Copford Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
General Information
- Address: School Road, Copford, Colchester, CO6 1BX – View on map
- Phone: 01206210439
- Website: Visit school website
- Headteacher: Mr David Bome
- Age range: 5-11 years
- Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 36 families put it first for 30 places – 12 for every 10 places. 83% of them were offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 13 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 12
- Sixth form: No
- Intake: Mixed
- Religious character: Church of England
- Nursery provision: No
Who goes here
- Pupils eligible for free school meals: 8
- % eligible for free school meals: 4.0%
- Pupil mix: 3 in 10 (less mixed than the Colchester average)
- English as an additional language: 3% (England 22%)
Staff
Teachers leaving each year
- Teacher turnover: 5.4% a year (Colchester 13.4%, typical in England 13.9%)
- Where they went: about 63% moved to another school, 37% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
- Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)
Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. This is a small staff, so one or two teachers leaving moves the figure a lot.
Behaviour
Awaiting Data
Across Essex: suspensions by reason
- Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 28 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
- Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
- Suspensions for bullying: 17 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
- Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 7 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
- Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)
These are figures for all state primary schools in Essex (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.
Attendance
- Overall absence: 3.4%
- Persistently absent pupils: 4.3%
- Data year: 2024/25
SEN
No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision
- Pupils on SEN Support: 9.4%
- Pupils with an EHC Plan: 2.5%
- Data year: 2025/26
Most common needs - SEN Support
- Autistic spectrum disorder: 7 pupils
- Specific learning difficulty: 6 pupils
- Social, emotional and mental health: 3 pupils
- Physical disability: 2 pupils
- Speech, language and communications needs: 1 pupil
Most common needs - EHC Plan
- Autistic spectrum disorder: 4 pupils
- Speech, language and communications needs: 1 pupil
These figures show the makeup of the school.
Educational Attainment
Ofsted report card March 2026
Ofsted's new report cards grade each part of school life separately, instead of giving one overall word.
- Safeguarding Met
- Inclusion Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
- Achievement Expected standard
- Attendance and behaviour Strong standard
- Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard
- Early years Expected standard
- Leadership and governance Expected standard
Before this, under the old system, Ofsted rated the school Good (2021). The report card above replaces that grade.
Year 6 SATs results
- Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 85% (England 62%)
- Reached the higher standard: 21% (England 8%)
- Compared with the area: 21 percentage points above the Colchester average (64%)
- Compared with schools with similar pupils: Above (3-year average 73% against an expected 66%)
- 3-year average (expected standard): 73%
- Expected standard by subject: Reading 94% · Writing 85% · Maths 91% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 85%
- Average test scores: reading 109, maths 108
- Based on: 34 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25
View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.
SATs results over time
Year 6 SATs: 3rd of 56 junior and primary schools in the area
- #1St Thomas More's Catholic Primary School, Colchester93%
- #2Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt86%
- #3Copford Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School85%
- #4Dedham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School83%
- #5Camulos Academy80%
Click to see the full ranking
Financials
Spending per pupil: £6,385 (2024-25)
29th of 53 primary schools in Colchester for spending per pupil
- #27Mersea Island School£6,411
- #28St Lawrence Church of England Primary School, Rowhedge£6,397
- #29Copford Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School£6,385
- #30St Teresa's Catholic Primary School, Colchester£6,376
- #31Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School£6,353
Click to see the full ranking
View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)