. George's School | 56% | 7.9% | 37.1% | 609 | 0.9 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.
Inspection history
-
Ungraded inspection report15 January 2025
- 18 September 2019
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 27.01%
- English as an additional language
- 36%
- Overall absence
- 5.85%
- Persistent absence
- 15.74%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Thomas More's Catholic Primary School, Colchester0.2 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery0.7 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
St John's Green Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
North Primary School and Nursery0.8 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
St. George's School0.9 miles
Primary · Colchester
Other schools in Colchester
St James the Great Church of England Primary School ranks 56th 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 St James the Great Church of England Primary School teach?
- St James the Great Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Colchester.
- Who is the headteacher of St James the Great Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of St James the Great Church of England Primary School is Lucy Turner, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St James the Great Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St James the Great 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 many pupils are at St James the Great Church of England Primary School?
- St James the Great Church of England Primary School has 438 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is St James the Great Church of England Primary School full?
- St James the Great Church of England Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 438 on roll (104%), so it is at or above 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 St James the Great Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St James the Great Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chelmsford.
- Does St James the Great Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St James the Great Church of England Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is St James the Great Church of England Primary School part of an academy trust?
- St James the Great Church of England Primary School is part of THE DIOCESE OF CHELMSFORD VINE SCHOOLS TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St James the Great 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 53% in 2022/23 and 48% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St James the Great Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in Essex?
- St James the Great Church of England Primary School ranked 327th of 388 primary schools in Essex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 19% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 41% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St James the Great Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- St James the Great Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St James the Great Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St James the Great 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 10 July 2026.