Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Catchment Area, Reviews and Key Information

Primary
PUPILS
133
AGES
5 - 11
GENDER
Mixed
TYPE
Voluntary aided school
SCHOOL GUIDE RATING
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Can I Get My Child Into This School?

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This pupil heat map shows where pupils currently attending the school live.
The concentration of pupils shows likelihood of admission based on distance criteria

Source: All attending pupils National School Census Data, ONS
0845 603 2200

This School Guide heat map has been plotted using official pupil data taken from the last School Census collected by the Department for Education. It is a visualisation of where pupils lived at the time of the annual School Census.

Our heat maps use groups of postcodes, not individual postcodes, and have naturally soft edges. All pupils are included in the mapping (i.e. children with siblings already at the school, high priority pupils and selective and/or religious admissions) but we may have removed statistical ‘outliers’ with more remote postcodes that do not reflect majority admissions.

For some schools, the heat map may be a useful indicator of the catchment area but our heat maps are not the same as catchment area maps. Catchment area maps, published by the school or local authority, are based on geographical admissions criteria and show actual cut-off distances and pre-defined catchment areas for a single admission year.

This information is provided as a guide only. The criteria in which schools use to allocate places in the event that they are oversubscribed can and do vary between schools and over time. These criteria can include distance from the school and sometimes specific catchment areas but can also include, amongst others, priority for siblings, children of a particular faith or specific feeder schools. Living in an area where children have previously attended a school does not guarantee admission to the school in future years. Always check with the school’s own admission authority for the current admission arrangements.

3 steps to help parents gather catchment information for a school:

  1. Look at our school catchment area guide for more information on heat maps. They give a useful indicator of the general areas that admit pupils to the school. This visualisation is based on all attending pupils present at the time of the annual School Census.
  2. Use the link to the Local Authority Contact (above) to find catchment area information based on a single admission year. This is very important if you are considering applying to a school.
  3. On each school page, use the link to visit the school website and find information on individual school admissions criteria. Geographical criteria are only applied after pupils have been admitted on higher priority criteria such as Looked After Children, SEN, siblings, etc.

How Does The School Perform?

Good
NATIONAL AVG. 2.09
Ofsted Inspection
(03/12/2019)
Full Report - All Reports
91%
NATIONAL AVG. 60%
% pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics



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Progress Compared With All Other Schools

UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 8% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 11% of schools in England) Average (About 59% of schools in England) Above Average (About 11% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England)
School Hill
Birch
Colchester
CO2 0LZ
01206330224

School Description

Pupils at Birch Church of England School live the school values of ‘wisdom, trust and friendship’. Pupils love coming to school, attend well and enjoy learning. Pupils told inspectors that staff are kind and understanding. One pupil summed up the views of many, commenting: ‘Teachers explain things really well and, if you don’t get it, they help you.’ Pupils are well-cared for. Senior leaders and governors do everything they can to support pupils’ well-being. There are many after-school clubs. Pupils enjoy the opportunity to learn new sports or create dance routines. Pupils’ behaviour is exceptional. Staff go out of their way to support pupils. Pupils have respect for all adults. Lessons are interesting, so pupils want to learn. Pupils feel safe at school. They told inspectors that everyone is kind. There is hardly any falling out. Bullying of any kind is rare because it is not tolerated by staff and pupils. Parents speak highly of the school. Most parents are pleased their children attend the school. They value the meetings after school when they are shown how to help their children learn. Parents think that, ‘The ethos of the school is stunning. Children come running into school each morning because they enjoy it so much.’ What does the school do well and what does it need to do better? Pupils access a wide-ranging and rich curriculum that supports them to be well prepared for secondary school by the end of Year 6. Although results vary year-onyear, in 2019 pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 achieved well above other children nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. Senior leaders and staff are a strong team. Senior leaders have reviewed most curriculum subjects since the previous inspection. Subject leaders have good knowledge and understanding of their subjects. Curriculum plans are effective in supporting teachers to plan effective lessons. This is helping pupils to know and understand more in each subject over time. Adults take good care of pupils in the early years. Most children settle in quickly and are keen to learn. The early years leader organises the curriculum well. Most children reach the expected standard by the end of their Reception Year and are ready to move into Year 1. Reading is given a high priority in the school, and pupils generally enjoy opportunities to read and hear stories. The teaching of phonics is not helping some individual pupils to read as effectively as they could, particularly a few children in Reception. This is because they are accessing activities that are too easy for them. On occasion, readers in Key Stage 1 and 2 who need help to catch up are not confident to use their phonics knowledge to read new words. Inspection report: Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School 3–4 December 2019 2 Leaders’ monitoring of, and pupils’ access to, the curriculum is underdeveloped in some areas. Subject leaders’ work to monitor and develop the curriculum is more advanced in key stage 2 than in key stage 1. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) does not get many opportunities to visit lessons to check on how pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are accessing the curriculum. This is in contrast to her strong work with parents and external experts, where she is seeking the best help to meet pupils’ needs. Pupils are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage in their education and for life in modern Britain. Pupils are keen to take on special jobs as they go through the school. All Year 6 take part in the ‘young leaders’ programme, in which they lead or take part in community projects. Staff say that their well-being is paramount to senior leaders and governors. Senior leaders do everything they can to give staff time to carry out necessary tasks to fulfil their roles effectively.

Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Parent Reviews



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