The Gilberd School
Brinkley Lane, Colchester, CO4 9PU
1,588 pupils · 99% of 1,600 capacity
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11–16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Trust
- ALPHA TRUST
- Local authority
- Essex
- Free school meals
- 15.4%
Ofsted
Standards maintained (2025) — Ungraded inspection — “Standards maintained” (no overall grade issued)
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 5 February 2025, published 25 March 2025. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Attainment 8 score | 53.4 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 58.2% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 77.1% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 31.4% |
Progress 8 is not published nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26 while KS2 baselines are missing (no SATs in 2020/21). It returns from 2026/27.
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Oversubscribed — 1.31 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 306 | 401 | 1,183 | 306 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 320 | 377 | 1,166 | 320 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 319 | 375 | 1,166 | 319 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 317 | 412 | 1,186 | 317 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 296 | 411 | 1,048 | 296 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 298 | 454 | 982 | 298 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 306 | 420 | 981 | 306 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 305 | 372 | 857 | 305 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- The Trinity School 0.1 km · No overall grade (2025)
- Colchester Academy 2.8 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- St Helena School 3 km · Good (2024) · previous system
- Colchester Royal Grammar School 3.8 km · Most areas: Exceptional (2026)
- St Benedict's Catholic College 4.5 km · Good — confirmed 2023 · previous system
- Colchester County High School for Girls 4.5 km · Outstanding (2023) · previous system
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.