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East of England local authority

Schools in Essex

Search and compare schools in Essex with map view, rankings, Ofsted context, performance data and admissions research links. Use this page as a local hub before opening individual school profiles or building a side-by-side comparison.

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Add a postcode and the table below reorders by distance.

Phase
Schools indexed
605
in Essex
Average Attainment 8
45.9
national 46.4
Average Progress 8
-0.18
national 0.00
Grade 5+ Eng & maths
59%
national 45%
Good or Outstanding
68%
of 319 inspected

Averages cover state mainstream schools, the basis of the national figures. Special and independent schools are in the table below but not in the averages.

Ofsted across Essex

Most recent inspection outcome for every school with a published judgement. Click a bar to filter the table.

Spread of Attainment 8

Number of Essex secondaries in each band. Click a bar to filter the table.

Essex schools

Ranked by Attainment 8 — switch the measure to reorder

View on map
Select#SchoolAttainment 8Progress 85+ Eng & maths
1King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford
Academy converter · Outstanding
83.3+1.11100%
2Colchester Royal Grammar School
Academy converter · Inadequate
82.1+1.09100%
3Chelmsford County High School for Girls
Academy converter · Outstanding
80.7+0.7699%
4Colchester County High School for Girls
Academy converter · Outstanding
80.6+0.99100%
5New Hall School
Other independent school
70.5—96%
6St Mary's School for Girls
Other independent school
66.5—100%
7Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School
Academy converter · Good
61.0+1.0188%
8Colchester Prep & High School
Other independent school
61.0—86%
9Saffron Walden County High School
Academy converter · Outstanding
59.7+0.2883%
10Moulsham High School
Academy converter · Good
58.3+0.6782%
Showing 1–10 of 605 schools
Page 1 of 61

All schools in Essex (A–Z)

1–100 of 605 schools · page 1 of 7

Schools by town in Essex

Search paths for Essex

Primary schoolsReview KS2 and Ofsted context locally.Secondary schoolsCompare GCSE, Progress 8 and Ofsted data.Outstanding schoolsStart with schools carrying Outstanding inspection context.Nearby school mapExplore schools geographically before comparing.

Checked 23 May 2026

Essex school admissions for parents

Official source

Essex County Council publishes separate September 2026 guidance for primary, junior and secondary transfers, plus in-year moves, waiting lists and appeals. Essex also signposts grammar-school testing routes separately, so parents need to read both the council pages and any selective-school instructions before applying.

Primary September 2026 round

Primary applications opened on 10 November 2025 and closed on 15 January 2026. Essex says applications received after 15 January 2026 are treated as late and are only processed after all on-time applications.

Secondary September 2026 round

Secondary Year 7 applications opened on 12 September 2025 and closed on 31 October 2025. Essex says late secondary applications are also processed after all on-time applications.

Offer days

Primary offers are sent by email on 16 April 2026 and secondary offers are sent by email on 2 March 2026 for online applicants using the Essex Education Portal.

Grammar schools

Essex signposts separate selective entry routes. CSSE schools and Chelmsford County High School for Girls require separate test registration in addition to the standard local-authority application.

Catchment and booklets

Before applying, Essex tells parents to read the admissions booklets and check priority admission catchment areas using the council school finder.

After offer and appeals

Essex advises parents not to reject an offered school until another place is secured. Waiting lists, appeals and changes after offer are handled through the post-offer guidance and School Admissions Team.

Official Essex links

Admissions hub Main Essex admissions hub for September rounds, in-year moves, SEND and booklets.Primary school places Reception applications for September 2026, including deadlines and offer day.Secondary school places Year 7 applications for September 2026, including deadlines and offer day.Grammar school places Selective-school routes including CSSE and CCHS registration guidance.Move to a different school Essex in-year admissions and mid-year move guidance.After your school offer Waiting lists, appeals, School Admissions Team contact and next steps.

In-depth guide · Checked May 2026

Essex school admissions guide for parents

This guide summarises Essex County Council's published admissions pages as available on 23 May 2026 for September 2026 entry. Always re-check the live Essex pages and admissions booklets before you apply.

Executive summary

Essex County Council runs the normal-round application process for Essex residents and publishes separate pages for primary, junior, secondary, grammar, SEND and in-year admissions. The main dates for September 2026 entry are 15 January 2026 for primary Reception and 31 October 2025 for secondary Year 7. Offers are issued on 16 April 2026 for primary and 2 March 2026 for secondary.

Essex tells parents to read the admissions booklets and check priority admission catchment areas before applying. The council also warns that late applications are processed only after all on-time applications, which reduces the chance of getting a preferred school.

Key dates

StagePrimarySecondary
Applications open10 November 202512 September 2025
On-time closing date15 January 202631 October 2025
Offer day16 April 20262 March 2026

What matters in Essex

  • Essex separates normal-round applications, post-offer actions and in-year moves into different sections, so it is worth bookmarking the hub page rather than a single subpage.
  • Catchment research matters. Essex directs parents to use the school finder to check priority admission areas before submitting preferences.
  • Late applications are explicitly treated after all on-time applications in both primary and secondary rounds.
  • Grammar school entry is separate. Essex tells parents interested in CSSE schools or Chelmsford County High School for Girls to register for the relevant test as well as complete the local-authority application.

After offer day

Essex says you should not reject the place you have been offered until another school place has been secured. Waiting lists, appeals and changes after offer are handled through the post-offer guidance and the School Admissions Team.

Contact details published on the Essex admissions pages:

Official links

TopicLink
Main admissions hubhttps://www.essex.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools/admissions
Primary school placeshttps://www.essex.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools/admissions/primary-school-places
Secondary school placeshttps://www.essex.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools/admissions/secondary-school-places
Grammar school placeshttps://www.essex.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools/admissions/grammar-school-places
Move to a different schoolhttps://www.essex.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools/admissions/move-different-school
After your school offerhttps://www.essex.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools/admissions/after-your-school-offer

High-attainment secondary schools in Essex

King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford
SecondaryAttainment 8 83.3Progress 8 +1.11
Colchester Royal Grammar School
SecondaryAttainment 8 82.1Progress 8 +1.09
Chelmsford County High School for Girls
SecondaryAttainment 8 80.7Progress 8 +0.76
Colchester County High School for Girls
SecondaryAttainment 8 80.6Progress 8 +0.99
Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School
SecondaryAttainment 8 61.0Progress 8 +1.01

Catchment distances and university destinations in Essex

We hold the last distance offered for 378 Essex schools, 2023–2026, from the council’s allocation figures. See Essex school catchment distances

Most leavers to Oxford or Cambridge

  1. Colchester Royal Grammar School14.8% (2015/16–2019/20)
  2. Chelmsford County High School for Girls12.0% (2015/16–2019/20)
  3. King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford11.8% (2015/16–2019/20)
  4. Colchester County High School for Girls8.9% (2015/16–2019/20)
  5. Saffron Walden County High School2.0% (2015/16–2019/20)

Most leavers to Russell Group universities

  1. King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford74.0% (2015/16–2019/20)
  2. Colchester Royal Grammar School68.8% (2015/16–2019/20)
  3. Chelmsford County High School for Girls60.4% (2015/16–2019/20)
  4. Colchester County High School for Girls57.5% (2015/16–2019/20)
  5. Saffron Walden County High School31.0% (2015/16–2019/20)

Share of sixth-form leavers, pooled over the years shown (Department for Education destination data). England Oxbridge rankings

Schools in other East of England areas