Archaeological recording was undertaken by Colchester Archaeological Trust in May 2019, comprising sifting of spoil from 12 pits for new pads (to support a new canopy) which were excavated without any archaeological supervision (and without compliance with the planning consent, which required a test pit evaluation). Each of the pits was c.0.3m x 0.3m in area and, according to the contractors, excavated to a depth of 0.4-0.6m. The spoil consisted of a grey/brown silty-sand which was presumably a levelling layer underlying the tarmac surface of the playground, and so it appears that the groundworks did not penetrate beyond modern horizons.Two sherds of Roman pottery, 19 sherds of Roman and post-Roman brick and tile (including a possible fragment of burnt Roman daub-brick), a secondary hand hammer flint flake and nine pieces of animal bone were recovered from the spoil.<1>