OFSTED
14 April 2026
Latest inspection
Latest published outcome
Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding
Met
Inclusion
Strong standard
Curriculum & teaching
Exceptional
Achievement
Exceptional
Attendance & behaviour
Strong standard
Personal development
Strong standard
Leadership & governance
Exceptional
INSPECTION HISTORY
Previous Ofsted activity
11 May 2021
Graded inspection
Inadequate
Published
8 July 2021
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy converter
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Boys
Religious character
Christian
Local authority
Essex
Trust
THE THINKING SCHOOLS ACADEMY TRUST
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
1,073
1,073 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
151
14.1% of pupils
Male pupils
922
85.9% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
20.8 pts
below England
School
4.0%
Colchester
19.5%
East of England
19.7%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
11.5 pts
below England
School
8.8%
Colchester
14.2%
East of England
16.4%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
0.6 pts
above England
School
1.6%
Colchester
1.4%
East of England
1.7%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
33.4%
358
Indian
25.1%
269
Any other Asian background
6.2%
67
Chinese
6.2%
67
African
5.9%
63
Any other White background
5.5%
59
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
8.4%
90 of
1,073 pupils
12.4 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
6.8 pts
below
England
6.0%
5.7 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
82.1
42.9 pts
above England
Latest published: 1.09 · 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
5.36%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
0.86 pts
lower than
England
School
5.36%
Colchester
5.99%
East of England
6.17%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
18.20%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
2.38 pts
higher than
England
School
18.20%
Colchester
14.41%
East of England
15.39%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
0.00%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
1.80 pts
lower than
England
School
0.00%
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
138.1%
45.8 pts
above England
Colchester Royal Grammar School
138.1%
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.