SCHOOL PROFILE

Mersea Island School

Primary Foundation school URN 115311
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 468 Published school capacity
Capacity used 84.2% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 2 – 11 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

2 March 2023
Latest published outcome Good
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Good
Leadership & management Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Foundation school
Phase Primary
Gender Mixed
Religious character —
Local authority Essex
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 394 358 full-time · 36 part-time
Female pupils 181 45.9% of pupils
Male pupils 213 54.1% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

17.0%
7.8 pts below England
School 17.0%
Colchester 19.5%
East of England 19.7%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

1.3%
19.0 pts below England
School 1.3%
Colchester 14.2%
East of England 16.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

4.6%
3.6 pts above England
School 4.6%
Colchester 1.4%
East of England 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
91.6%
361
Any other Mixed background
3.0%
12
Any other White background
1.8%
7
White and Black African
1.5%
6
White and Black Caribbean
1.0%
4
Bangladeshi
0.5%
2
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 19.8% 78 of 394 pupils
1.0 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 19.8%
Colchester 18.0%
East of England 19.8%
England 20.8%
SEN support 16.2% 64 pupils
England 14.8% 1.5 pts above
EHC plans 3.6% 14 pupils
England 6.0% 2.5 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Speech, language & communication 28
Social, emotional & mental health 27
Autistic spectrum disorder 10
Moderate learning difficulty 5
Hearing impairment 2
Physical disability 2

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

56.0% 4.4 pts below England
School 56.0%
Colchester 62.1%
East of England 58.3%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

72.0%

1.8 pts below England

School 72.0%
Colchester 75.9%
East of England 72.9%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

76.0%

5.7 pts above England

School 76.0%
Colchester 71.4%
East of England 68.0%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

72.0%

In line with England

School 72.0%
Colchester 74.0%
East of England 70.3%
England 72.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

3.97%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

2.25 pts lower than England
School 3.97%
Colchester 5.99%
East of England 6.17%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

10.06%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

5.75 pts lower than England
School 10.06%
Colchester 14.41%
East of England 15.39%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

0.00%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

1.80 pts lower than England
School 0.00%
Colchester 1.90%
East of England 1.83%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open primary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

84.2% 4.0 pts below England
Mersea Island School
84.2%
Colchester
91.7%
East of England
87.4%
England
88.2%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information