1
Saffron Walden County High School
Saffron Walden • Essex • CB11 4UH
1
13 May 2024
Top 10 Secondary schools in Essex
Updated for the latest inspections (median graded year: 2023)
This Top 10 showcases secondary schools in the local authority of Essex. It’s built from the latest graded Ofsted inspections. We rank Outstanding (grade 1) above Good (grade 2), then prioritise newer inspections. As tie-breakers, we consider the “Quality of education” sub-judgement (where available), then %FSM and school size.
Total secondary schools
79
Outstanding
8
Good
51
Median inspection year
2023
Ofsted grade mix (graded schools)
O: 11% · G: 70% · RI: 16% · I: 3%
2
Chelmsford County High School for Girls
Chelmsford • Essex • CM1 1RW
1
15 Feb 2024
3
Colchester County High School for Girls
Colchester • Essex • CO3 3US
1
28 Jan 2024
4
King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford
Chelmsford • Essex • CM1 3SX
1
31 Jan 2022
5
The Gilberd School
Colchester • Essex • CO4 9PU
1
9 Jan 2019
6
Debden Park High School
Loughton • Essex • IG10 2BQ
1
27 Feb 2017
7
Beauchamps High School
Wickford • Essex • SS11 8LY
1
19 Nov 2014
8
Becket Keys Church of England Free School
Brentwood • Essex • CM15 9DA
1
16 Jun 2014
9
Clacton Coastal Academy
Clacton on Sea • Essex • CO15 3JL
2
17 Jul 2024
10
Tendring Technology College
Frinton-on-Sea • Essex • CO13 0AZ
2
16 Jul 2024
How we rank these schools
- Headline Ofsted grade: Outstanding (1) outranks Good (2), then RI (3), then Inadequate (4).
- More recent graded inspection dates rank higher.
- Where available, we use the Quality of education sub-judgement as a tie-breaker.
- Lower free school meals (%) may break remaining ties.
- Larger roll (pupil count) is a final tie-breaker.
Only the ten highest-ranked schools are shown; we also list “near misses” just below.
About Ofsted grades
- Outstanding (1): Highest judgement across key areas.
- Good (2): Strong effectiveness; meets standards consistently.
- Requires improvement (3): Not yet good; clear areas to improve.
- Inadequate (4): Significant weaknesses found.
Ungraded Section 8 visits check whether the previous graded judgement still stands, but they don’t replace it.
Data freshness & coverage
We refresh inspections and school snapshots regularly. If a school was inspected very recently, its report may not yet appear here.
Top-10 pages only appear for areas with at least 10 secondary schools that have a graded Ofsted inspection.
Map of the Top 10
Also highly rated nearby
- Anglo European School 2 • May 2024
- St Helena School 2 • Mar 2024
- Paxman Academy 2 • Mar 2024
- The King Edmund School 2 • Mar 2024
- Plume School 2 • Jan 2024
- The Basildon Upper Academy 2 • Jan 2024
- The Deanes 2 • Nov 2023
- Philip Morant School and College 2 • Oct 2023
- Joyce Frankland Academy, Newport 2 • Sep 2023
- Colne Community School 2 • Sep 2023