Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy
Colchester Road, Ardleigh, Colchester, CO7 7NS
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- CANONIUM LEARNING TRUST
- Headteacher
- Headteacher Ben Asbridge
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chelmsford
- Constituency
- Harwich and North Essex
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 105
- Pupils on roll
- 81
- URN
- 150533
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01206230394
About this school
Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy is a Church of England primary academy in Colchester. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 81 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy, 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
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Requires improvement
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
This inspection took place when the school was registered as St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Ardleigh (URN 115084).
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 11 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 64% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 91% |
| Expected standard in maths | 100% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 73% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 108.0 |
How Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy compares
Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy ranked 215th of 388 primary schools in Essex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 50% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 64% | 5.4% | 18.1% | 81 | — |
| Dedham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | 83% | 3.9% | 10.8% | 202 | 2.1 miles |
| Langham Primary Academy | — | — | — | 101 | 2.1 miles |
| St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester | 72% | 3.7% | 11.4% | 210 | 2.5 miles |
| Roach Vale Primary School | 57% | 5.1% | 39.1% | 177 | 2.6 miles |
| Parsons Heath Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | 47% | 5.4% | 42.6% | 197 | 2.6 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)
- 18.06%
- English as an additional language
- 5.6%
- Overall absence
- 5.36%
- Persistent absence
- 17.81%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Dedham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School2.1 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Langham Primary Academy2.1 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester2.5 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Roach Vale Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Colchester
-
Parsons Heath Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Colchester
Other schools in Colchester
Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy ranks 34th of the 66 ranked primary schools in Colchester.
- Alresford Primary School 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
- Cherry Tree Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy teach?
- Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Colchester.
- Who is the headteacher of Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy?
- The headteacher of Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy is Headteacher Ben Asbridge, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy, 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 Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy?
- Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy has 81 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy full?
- Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy has capacity for 105 pupils and 81 on roll (77%), 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 Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy a faith school?
- Yes. Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chelmsford.
- Does Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy as having no nursery classes.
- Is Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy part of an academy trust?
- Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy is part of CANONIUM LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How does Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy compare with other schools in Essex?
- Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy ranked 215th of 388 primary schools in Essex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 50% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy's absence rate?
- Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 5.4% in the latest published census.
- What are Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy'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 3 July 2026.