E P Collier Primary School

About E P Collier Primary School

E P Collier Primary School sits within Reading local authority, a mixed state primary for ages 3 to 11 that ranks 19th out of 38 primary schools in the area. That places it in the bottom half of Reading primaries, with a ranking score of 60 based on the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. The top-performing local peers are All Saints Junior School (score 92), Redlands Primary School (87) and Alfred Sutton Primary School (83). The nearest Outstanding-rated school is All Saints Junior School, about 1.4 kilometres away. Reading has five Outstanding primaries in total out of 40, so E P Collier sits in a competitive local landscape where most schools are rated Good. The school is led by headteacher Justine McMinn and has a non-religious character, with nursery provision available for children from age three.

In its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, E P Collier was rated Good across all five categories: overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision. This matches its previous inspection in 2012, which also rated overall effectiveness and leadership as Good. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 60% of pupils achieved the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, just below the Reading local authority average of 61%. The school performed strongest in reading, where 75% met the expected standard and 28% reached the higher standard. Maths saw 68% at expected and 33% at higher, while writing had 70% at expected but only 7% at higher. Just 5% of pupils achieved the higher standard across all three subjects. Nationally, the school ranks in the 57th percentile, and regionally in the 55th percentile among South East primaries.

The school is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, with 95 applications for 47 places and 45 first-preference offers, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.02. Facilities include playing fields, a forest school, music rooms, an ICT suite, a dining hall and a chapel. Sports offered include swimming, cricket, netball, cross country, athletics and tennis, while clubs cover drama, book club and chess. The school has a resourced provision and supports pupils with a range of special educational needs, including specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. With 21.2% of pupils eligible for free school meals, E P Collier serves a diverse community. It suits families who want a Good-rated primary with strong reading outcomes, a forest school programme and a broad set of sports and clubs, within a school that is popular enough to require careful planning for admission.

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