Cherry Tree Academy is a mainstream primary school with resourced provision in Colchester, Essex, for children and young people aged 4 to 11. Its specialist base has 8 places for speech, language and communication.
- Ages 4–11
- 180 pupils
- Ofsted: Good
School details
- Type
- Mainstream school with resourced provision
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Specialist base
- Resourced provision, 8 places, 5 pupils
- Pupils
- 180
- Headteacher
- Mr Rory Bullivant
- Part of
- Inspires MAT
- Council
- Essex
- School reference (URN)
- 142002
Needs its base supports
1 need: speech and language
As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.
Communication and interaction
- Speech, language and communication Other schools for this in Essex (8)
How to get a place
4 steps, starting with an EHC plan
- An EHC plan
Places in an SEN unit or resourced provision are usually for children with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If your child doesn’t have one yet, you can ask the council for an assessment yourself.
- Visit and ask about the base
See the school and its specialist base, and ask how children split their time between the base and mainstream classes.
- Ask for the school to be named
Tell the council that looks after the plan (often Essex council) that you want this school and its base, and ask them to consult it.
- Named in the plan
If the school is named in your child’s plan, it must admit your child. Places in the base itself are agreed between the council and the school, so ask how they decide.
Questions to ask when you visit
8 questions to tick off as you go
Ticks stay on this device, so you can use them on the day.
Ofsted
Rated Good, February 2022
Rated Good at its last graded inspection, in February 2022.
- Quality of educationGood
- Behaviour and attitudesGood
- Personal developmentGood
- Leadership and managementGood
- Early yearsGood
- SafeguardingEffective
Contact and getting there
Holt Drive, Mersea Road, Colchester, CO2 0BG
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Directions: Walk Public transport Drive
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The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.
Other SEND schools nearby
- North East Essex Co-operative Academy Alternative provision · Ages 4–16 · Ofsted: Good 2.2 miles
- Philip Morant School and College Mainstream + base · Ages 11–18 · Ofsted: Good 2.4 miles
- Kingswode Hoe School Special school · Ages 5–16 · Ofsted report card (2026) 2.6 miles
By need in Essex: Autism (18) · Severe learning (13) · Moderate learning (10) · Hearing (10) · Speech and language (9) · PMLD (8) · SEMH (7) · Dyslexia and SpLD (3) · Vision (3) · Multi-sensory (2)
Questions about Cherry Tree Academy
How do I get a place in Cherry Tree Academy’s specialist base?
Places in an SEN unit or resourced provision usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan: ask the council that looks after the plan to consult the school about its base. If the school is named in the plan it must admit your child; places in the base itself are agreed between the council and the school.
What needs does Cherry Tree Academy support?
Speech, language and communication. Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.
What ages does Cherry Tree Academy take?
Aged 4 to 11, boys and girls.
What is Cherry Tree Academy’s Ofsted rating?
Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2022 at its last graded inspection. Newer inspections no longer give a single overall grade, so read the latest report for the full picture.
Where is Cherry Tree Academy?
Holt Drive, Mersea Road, Colchester, CO2 0BG, in Essex.
School data: DfE Get Information About Schools, under the Open Government Licence. Postcode lookups by postcodes.io: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right, and National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right. Distances are as the crow flies. Always check details and admissions with the school and your council.