Colchester Ofsted reports roundup from April to June

Ofsted typically inspects good schools every four years or at any time if the establishment has any concerns.

The inspectors usually give the schools one working day’s notice before an inspection but can also inspect schools without notice.

Here is a recap of the latest Ofsted reports in and around Colchester institutions within the last few months.

April 

Wivenhoe Park Day Nursery 

The nursery located on the University of Essex campus in Wivenhoe Park received an overall rating of ‘good’ at the latest inspection on March 19. 

The education watchdog highlighted that children felt “happy and settled” in the inclusive setting, with a lot of support for children with special needs and disabilities. 

Nursery - Children at the Wivenhoe Park Day Nursery

Following the report, the nursery was encouraged to strengthen the organisation of routines and support staff to ensure a high level of teaching throughout. 

Premier Education Activities – Layer De La Haye Primary School 

As one of the newest establishments in the Colchester area, the Premier Education Activities school in High Road, Layer-de-la-haye, was inspected for the first time on March 28. 

Its first Ofsted report described the place as a “calm and relaxed environment for children after a busy day at school”. 

Innovative - Students came up with the idea of a human fruit machine (Image: Newsquest)

With “good role model” staff, the inspectors were pleased with the school, which is said to support children and their needs while the provider will implement feedback from parents to further improve. 

Little Butterflies Pre-School 

The Little Butterflies Pre-School in Fiddlers Folly, part of the Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, also underwent its first inspection on March 25. 

Rated overall as ‘good’, the report said children feel comfortable and show respect to one another, even in the absence of adults.

As points of improvement, the report mentioned supporting staff in implementing hygiene procedures and improving consistency when it comes to teaching children about self-regulating their behaviour. 

Lexden Springs School 

The special school for children with learning difficulties in Winstree Road has been rated ‘inadequate’ following an inspection between the end of January and February with the report published in April. 

Ofsted’s report highlighted that “the school has not acted swiftly to address a decline in the quality of education” and raising concerns with the culture and oversight of safeguarding, which led to an interim executive board to replace the governing body. 

Site - Lexden Springs School

A “lack of accountability and mistrust” between staff le to “pupils’ achievement is inconsistent across the school”. 

The school was told to address a number of issues to ensure improvement. 

May 

Colchester Teacher Training Consortium 

This initial teaching education space was rated ‘outstanding’ by the education watchdog, passing the test with flying colours. 

“Trainees attending Colchester Teacher Training Consortium are prepared superbly well to be teachers of tomorrow.” 

Following a “well-crafted” curriculum, leaders were praised for their work with the trainees. 

The Sixth Form College Colchester 

Another ‘outstanding rated school was The Sixth Form College in Colchester North Hill. 

Students were complimented for their “exemplary” behaviour while leaders and managers are working with local education providers to ensure their students can develop and excel. 

The Sixth Form College Colchester

With nearly all students passing their qualifications, often with A* grades, the inspectors had no improvement suggestions. 

Hazelmere Infant School and Nursery 

The Hazelmere School in Hawthrone Avenue has received a similar report with no change to the ‘good’ rating given by inspectors in 2018. 

It was described as a “happy school” with eager students and teachers keen to make their lessons as interesting as possible for the pupils. 

Success - Hazelmere Infant School and Nursery remains a “good” school after its latest visit by Ofsted, a report reveals (Image: Google Maps)

“Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the support that the school provides to their children," the report said.

The school was told to improve systems and processes to give a precise insight into their effectiveness and to secure ongoing sustained improvements in the nursery provision. 

June 

Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt 

The West Bergholt school continues to be a good school in the eyes of the education watchdog. 

With “overwhelmingly happy” pupils, the school has been described as a caring and nurturing environment. 

The curriculum meets the needs of all students and teachers are proud of their place of work. 

As part of the improvement measures, Ofsted suggested ensuring that essential knowledge is remembered, and teachers adapt activities or the curriculum better. 

Plume Avenue Nursery 

The Plume Avenue Nursery has been rated as ‘requires improvement’ following an inspection in May. 

Despite confident and happy children, surrounded by attentive and caring staff, the inspectors highlighted that “improvements in relation to the quality of teaching are not yet fully embedded.” 

The Nursery has been rated 'inadequate' (Image: Google)

The report mentioned improvements and positive steps compared to the last result, yet a strict timeline with goals to achieve has been set to help the school improve. 

Broomgrove Junior School 

The Wivenhoe school has been rated again as a ‘good’ school by the Ofsted inspectors. 

In the report, the inspectors said: “Pupils love their learning, especially reading and mathematics. They value the fun and memorable activities that their teachers provide.” 

Smiles - Broomgrove staff and pupils celebrate the new Ofsted report alongside school dog Felix (Image: Public)

After a significant period of change, the school is said to now have an “ambitious, creative and broad” curriculum. 

For the improvement, Ofsted said ensuring sufficient opportunities and equal process for assessment are presented. 

Rowhedge Under 5’s 

The Rectory Road school has been rated ‘inadequate’ following an inspection on May 16. 

The recent report states: “The provider has not ensured that the manager and staff have a good understanding of child protection procedures.

Village - The nursery is inside Rowhedge Village Hall (Image: Rowhedge Village Hall)

"Staff fail to respond and share information accordingly which compromises the safety and welfare of children.” 

With too variable levels of quality of teaching, the school needs to work on the effectiveness of safeguarding procedures and further support children in teaching them about interactions with each other. 

A timeline has been set to monitor and support the necessary improvements.