Dedham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Voluntary controlled primary school in Colchester (Essex).
Location
iSchool location from Get Information about Schools. Nearby schools are coloured by phase. Open Map+ for a full-screen map with neighbourhood deprivation (England only).About
Dedham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School on behalf of the children, staff, parents and governors I am very pleased to welcome you to the Dedham Church of England Primary School website.
Our Vision – Guide each of us to be a light to the world (inspired by Matthew 5:14-16) At Dedham Church of England Primary School, we each strive to be a light to the world: we learn to shine our light to be the best that we can be as individuals; and we seek to shine our light to improve and inspire the lives of others through the actions we take.
As we grow personally, academically and spiritually, the teachings of Jesus light our path and help to guide our actions and the decisions we make. These values underpin everyday life in school and our staff and children are expected to demonstrate these values as they go about everyday school activities.
Our values illuminate our path: they show us how to be the best that we can be so that we can achieve our vision. We work with determination to achieve success and face difficulties positively We value and treasure what we have and show our thanks
In the school’s own words, from the school website.
Enrichment
1 activityiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Forest School
Key facts
- URN
- 115076
- Type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Sixth form
- Does not have a sixth form
- Nursery
- No Nursery Classes
- Local authority
- Essex
- Constituency
- Harwich and North Essex
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
Governing body (11 current, 2 former)
Maintained school governing body.
Leadership
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Richard Hopkins | Chair of Governors | Foundation/sponsor members | since 2025 · until 2029 |
Full governing body
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mrs Jenny Hand | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Mrs Gillian Smith | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Mr Brendan Kelly | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| The Reverend Phillip Young | Governor | Ex-officio foundation governor (appointed by foundation by virtue of the office they hold) | since 2025 |
| Miss Jessica Chamberlaine | Governor | Elected by school staff | since 2024 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mr Paul Usher | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mrs Nikola Spicer | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mr Ian Lovelock | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mrs Leonie McLaughlin | Governor | Persons who are appointed by the foundation body or sponsor (if applicable) | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Headteacher Gemma Chester | Governor | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2023 |
| Mr Matthew Barnett Former | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2023 · term ended 2026 |
| Mr Tom Jones Former | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2022 · term ended 2026 |
Source: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (governance records, as at 25 October 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Names are shown as published; there are no addresses or contact details. Current and former are worked out from term end dates when the page loads. Object or ask for removal · Report an issue with this record