OFSTED
7 June 2023
Latest ungraded inspection
Latest published outcome
School remains Good
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy converter
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
Essex
Trust
THE SIGMA TRUST
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
1,396
1,396 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
694
49.7% of pupils
Male pupils
702
50.3% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
8.6 pts
below England
School
16.2%
Colchester
19.5%
East of England
19.7%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
14.3 pts
below England
School
6.0%
Colchester
14.2%
East of England
16.4%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
0.2 pts
below England
School
0.8%
Colchester
1.4%
East of England
1.7%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
84.5%
1,180
Any other White background
3.0%
42
African
2.5%
35
White and Black Caribbean
1.4%
20
White and Asian
1.3%
18
Indian
1.2%
17
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
13.2%
184 of
1,396 pupils
7.6 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
4.5 pts
below
England
6.0%
3.1 pts
below
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
2024/25
Key stage 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
48.2
9.0 pts
above England
Latest published: 0.07 · 2023/24
Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
7.40%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
1.18 pts
higher than
England
School
7.40%
Colchester
5.99%
East of England
6.17%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
16.82%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
1.00 pts
higher than
England
School
16.82%
Colchester
14.41%
East of England
15.39%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
4.41%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
2.61 pts
higher than
England
School
4.41%
Colchester
1.90%
East of England
1.83%
England
1.80%
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages rather than
pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
School context
Comparison with open secondary schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
99.7%
7.4 pts
above England
The Stanway School
99.7%
Colchester
94.9%
East of England
92.9%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.