Westwood Academy

About Westwood Academy

Westwood Academy sits within the Essex local authority, a primary school in Castle Point that serves 249 pupils aged 2 to 11. It is one of 33 state primary schools in the county rated Outstanding by Ofsted, though its ranking among the 444 same-type schools in Essex places it at 253rd. The top-performing peers in the local area include Stambridge Primary School, St Thomas More's Catholic Primary School in Colchester, and Great Totham Primary School, all of which score higher on the same ranking metric. Westwood's own ranking score of 57 puts it in the bottom half nationally, but that single measure doesn't tell the full story. The school is oversubscribed by a considerable margin — for the 2025/26 intake, it received 119 applications for just 30 places, with 50 first-preference applications and 30 offers made. That level of demand suggests strong local reputation, and the school's nursery provision means children can join from age 2, feeding into the main school.

Academically, Westwood's Key Stage 2 results for the 2023/24 year show a mixed picture. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined was 57%, which is below the Essex local authority average of 62%. Reading was a relative strength, with 83% reaching the expected standard and 23% achieving the higher standard. In maths, 63% met the expected standard and 27% reached the higher level, while writing saw 77% at expected and 13% at higher. Only 7% of pupils achieved the higher standard across all three subjects. The average scaled scores were 105 in reading and 104 in maths. Ofsted's most recent graded inspection, in November 2017, rated the school Outstanding overall, with Outstanding for leadership and management and for early years provision. The ungraded inspection in October 2024 confirmed that standards have been maintained, and the early years provision remains Outstanding.

The school offers a range of facilities including a dining hall, sensory room, playing fields, sports hall, art studios and a chapel. Sports on offer include athletics, swimming, rounders, cricket and gymnastics, while clubs cover drama, coding, choir and book club. For children with additional needs, the school's SEND provisions address moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, multi-sensory impairment and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent View responses from 106 respondents between September 2024 and September 2025 show that 89% of parents strongly agree or agree that their child is happy at the school, and 82% feel their child is safe. However, the SEND support question drew a more divided response: 49% agreed or strongly agreed that the school gives SEND children the support they need, while 49% disagreed or strongly disagreed. The school is oversubscribed, so families considering it should be aware that securing a place is competitive.

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