Colchester Royal Grammar School
Lexden Road, Colchester, CO3 3ND
1,073 pupils · 138% of 777 capacity
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11–18
- Gender
- Boys
- Religious character
- Christian
- Admissions
- Selective
- Trust
- THE THINKING SCHOOLS ACADEMY TRUST
- Local authority
- Essex
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Free school meals
- 4.7%
Ofsted
Exceptional (2026) — Report card — the most common grade across the inspected areas
| Inclusion | Strong standard |
|---|---|
| Curriculum and teaching | Exceptional |
| Achievement | Exceptional |
| Attendance and behaviour | Strong standard |
| Personal development and wellbeing | Strong standard |
| Leadership and governance | Exceptional |
| Post-16 | Exceptional |
| Safeguarding | Met |
Inspected 14 April 2026, published 16 June 2026. 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 | 82.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 100% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 100% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 76.6% |
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?
Heavily oversubscribed — 2.19 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 128 | 280 | 804 | 128 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 124 | 274 | 780 | 124 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 125 | 226 | 631 | 125 |
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
- Colchester County High School for Girls 0.8 km · Outstanding (2023) · previous system
- St Benedict's Catholic College 0.8 km · Good — confirmed 2023 · previous system
- St Helena School 1 km · Good (2024) · previous system
- Philip Morant School and College 1.2 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- Paxman Academy 2 km · Good (2024) · previous system
- The Thomas Lord Audley School 2.3 km · Standards maintained (2025)
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.