School Chooser

King's Ford Infant School and Nursery

Primary · ages 2-7MixedCouncil154 pupilsNursery Free breakfast clubColchesterEssex
School Chooser Score
37
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 16 to 66
Out of 100. Better than 31% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
#10,145 of 16,041 in England#271 in EssexHow it is worked out
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, October 2024
Attendance94.3%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families24%About the same as most schools in England
PlacesFull154 pupils, 150 places
Pupils per teacher21.4School workforce census
Pupils on roll154Census January 2026

King's Ford Infant School and Nursery is a council school in Colchester for boys and girls aged 2 to 7. It has 154 pupils, 4 more than it has places for. About 24 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 37 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 31% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.

Gloucester Avenue, Shrub End, Colchester, CO2 9AZ01206 574524kingsford-inf.essex.sch.ukMiss Melanie Atwell headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 1 October 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places127 pupils for 180 places, 2024/25
71% full

53 places were empty (29% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 11% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

How places were given out for September 2026. The last place was given under this rule: Criterion 4.

EntryPlacesApplied at allHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary3058–LA

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll154Census January 2026
Places150103% full
Pupils from low-income families20%24% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English14%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support19%29 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan1%2 pupils with a plan
Average class size22.07 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)30%£49,600 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls86 / 68
White British pupils66%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (14), emotional and mental health (8), Autistic spectrum disorder (5), Moderate learning difficulty (3), Specific learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll154161173185169200
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals20%26%21%22%22%23%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language14%16%17%17%14%21%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support–23%17%13%11%14%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans–3%3%2%2%3%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.3% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.3%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school14.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils12.42024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.6%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.7%5.7%5.7%6.5%3.6%5.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.1%4.1%4.5%5.6%3.0%4.1%–
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.6%1.5%1.3%0.9%0.7%0.9%–
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence14.1%15.2%13.6%17.6%8.0%10.3%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate12.42.33.20.00.0––
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000––

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers6.6full-time equivalent, 8 people
Pupils per teacher21.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants4.8full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£53,947
Teachers who left in the year25%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher6.62024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£7,912England £7,738. Total £1.2m
Income per pupil£7,683England £7,697. Total £1.2m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,711England £3,480
Money in reserve1%Very little put by: £9,318, £62 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£35kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£7,912spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m40712 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate89 per 1,000 peopleabout the England average
Typical house price£325,000Colchester
Nearest bus stop120 mBoadicea Way South, 14 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Kings Ford AcademyAcademy0 m152No overall grade 202510Compare
Montgomery Primary School, ColchesterCouncil730 m608Good 201972Compare
St Michael's Primary School and Nursery, ColchesterCouncil810 m228No overall grade 202564Compare
Gosbecks Primary SchoolCouncil850 m227Good 202432Compare
Prettygate Junior SchoolCouncil960 m250Good 202478Compare
Prettygate Infant SchoolCouncil960 m172Good 202239Compare
Hamilton Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles420No overall grade 202577Compare
Monkwick Junior SchoolAcademy1.2 miles234Good 20228Compare
Primary schools in EssexPrimary schools in ColchesterBest primary schools in England

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares King's Ford Infant School and Nursery with the 48 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats31%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 37 is 14 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 7 · middle 51 · highest 95100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 48 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than King's Ford Infant School and Nursery, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Kendall Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England2.0 miles209No overall grade 202591Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 37 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 37% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 16 to 66. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years0%no data
–
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.03
Ofsted grade, 1.9 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
–
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.14
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
-0.05
2024/25; 92 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
–
What parents say0%no data
–

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is King's Ford Infant School and Nursery a good school?

It is about average. King's Ford Infant School and Nursery scores 37 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 31% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 16 to 66, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is King's Ford Infant School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated King's Ford Infant School and Nursery not judged at its last full inspection on 1 October 2024.

How many pupils does King's Ford Infant School and Nursery have?

154 pupils aged 2 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 150 places, so it is 103% full.

Is King's Ford Infant School and Nursery oversubscribed?

Probably not. 53 places were empty in 2024/25 (29% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at King's Ford Infant School and Nursery?

Pupils were in school 94.3% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 14% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at King's Ford Infant School and Nursery?

The average class had 22.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

Does King's Ford Infant School and Nursery have a breakfast club?

Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Gloucester Avenue, Shrub End, Colchester, CO2 9AZ
Telephone
01206 574524
Website
www.kingsford-inf.essex.sch.uk
Headteacher
Miss Melanie Atwell
Free breakfast club
Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-7, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Essex
Ward
Shrub End
Constituency
Colchester
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
114717 · LAESTAB 8812017 · UKPRN 10076448
Official recordOfsted reportsGovernment performance tablesDownload this school's data (CSV)

Where these figures come from