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Secondary schools in CO3

All 12 secondary schools in CO3.

12 schools in CO3

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  1. Colchester County High School for Girls

    Colchester, CO3 3US · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 18 · Girls

    • Ofsted:Outstanding
    • Girls
    • Grammar
    • Has a sixth form

    Results well above the England average.

    322 first choices, 190 offers made

    Attainment 8 at 1679.7

    England 46.2

    Days missed
    4.2%
    Pupils
    1,198
    Pupils per teacher
    17.5
    View school Colchester County High School for Girls
  2. Colchester Royal Grammar School

    Colchester, CO3 3ND · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 18 · Boys

    • Ofsted:Strong standard or better
    • Faith school
    • Boys
    • Grammar
    • Has a sixth form

    Results well above the England average.

    280 first choices, 128 offers made

    Attainment 8 at 1680.9

    England 46.2

    Days missed
    5.4%
    Pupils
    1,073
    Pupils per teacher
    16.8
    View school Colchester Royal Grammar School
  3. St Benedict's Catholic College

    Colchester, CO3 3US · State · Secondary · Ages 11 to 16

    • Ofsted:Good
    • Catholic

    Results well above the England average.

    213 first choices, 173 offers made

    Attainment 8 at 1658.4

    England 46.2

    Days missed
    5.8%
    Pupils
    905
    Pupils per teacher
    20.3
    View school St Benedict's Catholic College
  4. The Stanway School

    Colchester, CO3 0QA · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 16

    • Ofsted:Good

    Results close to the England average.

    254 first choices, 273 offers made

    Attainment 8 at 1648.3

    England 46.2

    Days missed
    7.4%
    Pupils
    1,396
    Pupils per teacher
    17.8
    View school The Stanway School
  5. Philip Morant School and College

    Colchester, CO3 4QS · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 18

    • Ofsted:Good
    • Has a sixth form

    Results close to the England average.

    248 first choices, 305 offers made

    Attainment 8 at 1645.6

    England 46.2

    Days missed
    7.7%
    Pupils
    1,888
    Pupils per teacher
    18.1
    View school Philip Morant School and College
  6. St Helena School

    Colchester, CO3 3LE · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 16

    • Ofsted:Good

    Results below the England average.

    116 first choices, 178 offers made

    Attainment 8 at 1642.4

    England 46.2

    Days missed
    8.0%
    Pupils
    986
    Pupils per teacher
    16.8
    View school St Helena School
  7. Kingswode Hoe School

    Colchester, CO3 3QJ · Academy · All-through · Ages 5 to 16

    • Ofsted:Strong standard in every area

    Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.

    Results

    Not published for this kind of school.

    Days missed
    11.9%
    Pupils
    167
    Pupils per teacher
    11.5
    View school Kingswode Hoe School
  8. Lexden Springs School

    Colchester, CO3 0PZ · Academy · All-through · Ages 3 to 19

    • Ofsted:Inadequate
    • Has a nursery
    • Has a sixth form

    Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.

    Results

    Not published for this kind of school.

    Days missed
    8.6%
    Pupils
    301
    Pupils per teacher
    8.1
    View school Lexden Springs School
  9. Colchester Prep & High School

    Colchester, CO3 3HD · Independent · All-through · Ages 2 to 16

    • ISI:Inspected
    • Church of England
    • Has a nursery

    Independent school. Results well above the England average.

    Attainment 8 at 1661.8

    England 46.2

    Days missed
    –
    Pupils
    280
    Pupils per teacher
    –
    View school Colchester Prep & High School
  10. Holmwood House School

    Colchester, CO3 9ST · Independent · All-through · Ages 0 to 16

    • ISI:Inspected
    • Has a nursery

    Independent school. Results above the England average.

    Attainment 8 at 1651.0

    England 46.2

    Days missed
    –
    Pupils
    395
    Pupils per teacher
    –
    View school Holmwood House School
  11. St Mary's School for Girls

    Colchester, CO3 3RB · Independent · All-through · Ages 2 to 17 · Girls

    • ISI:Inspected
    • Faith school
    • Girls
    • Has a nursery
    • Has a sixth form

    Independent school. Results well above the England average.

