Schools by area › Essex › Brightlingsea Primary School and Nursery
Brightlingsea Primary School and Nursery
Primary · Mixed · Ages 2–11 · Community school
Eastern Road, Brightlingsea, Colchester CO7 0HU · brightlingsea.essex.sch.uk · 01206 302719
Overview
- Ofsted
- Good
- 2019 framework · inspected Feb 2024
- Key stage 2, 2024/25
- 69%
- reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. Essex 63%, England 62%
- Last distance offered
- No limit
- Reception, September 2025 entry · Essex Council
- Demand for places
- 1.0
- first choices for each place · Reception, September 2026
- Pupils
- 653
- 23 over 630 places · 104%
- Local authority
- Essex
- Nursery class
- Yes
- Free school meals
- 21.3%
- First language not English
- 5.4%
- School census 2025/26
The official school record (Department for Education)
Admissions
For Reception in September 2025, everyone who applied was offered a place. Source: Essex Council’s document.
For Reception in September 2026, 76 families put the school first and 75 places were offered; 99% of those families were offered a place there. Admission depends on the school’s own rules.
First choices against places
| Reception | Places | First choices | Per place | % offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026Sept 2026 | 75 | 76 | 1▲ | 99% |
| September 2025Sept 2025 | 84 | 84 | 1 | 100% |
| September 2024Sept 2024 | 65 | 60 | 0.9 | 100% |
| September 2023Sept 2023 | 60 | 58 | 1 | 100% |
| September 2022Sept 2022 | 82 | 75 | 0.9 | 100% |
Results
In 2024/25, 69% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at the end of key stage 2, and 6% the higher standard. Across Essex it was 63%, and across England 62%.
Expected standard reading, writing and maths
| 2024/25 | Trend | School | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading, writing and maths | |||
| ▲69% | 62% | ||
| ●6% | 8% | ||
| Average scaled score | |||
| ●107 | 106 | ||
| ●105 | 105 | ||
| ●105 | 105 | ||
Ofsted
Brightlingsea Primary School and Nursery was judged Good at its last graded inspection, on 28 February 2024, under Ofsted’s 2019 framework.
- Overall
- Good
- Inspected
- 28 Feb 2024
- Graded inspection
Safeguarding effectiveInspection reports
Graded areas
| Quality of education | Good |
|---|---|
| Behaviour and attitudes | Outstanding |
| Personal development | Outstanding |
| Leadership and management | Outstanding |
| Early years | Good |
Previously: Requires improvement, graded inspection, Feb 2020
Earlier inspections
September 2019 to November 2025
Feb 2020Requires improvement
Quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years Requires improvement Safeguarding Effective
Before September 2019
May 2013Outstanding
Outcomes for pupils Outstanding Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding May 2009Good
Outcomes for pupils Good Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good Leadership and management Outstanding Early years Good
What parents said
88% of the parents who answered Ofsted’s Parent View survey would recommend the school (129 replies, to 6 January 2025).
- Recommend
- 88%
- Replies
- 129
- 19% · 6 Jan 2025
based on the 80% who raised concerns
based on the 29% who had a child bullied
based on 35 parents (27%) with SEND