Highwoods Community Primary School
Tynedale Square, Colchester, CO4 9SN
453 pupils · 101% of 450 capacity
- Phase
- Primary
- Type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4–11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Does not apply
- Trust
- HIGHWOODS COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL
- Local authority
- Essex
- Free school meals
- 17.2%
Ofsted
Good (2024) — Ungraded inspection — “School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next” (previous grade confirmed, not re-graded)
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 14 June 2024, published 7 July 2024. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths | 78% |
| Reaching the higher standard | 24% |
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Roughly one first choice per place — 1.17 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 60 | 70 | 155 | 60 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 60 | 72 | 163 | 60 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 60 | 64 | 160 | 60 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 60 | 75 | 174 | 60 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 60 | 67 | 162 | 60 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 60 | 68 | 178 | 60 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 60 | 82 | 179 | 60 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 60 | 55 | 130 | 60 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- Brinkley Grove Primary School 0.6 km · Some aspects not as strong (2024)
- St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester 0.8 km · Good — confirmed 2022 · previous system
- Friars Grove Primary School 1.1 km · Good — confirmed 2023 · previous system
- Queen Boudica Primary School 1.3 km · Good — confirmed 2023 · previous system
- Camulos Academy 1.4 km · Standards maintained (2024)
- Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery 1.6 km · Good (2022) · previous system
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.