St Helena School
Secondary · Academy converter · Ages 11–16 · Colchester, Essex
Last distance offered · Year 7 2026
Every applicant was offered a place
From Essex County Council · offers on 2 March 2026
Year 7 last distance offered, 2022–2026 (miles)
All: every applicant was offered a place.
St Helena School is a secondary school in Colchester, Essex for ages 11–16 (academy converter). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Good, from the inspection on 30 January 2024. Essex has published a last distance offered for this school for Year 7 2022 to 2026 entry.
St Helena School catchment area: last distance offered
Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.
| Entry | Last distance offered |
|---|---|
| Year 7 2026 | Every applicant was offered a place |
| Year 7 2025 | Every applicant was offered a place |
| Year 7 2023 | Every applicant was offered a place |
| Year 7 2022 | Every applicant was offered a place |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- In 2024/25, 36% of pupils got grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths (England 45%), and the Attainment 8 score was 46 (England 46).
- Every applicant was offered a Year 7 place in 2026, as at 59 of the 71 other Essex secondary schools with a published Year 7 2026 outcome.
- Year 7 2026 had 116 first-choice applications for 178 offers: 0.7 first choices per offer, the 6th lowest of 75 Essex secondary schools.
- 33.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals; the middle figure across the 8 nearest secondary schools in Essex is 16.3%.
Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Essex schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.
Key facts
- Address
- Sheepen Road, Colchester, CO3 3LE
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–16
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Council
- Essex
- Pupils on roll
- 986 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 33.5% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 16.8
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Good Inspected 30 January 2024
Strengths
- “St Helena School is a place where everyone wants the very best for pupils.”
- “The school’s values of aspire, believe and achieve sit behind the decisions the school makes for everyone to succeed.”
- “Pupils value the warm and positive relationships they develop with their teachers.”
To improve
- “Pupils say that bullying can happen.”
- “However, occasionally, teachers do not always check that pupils have the knowledge they need to understand new subject content or to practise skills effectively.”
- “This means that pupils sometimes do not learn the curriculum as well as they could.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 15 March 2024 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| GCSE English and maths, grade 5 or above (2024/25) | 36% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 46 | 46 |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Year 7 entry: 116 first-preference applications, 178 offers in total, 116 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Nearby secondary schools
Straight-line distance, in Essex.
- Colchester Royal Grammar School 0.6 mi No Ofsted grade
- Colchester County High School for Girls 0.9 mi Outstanding
- St Benedict's Catholic College 0.9 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Philip Morant School and College 1.2 mi Good Last distance published
- Paxman Academy 1.8 mi Good Last distance published
- The Gilberd School 1.9 mi Standards maintained Last distance published
- The Trinity School 1.9 mi Not judged Last distance published
- The Thomas Lord Audley School 1.9 mi Standards maintained Last distance published