1
Colchester County High School for Girls
Secondary • Academy converter • Colchester • Essex • CO3 3US
Outstanding
Top 10 Secondary schools in Colchester
Updated for the latest inspections (median graded year: 2023)
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This Top 10 showcases secondary schools in the town of Colchester. 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
15
Outstanding
2
Good
10
Median inspection year
2023
Ofsted grade mix (graded schools)
O: 14% · G: 71% · RI: 7% · I: 7%
2
The Gilberd School
Secondary • Academy converter • Colchester • Essex • CO4 9PU
Outstanding
3
St Helena School
Secondary • Academy converter • Colchester • Essex • CO3 3LE
Good
4
Paxman Academy
Secondary • Free schools • Colchester • Essex • CO2 9DB
Good
5
Philip Morant School and College
Secondary • Academy converter • Colchester • Essex • CO3 4QS
Good
6
Colne Community School
Secondary • Academy converter • Colchester • Essex • CO7 0QL
Good
7
Colchester Academy
Secondary • Academy sponsor led • Colchester • Essex • CO4 3JL
Good
8
The Honywood Community Science School
Secondary • Academy converter • Colchester • Essex • CO6 1PZ
Good
9
The Thomas Lord Audley School
Secondary • Academy converter • Colchester • Essex • CO2 8NJ
Good
10
St Benedict's Catholic College
Secondary • Voluntary aided school • Colchester • Essex • CO3 3US
Good
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
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Also highly rated nearby
- East Bergholt High School Good • Sep 2013
- The Stanway School Good • May 2013
-
🔒 2 more near-miss schoolsUnlock
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