    Attainment 8 at 1660.9

    England 46.2

    Days missed
    –
    Pupils
    424
    Pupils per teacher
    –
    View school St Mary's School for Girls
  12. The Willows

    Colchester, CO3 9DE · Independent · Secondary · Ages 11 to 17

    • No Ofsted grade yet

    Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.

    View school The Willows
The big picture

How CO3's secondary schools spread out

Each dot is one school. Hover over a dot to see which school it is.

Attainment 8 at 16

Average score across each pupil's best eight GCSEs.

England 46.2St Helena School: 42.4Philip Morant School and College: 45.6The Stanway School: 48.3Holmwood House School: 51St Benedict's Catholic College: 58.4St Mary's School for Girls: 60.9Colchester Prep & High School: 61.8Colchester County High School for Girls: 79.7Colchester Royal Grammar School: 80.9020406080
Secondary schools in CO3

Days missed

Share of school sessions pupils missed, for any reason. Lower is better.

CO3 average 7.4%Colchester County High School for Girls: 4.2%Colchester Royal Grammar School: 5.4%St Benedict's Catholic College: 5.8%The Stanway School: 7.4%Philip Morant School and College: 7.7%St Helena School: 8%Lexden Springs School: 8.6%Kingswode Hoe School: 11.9%0%4%8%12%16%
Secondary schools in CO3
Before you apply

Four things worth knowing in CO3

  1. Some are faith schools.

    4 of the 12 secondary schools in CO3 have a religious character. When they're full, they can put families of their faith first, so check each school's rules.

    Show schools with no religious character
  2. Apply by 31 October.

    Apply to your council in Year 6 for a Year 7 place. Offers come out on 1 March.

  3. Check how old the Ofsted grade is.

    Some grades are many years old. Each school's page shows the date of its last inspection and what's changed since.

    Show Good or Outstanding
  4. List a school you're likely to get.

    Popular schools fill up from the families who live closest. Add your postcode to see which schools are nearest, and put one of them on your form.

    Add my postcode
About these schools

Secondary schools in CO3, explained

There are 12 secondary schools in CO3. 1 are run by the council and 7 are academies or free schools. Among them are 3 special and 4 independent schools.

Looking further afield? See secondary schools near me, or everything in CO3.

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Pick an area to see its secondary schools, or browse other kinds of school in and around CO3.

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All schools in CO3

Questions

Questions parents ask

How many secondary schools are in CO3?
There are 12 secondary schools in CO3, including state-funded, academies, and independent schools.
What are the best secondary schools in CO3?
The highest-ranked secondary schools in CO3 on Eduscope are Colchester County High School for Girls, Colchester Royal Grammar School and St Benedict's Catholic College. We rank each state school against schools of the same phase across England on its Ofsted inspection, results and attendance.
How are secondary schools in CO3 ranked on Eduscope?
Each state school gets a rank score out of 100. We place each measure as a percentile among state schools of the same phase across England, then weight them. Primary schools: latest Ofsted inspection 30%, pupils meeting the expected standard at Key Stage 2 30%, pupils reaching the higher standard 10%, persistent absence (lower is better) 20%, average reading and maths scores 10%. Secondary schools: latest Ofsted inspection 25%, Attainment 8 25%, grade 5 or above in English and maths 15%, persistent absence (lower is better) 15%, pupils staying in education or work after GCSEs 10%, A level average points (sixth forms only) 10%. Results are averaged over up to three years, and an Ofsted grade older than five years counts for less. A school needs data for at least 60% of the weights. Special schools, pupil referral units, nurseries, independent schools and 16 to 19 schools aren't ranked, and are listed by Ofsted grade and name. Our methodology page explains more.
How do I choose a secondary school in CO3?
When choosing a secondary school in CO3, consider Ofsted ratings, GCSE results (Progress 8 and Attainment 8), sixth form provision, and the school's specialisms. You can compare all 12 secondary schools on Eduscope using filters for school type, gender, and admissions policy.

Sources: Department for Education school performance tables, school census and workforce data, Get Information About Schools and Ofsted. Distances are straight-line estimates.

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