Education in Colchester
DistrictThe south east of the East of England. 201,163 people in 332 square kilometres.
2 layers about education for Colchester, each at the level its publisher released it, with its own date and source.
Schools by council
Worked out by Open Index · 2026
Under 25250 or more
Colchester had 88 open schools in 2026, from nurseries to sixth form colleges.
Number of schools
CouncilGreat Britain only88
Worked out by Open Index · 2026
Colchester had 88 open schools in 2026, from nurseries to sixth form colleges.
Worked out by Open Index from the school lists of the Department for Education, the Welsh Government and the Scottish Government.
Schools
Exact pointGreat Britain onlyPublished as points, so there is no single figure for Colchester. The map shows each one.
Schools in Colchester
Colchester has 88 open schools: 63 primary, 12 secondary, 5 special, 2 sixth form and further education, 4 independent and 2 pupil referral and alternative provision.
- Outstanding
- 3
- Good
- 24
- Requires improvement
- 0
- Inadequate
- 3
30 of the 80 schools in Ofsted's file have an overall grade from a graded inspection between September 2019 and July 2024.
6 schools have a report card from the renewed framework (from November 2025), which gives no overall grade.
14 schools had a graded inspection from September 2024, when Ofsted stopped giving an overall grade.
Ofsted says grades from different frameworks can't be compared, and an old grade may not describe a school today. Latest inspections as at 30 September 2026.
Schools rated Outstanding in Colchester
3 schools had Outstanding as the overall grade at their latest graded inspection, which is the date given. A later ungraded inspection, shown in the table, may say more.
Lakelands Primary School (May 2023), St Thomas More's Catholic Primary School, Colchester (November 2023), Colchester County High School for Girls (November 2023).
Primary (63)
| School | Type | Ages | Pupils | Latest Ofsted inspection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baynards Primary School | Community school | 4 to 11 | 98 | Report card, February 2026: safeguarding met |
| Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | Voluntary aided school | 5 to 11 | 124 | Standards maintained, February 2025Good (overall), December 2019 |
| Boxted St Peter's Church of England School | Voluntary controlled school | 4 to 11 | 206 | Good (overall), November 2022 |
| Braiswick Primary School | Academy sponsor led | 4 to 11 | 419 | School remains Good, July 2024 |
| Brinkley Grove Primary School | Foundation school | 5 to 11 | 403 | Some aspects not as strong, October 2024 |
| Broomgrove Infant School | Community school | 4 to 7 | 158 | Good (overall), February 2024 |
| Broomgrove Junior School | Community school | 7 to 11 | 212 | School remains Good, May 2024 |
| Camulos Academy | Academy sponsor led | 4 to 11 | 406 | Standards maintained, November 2024 |
| Chappel CofE Controlled Primary School | Academy sponsor led | 4 to 11 | 82 | Inadequate (overall), November 2022, before the school changed, serious weaknesses |
| Cherry Tree Academy | Academy sponsor led | 4 to 11 | 180 | Good (overall), February 2022 |
| Copford Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | Voluntary controlled school | 5 to 11 | 202 | Report card, March 2026: safeguarding met |
| Dedham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | Voluntary controlled school | 4 to 11 | 202 | Good (overall), June 2024 |
| Fingringhoe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | Voluntary aided school | 5 to 11 | 96 | Good (overall), June 2023 |
| Fordham All Saints CofE Voluntary Controlled Primary School | Academy sponsor led | 4 to 11 | 84 | Inadequate (overall), November 2022, before the school changed, serious weaknesses |
| Friars Grove Primary School | Community school | 5 to 11 | 408 | School remains Good, July 2023 |
| Gosbecks Primary School | Community school | 5 to 11 | 227 | School remains Good, February 2024 |
| Great Tey Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | Voluntary controlled school | 4 to 11 | 86 | School remains Good, March 2024 |
| Hamilton Primary School | Community school | 4 to 11 | 420 | Graded inspection, January 2025: no overall grade |
| Hazelmere Infant School and Nursery | Community school | 4 to 7 | 156 | Graded inspection, June 2025: no overall grade |
| Hazelmere Junior School | Community school | 7 to 11 | 229 | Good (overall), July 2022 |
| Heathlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, West Bergholt | Voluntary controlled school | 5 to 11 | 411 | School remains Good, April 2024 |
| Highwoods Community Primary School | Academy converter | 4 to 11 | 453 | School remains Good (Improving), next inspection graded, June 2024 |
| Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, Eight Ash Green and Aldham | Academy converter | 5 to 11 | 102 | School remains Good, September 2022 |
| Home Farm Primary School | Academy converter | 4 to 11 | 422 | Report card, January 2026: safeguarding met |
| Kendall Church of England Primary School | Voluntary controlled school | 4 to 11 | 209 | Graded inspection, June 2025: no overall grade |
| King's Ford Infant School and Nursery | Community school | 2 to 7 | 154 | Graded inspection, October 2024: no overall grade |
| Kings Ford Academy | Academy sponsor led | 7 to 11 | 152 | Graded inspection, June 2025: no overall grade |
| Lakelands Primary School | Free schools | 4 to 11 | 340 | Outstanding (overall), May 2023 |
| Langenhoe Community Primary School | Academy converter | 3 to 11 | 104 | Good (overall), January 2023, before the school changed |
| Langham Primary Academy | Academy converter | 4 to 11 | 101 | Good (overall), November 2023, before the school changed |
| Layer-de-la-Haye Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | Voluntary controlled school | 5 to 11 | 203 | School remains Good, February 2023 |
| Lexden Primary School with Unit for Hearing Impaired Pupils | Community school | 3 to 11 | 236 | School remains Good, July 2023 |
| Mersea Island School | Foundation school | 2 to 11 | 394 | Good (overall), March 2023 |
| Messing Primary School | Academy sponsor led | 4 to 11 | 89 | Graded inspection, June 2025: no overall grade |
| Milldene Primary School | Community school | 4 to 11 | 185 | School remains Good, May 2022 |
| Millfields Primary School | Foundation school | 4 to 11 | 217 | Graded inspection, March 2025: no overall grade |
| Monkwick Infant and Nursery School | Academy converter | 2 to 7 | 149 | Standards maintained, March 2025 |
| Monkwick Junior School | Academy sponsor led | 7 to 11 | 234 | Good (overall), June 2022 |
| Montgomery Primary School, Colchester | Community school | 3 to 11 | 608 | Improved significantly, March 2025Good (overall), November 2019 |
| Myland Community Primary School | Community school | 5 to 11 | 307 | Improved significantly, February 2025 |
| North Primary School and Nursery | Community school | 3 to 11 | 458 | School remains Good, March 2023 |
| Old Heath Community Primary School | Community school | 4 to 11 | 209 | Report card, April 2026: safeguarding met |
| Parsons Heath Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | Voluntary controlled school | 4 to 11 | 197 | School remains Good, September 2023 |
| Prettygate Infant School | Community school | 5 to 7 | 172 | Good (overall), October 2022 |
| Prettygate Junior School | Community school | 7 to 11 | 250 | School remains Good (Improving), next inspection graded, February 2024 |
| Queen Boudica Primary School | Community school | 4 to 11 | 408 | School remains Good, March 2023 |
| Roach Vale Primary School | Community school | 4 to 11 | 177 | Good (overall), May 2023 |
| St Andrew's Church of England Primary Academy, Marks Tey | Academy converter | 4 to 11 | 131 | School remains Good, September 2022 |
| St James the Great Church of England Primary School | Academy sponsor led | 2 to 11 | 438 | Standards maintained, January 2025Good (overall), September 2019 |
| St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester | Voluntary controlled school | 4 to 11 | 210 | School remains Good, October 2022 |
| St John's Green Primary School | Community school | 5 to 11 | 591 | School remains Good, April 2023 |
| St Lawrence Church of England Primary School, Rowhedge | Voluntary controlled school | 4 to 11 | 223 | Standards maintained, November 2024 |
| St Luke's Church of England Controlled Primary School | Voluntary controlled school | 4 to 11 | 267 | School remains Good, May 2024 |
| St Michael's Primary School and Nursery, Colchester | Community school | 3 to 11 | 228 | Graded inspection, January 2025: no overall grade |
| St Teresa's Catholic Primary School, Colchester | Academy converter | 2 to 11 | 252 | Graded inspection, January 2025: no overall grade |
| St Thomas More's Catholic Primary School, Colchester | Academy converter | 4 to 11 | 209 | Outstanding (overall), November 2023 |
