Two trial trenches were excavated by Colchester Archaeological Trust, followed by a watching brief on two geotechnical boreholes, in advance of redevelopment o fthe site. At the time of the evaluation, the site was open ground which had, until recently, been occupied by temporary classrooms.<1> A total of 30m of trenching was undertaken, with one 10m-long trench (T1) extending east-west across the site and one 20m-long trench (T2) extending north-south. Two archaeological features were identified in the two evaluation trenches. T2 exposed substantial modern concrete foundations (F1) to the north, while T1 cut through a post-medieval pit (F2). T1 was excavated through four layers. A thin layer of topsoil containing occasional hardcore and CBM fragments (L1) overlay a substantial deposit of modern builders' waste (L2), which sealed a thick deposit of post-Roman topsoil (L4). L4 in turn sealed a mortar rich deposit of Roman demolition material (L3) - a layer resulting from the demolition of Roman buildings. It contained several large fragments of Roman roof tile and brick, along with lesser quantities of mortar, opus signinum, and pottery. One feature was identified within T1. In the centre of the trench, protruding from the northernmost baulk, there was a post-medieval pit (F2) cutting both the Roman demolition layer and the dark post-Roman subsoil (L3 and L4 respectively). The top of L4, as exposed in T1, only appeared on the western side of the trench. To the east, the Roman demolition material (L3) was directly sealed by the modern builders' waste (L2) at a depth of approximately 1.1m; the western end of the trench was cut through post-Roman topsoil (L4) to a depth of 1.2m below current ground-level. The excavation stopped at this point. In T2, L2 sealed dark post-Roman topsoil (L4) but, unlike in T1, the Roman demolition layer (L3) was not visible at any point along the trench's length. At the northern end of the trench, L4 had been cut by a series of large concrete foundations and associated disused drains (F1). L4 was excavated, where possible, to an average depth of 1.2m below current ground-level, at which point the excavation was halted. In addition to the trenching, geotechnical boreholes were observed to a depth of between 2m and 5m across the evaluation site. No material of archaeological significance was observed in the upcast from the boreholes.