St Benedict's Catholic CollegePaxman Academy
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Colchester.
Summary of the comparison
St Benedict's Catholic College and Paxman Academy are secondary schools in Colchester.
St Benedict's Catholic College scores 68 out of 100 (grade C, average) and Paxman Academy scores 53 out of 100 (grade D, below average). St Benedict's Catholic College is ahead on our composite score.
St Benedict's Catholic College was judged Good and Paxman Academy was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 58.4 for St Benedict's Catholic College and 42.4 for Paxman Academy.
GCSE Attainment 8 has risen at St Benedict's Catholic College (54.5 in 2021-22, 58.4 in 2025-26) and has held broadly level at Paxman Academy (43.4 in 2023-24, 42.4 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | ColchesterSt Benedict's Catholic College | ColchesterPaxman Academy | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C68/100Stronger figure | D53/100 | |
| Local ranking | 12th of 80 in Essex Stronger figure | 50th of 80 in Essex | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Voluntary aided school | Free schools | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 905 | 873 | |
| Capacity | 876 | 900 | |
| Location | Colchester, CO3 3US | Colchester, CO2 9DB | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 58.4 Stronger figure | 42.4 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 75.7% Stronger figure | 36.4% | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 88.4% Stronger figure | 57.8% | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 181 | 173 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 891 | 886 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 12.6% | 32.6% | |
| English as an additional language | 16.4% | 15.1% | |
| SEN support | 16.2% | 12.5% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 3.3% | 4.4% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 5.8% Stronger figure | 8.2% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 15.3% Stronger figure | 21.8% | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
St Benedict's Catholic College
Paxman Academy
Full profiles: St Benedict's Catholic College · Paxman Academy