| St. George's School | Community school | 3 to 11 | 609 | Good (overall), November 2023 |
| Stanway Fiveways Primary School | Community school | 5 to 11 | 473 | Good (overall), December 2022 |
| Stanway Primary School | Community school | 5 to 11 | 390 | Good (overall), November 2022 |
| The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School | Voluntary aided school | 4 to 11 | 203 | Graded inspection, March 2025: no overall grade |
| Tiptree Heath Primary School | Academy converter | 4 to 11 | 198 | Standards maintained, October 2024 |
| Unity Primary Academy | Academy sponsor led | 2 to 11 | 432 | Graded inspection, June 2025: no overall grade |
| Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery | Academy sponsor led | 3 to 11 | 186 | Good (overall), November 2022 |
Secondary (12)
| School | Type | Ages | Pupils | Latest Ofsted inspection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colchester Academy | Academy sponsor led | 11 to 16 | 879 | Good (overall), March 2023 |
| Colchester County High School for Girls | Academy converter | 11 to 18 | 1,198 | Outstanding (overall), November 2023 |
| Colchester Royal Grammar School | Academy converter | 11 to 18 | 1,073 | Report card, April 2026: safeguarding met |
| Paxman Academy | Free schools | 11 to 16 | 873 | Good (overall), February 2024 |
| Philip Morant School and College | Academy converter | 11 to 18 | 1,888 | Good (overall), September 2023 |
| St Benedict's Catholic College | Voluntary aided school | 11 to 16 | 905 | School remains Good, July 2023 |
| St Helena School | Academy converter | 11 to 16 | 986 | Good (overall), January 2024 |
| The Gilberd School | Academy converter | 11 to 16 | 1,588 | Standards maintained, February 2025 |
| The Stanway School | Academy converter | 11 to 16 | 1,396 | School remains Good, June 2023 |
| The Thomas Lord Audley School | Academy converter | 11 to 16 | 940 | Standards maintained, March 2025 |
| The Trinity School | Free schools | 11 to 16 | 780 | Graded inspection, May 2025: no overall grade |
| Thurstable School | Academy converter | 11 to 16 | 932 | Graded inspection, May 2025: no overall grade |
Special (5)
| School | Type | Ages | Pupils | Latest Ofsted inspection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doucecroft School | Other independent special school | 3 to 19 | 83 | No outcome in Ofsted's file |
| Kingswode Hoe School | Academy special converter | 5 to 16 | 167 | Report card, June 2026: safeguarding met |
| Langham Oaks | Academy special sponsor led | 10 to 16 | 82 | Graded inspection, October 2024: no overall grade |
| Lexden Springs School | Academy special sponsor led | 3 to 19 | 301 | Inadequate (overall), January 2024, before the school changed, serious weaknesses |
| The Willows | Other independent special school | 11 to 17 | No outcome in Ofsted's file |
Sixth form and further education (2)
| School | Type | Ages | Latest Ofsted inspection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colchester Institute | Further education | 16 to 99 | Not in Ofsted's state-funded schools file |
| The Sixth Form College Colchester | Academy 16-19 converter | 16 to 99 | Not in Ofsted's state-funded schools file |
Independent (4)
| School | Type | Ages | Pupils | Latest Ofsted inspection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colchester Prep & High School | Other independent school | 2 to 16 | 280 | Not in Ofsted's state-funded schools file |
| Holmwood House School | Other independent school | 0 to 16 | 395 | Not in Ofsted's state-funded schools file |
| Littlegarth School | Other independent school | 2 to 11 | 304 | Not in Ofsted's state-funded schools file |
| St Mary's School for Girls | Other independent school | 2 to 17 | 424 | Not in Ofsted's state-funded schools file |
Pupil referral and alternative provision (2)
| School | Type | Ages | Pupils | Latest Ofsted inspection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North East Essex Co-operative Academy | Academy alternative provision converter | 4 to 16 | 105 | Good (overall), July 2024 |
| The St Aubyn Centre Education Department | Pupil referral unit | 13 to 18 | 6 | School remains Outstanding, November 2023 |
Ofsted inspects state-funded schools; independent schools and colleges are inspected separately and show no outcome here.
Source: Get Information About Schools (Department for Education), edubasealldata20261015.csv; Ofsted, latest inspections as at 30 September 2026.