St Helena SchoolColchester Royal Grammar School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Colchester.
Summary of the comparison
St Helena School and Colchester Royal Grammar School are secondary schools in Colchester.
St Helena School scores 54 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and Colchester Royal Grammar School scores 86 out of 100 (grade A, exceptional). Colchester Royal Grammar School is ahead on our composite score.
St Helena School was judged Good and Colchester Royal Grammar School was judged exceptional.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 42.4 for St Helena School and 80.9 for Colchester Royal Grammar School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at St Helena School (46.1 in 2021-22, 42.4 in 2025-26) and has fallen at Colchester Royal Grammar School (83.4 in 2023-24, 80.9 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | ColchesterSt Helena School | ColchesterColchester Royal Grammar School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D54/100 | A86/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 43rd of 80 in Essex | 4th of 80 in Essex Stronger figure | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: ExceptionalStronger figure | |
| School type | Academy converter | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-18 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Boys | |
| Pupils on roll | 986 | 1,073 | |
| Capacity | 1,000 | 777 | |
| Location | Colchester, CO3 3LE | Colchester, CO3 3ND | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 42.4 | 80.9 Stronger figure | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 36.0% | 98.4% Stronger figure | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 56.3% | 100.0% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 197 | 128 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | Not reported | 202 | |
| A-level average points | Not reported | 51.3 | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | Not reported | A | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | Not reported | 52.1 | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | Not reported | 77.7% | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 987 | 1,059 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 31.3% | 6.6% | |
| English as an additional language | 19.0% | 11.0% | |
| SEN support | 14.2% | 7.3% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 2.5% | 0.4% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 8.0% | 5.4% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 20.8% | 18.2% Stronger figure | 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 Helena School
Colchester Royal Grammar School
Full profiles: St Helena School · Colchester Royal Grammar School