St John's Green Primary School

About St John's Green Primary School

St John's Green Primary School in Colchester posts a KS2 reading, writing and maths expected standard attainment of 67%, which sits five percentage points above the Essex local authority average of 62% for primary schools. That gap is modest but consistent, and it places the school in the top half of Colchester primaries — 23rd out of 51, according to the most recent rankings. The school is large, with 621 pupils against a capacity of 630, and 21.7% of children are eligible for free school meals, which is close to the national average for a state primary. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in 2023, confirmed that the school remains Good, a rating it has held across both its graded and ungraded inspections. The early years provision was singled out as Outstanding, which is a strong signal for families with children just starting school.

Academically, the school performs solidly across the core subjects. In the 2023/24 KS2 assessments, 67% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the LA average of 62%. Reading is a particular strength: 84% met the expected standard and 35% achieved the higher standard, with an average scaled score of 107. Maths also holds up well, with 76% at expected and an average score of 105, though only 27% reached the higher threshold. Writing is the weakest area — 76% at expected and just 15% at the higher level. The school does not publish progress scores for reading, writing or maths, so it is not possible to say how much value it adds relative to pupils' starting points. Nationally, the school ranks in the 40th percentile for the combined expected standard, meaning it performs broadly in line with the middle of the country.

The school is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 173 applications for 59 places, with 54 first-preference offers made. That works out at nearly three applicants per place, so families need to be prepared for a competitive admissions process. Facilities include a sports hall, playing fields, an outdoor playground, a sensory room, art studios and a library. The sports offer covers football, cricket, rounders, dance, tennis, cross country and gymnastics, and there are clubs for gardening, coding and art. SEND provision is broad, covering dyslexia, moderate and severe learning difficulties, speech and language needs, autism, hearing impairment, physical disability and social, emotional and mental health support. This is a well-resourced, inclusive primary that suits families who want a large, popular school with strong early years provision and a decent academic record, particularly in reading.

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