Paxman Academy
Secondary · Free schools · 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, 2023–2026 (miles)
All: every applicant was offered a place.
Paxman Academy is a secondary school in Colchester, Essex for ages 11–16 (free schools). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Good, from the inspection on 6 February 2024. Essex has published a last distance offered for this school for Year 7 2022 to 2026 entry.
Paxman Academy 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 | Not published |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- In 2024/25, 34% got grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths (England 45%), 2nd lowest of 9 schools: this one and the 8 nearest secondary schools in Essex.
- Year 7 entry in 2026 drew 104 first-choice applications for 174 offers, with 70 offers going to families who ranked it second or lower.
- At 0.6 first choices per offer for Year 7 in 2026, it was the 5th lowest of 75 Essex secondary schools, and every applicant was offered a place.
- The free school meals figure stands at 33.3% of pupils, against a middle figure of 23% across the 8 nearest secondary schools in Essex.
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
- Paxman Avenue, Colchester, CO2 9DB
- Type
- Free schools
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–16
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Council
- Essex
- Pupils on roll
- 873 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 33.3% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 17.7
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Good Inspected 6 February 2024
Strengths
- “Pupils enjoy attending this school as there is so much to see and do.”
- “Pupils set up their own clubs to follow their interests, such as Rubik’s Cube and Warhammer, and then invite others along to join in.”
- “It is a vibrant community where many undertake leadership roles.”
To improve
- “Issues with temporary staffing in certain subjects, such as science, has led to some challenges with pupils’ behaviour.”
- “There remains a small number of pupils who struggle to behave positively in lessons or sometimes when they move around school.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 14 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) | 34% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 41.3 | 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: 104 first-preference applications, 174 offers in total, 104 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.
- Philip Morant School and College 0.6 mi Good Last distance published
- Colchester County High School for Girls 0.9 mi Outstanding
- St Benedict's Catholic College 0.9 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Colchester Royal Grammar School 1.2 mi No Ofsted grade
- The Stanway School 1.4 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- The Thomas Lord Audley School 1.5 mi Standards maintained Last distance published
- St Helena School 1.8 mi Good Last distance published
- Colchester Academy 3.4 mi Good Last distance published