Lexden Springs School
Lexden Springs School is a sponsored special academy in Colchester for boys and girls aged 3 to 19. It has 301 pupils, 11 more than it has places for. About 63 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was inadequate, back in 2024.
Winstree Road, Colchester, CO3 0PZ01206 563321lexdensprings.co.ukMrs Jennifer Grotier headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 30 January 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Inadequate overall.
Ofsted has serious worries about this school. It is in serious weaknesses.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
11 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England. These are the results of Lexden Springs School, the school this one replaced.
The government hasn't published this school's headline results. That usually means the year group was too small to publish without identifying children.
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
21 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. These are the results of Lexden Springs School, the school this one replaced.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025† | 2024† | 2023† | 2019† | 2018† | 2017† | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 21 | 22 | 30 | 12 | 12 | 9 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 64% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 10% | 8% |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -6.5 | -4.2 | -6.3 | – | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -6.6 | -4.7 | -6.9 | – | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | – | 0% | 0% | – | – | – | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | – | 0% | 0% | – | – | – | – | – |
There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.
† These results are for Lexden Springs School, the school this one replaced in January 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. Every gap at this school is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At the end of primary school, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Essex council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties.
To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Essex with profound and multiple learning difficulties provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Severe learning difficulty (254), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (29), Autistic spectrum disorder (8), Specific learning difficulty (3), language and communications needs (2), Hearing impairment (1).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 301 | 298 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 63% | 57% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 11% | 9% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 0% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 100% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24† | 2022/23† | 2021/22† | 2020/21† | 2018/19† | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 8.6% | 9.1% | 11.4% | 12.7% | 14.7% | 9.8% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 7.7% | 8.1% | 10.5% | 11.6% | 13.3% | 9.7% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 0.1% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 28.6% | 29.4% | 37.4% | 44.1% | 45.0% | 22.7% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 0.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
† These attendance figures are for Lexden Springs School, the school this one replaced in January 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
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
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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Stanway School | Academy | 160 m | 1,396 | Good 2023 | 63 | Compare |
| Stanway Primary School | Council | 250 m | 390 | Good 2022 | 25 | Compare |
| Stanway Fiveways Primary School | Council | 410 m | 473 | Good 2022 | 30 | Compare |
| Lexden Primary School with Unit for Hearing Impaired Pupils | Council | 720 m | 236 | Good 2023 | 60 | Compare |
| Lakelands Primary School | Free school | 720 m | 340 | Outstanding 2023 | 100 | Compare |
| St Teresa's Catholic Primary School, Colchester | Academy | 740 m | 252 | No overall grade 2025 | 96 | Compare |
| Home Farm Primary School | Academy | 900 m | 422 | Report card 2026 | 90 | Compare |
| Holmwood House School | Independent | 0.7 miles | 395 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Lexden Springs School a good school?
Lexden Springs School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it inadequate at its last inspection in January 2024.
What is Lexden Springs School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Lexden Springs School inadequate at its last full inspection on 30 January 2024.
How good are Lexden Springs School's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level.
How many pupils does Lexden Springs School have?
301 pupils aged 3 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 290 places, so it is 104% full.
What is attendance like at Lexden Springs School?
Pupils were in school 91.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 29% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does Lexden Springs School have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It is a special school for profound and multiple learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
Does Lexden Springs School have a sixth form?
Yes.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Winstree Road, Colchester, CO3 0PZ
- Telephone
- 01206 563321
- Website
- lexdensprings.co.uk
- Headteacher
- Mrs Jennifer Grotier
- Type of school
- Sponsored special academy (Academy special sponsor led, academies)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 3-19, with nursery, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- Hope Learning Community (4 schools)
- Local authority
- Essex
- Ward
- Stanway
- Constituency
- Witham
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 January 2025 (new provision)
- URN
- 151484 · LAESTAB 8817009 · UKPRN 10096978
- Formerly
- Lexden Springs School
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.