The Stanway School
Winstree Road, Colchester, CO3 0QA
1,396 pupils · 100% of 1,400 capacity
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11–16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Trust
- THE SIGMA TRUST
- Local authority
- Essex
- Free school meals
- 16.2%
Ofsted
Good (2023) — Ungraded inspection — “School remains Good” (previous grade confirmed, not re-graded)
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 7 June 2023, published 13 July 2023. 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 | 48.2 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 54.4% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 73.9% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 34.9% |
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?
Usually has places available — 0.93 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 273 | 254 | 844 | 273 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 272 | 249 | 890 | 272 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 276 | 246 | 849 | 276 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 276 | 322 | 963 | 276 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 278 | 267 | 848 | 278 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 273 | 289 | 887 | 273 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 277 | 262 | 880 | 277 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 273 | 329 | 904 | 273 |
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
- Philip Morant School and College 2.2 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- Paxman Academy 2.3 km · Good (2024) · previous system
- St Benedict's Catholic College 2.4 km · Good — confirmed 2023 · previous system
- Colchester County High School for Girls 2.4 km · Outstanding (2023) · previous system
- Colchester Royal Grammar School 3.3 km · Most areas: Exceptional (2026)
- St Helena School 3.6 km · Good (2024) · 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.