St Osyth Church of England Primary School

About St Osyth Church of England Primary School

St Osyth Church of England Primary School sits within the Essex local authority, a large county with 444 primary schools, and is one of 33 primaries in the Tendring area. In the most recent local rankings based on Key Stage 2 expected standards, the school placed 19th out of 33 Tendring primaries, putting it in the bottom half of its immediate borough. The top-performing peers in the same local authority include St Thomas More's Catholic Primary School in Colchester and Stambridge Primary School, both of which achieved a perfect ranking score of 100, and Great Totham Primary School with a score of 95. St Osyth's own ranking score of 56 places it in the bottom 50% nationally among similar schools. The school is a Church of England state primary for mixed genders, serving children aged 5 to 11, with headteacher Claire Jackson at the helm. It has capacity for 315 pupils and currently enrols 296, with a notably high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 40.9%.

Academically, St Osyth's most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023 awarded it an overall Good rating, a clear improvement from its previous Requires Improvement judgement in 2019. All inspected categories — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — were rated Good. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 56% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is below the local authority average of 62%. However, the school performed better in individual subjects: 76% reached the expected standard in reading, 66% in maths, and 80% in writing. Higher attainment was more modest, with 7% achieving the higher standard across all three subjects. Average scaled scores were 104 in reading and 102 in maths. The school does not have a sixth form or nursery provision, and no progress scores are available for comparison.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a library, playing fields, sports hall, outdoor playground, art studios and a chapel, with sports such as cricket, athletics, swimming, dance and netball on offer. Clubs include drama, eco club, gardening and choir. For families with children who have additional needs, St Osyth provides support for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, physical disabilities, and autistic spectrum disorder. Admissions for the 2025/26 year show the school is oversubscribed: it received 51 applications for 39 places, with 38 first-preference offers made from 38 first-preference applications, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.31. This suggests a school that is popular locally, particularly among families seeking a Church of England primary with a strong pastoral and SEND framework, though academic outcomes sit slightly below the county average.

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