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Schools across Essex

Local authority · 614 schools across 68 towns

New inspection results and open days, weekly by email.

Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days

Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Essex (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.

Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days

Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Essex (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.

Year 7 dates to calendar Reception dates to calendarHow to apply in Essex →

Schools in Essex (614)

Showing 20 of 614 schools

Total Schools

614

444 primary · 79 secondary

Total Pupils

232,979

93% capacity used

Ofsted Rated

181

20 outstanding · 161 good

Capacity

250,798

17,819 spare places

Ofsted Ratings

161
425
Outstanding: 20
Good: 161
Requires Improvement: 8
Not inspected: 425

Best Schools in Essex

View the full league table - ranked by Ofsted, Progress 8, KS2 results and more

Area Performance (2026)

Attainment 8

42.9

GCSE Eng+Maths

42.3%

School Capacity

Primary Schools

94% full
121,707 pupils129,618 capacity

7,911 spare places

Secondary Schools

94% full
92,969 pupils99,380 capacity

6,411 spare places

Pupil Absence

Avg Overall Absence

6.3%

2024/25

Avg Persistent Absence

15.9%

2024/25

Schools Reporting

535

2024/25

Absence trend across Essex schools

4.7%
18/19
4.3%
20/21
7.3%
21/22
6.7%
22/23
6.4%
23/24
6.3%
24/25

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Average across all open schools in this LA.

EHCP Timeliness

Issued Within 20 Weeks

19%

Plans Issued

2,420

Assessment Requests

4,307

Tribunal Cases

172

EHCP timeliness trend (% issued within 20 weeks)

73%
2019
28%
2020
45%
2021
11%
2022
1%
2023
16%
2024
19%
2025

Source: DfE EHCP timeliness statistics. Shows how quickly this LA issues Education, Health and Care Plans.

Admission Appeals

2026 admission appeals by school phase

Primary

21,003 admissions

375

Lodged

(1.8%)

241

Heard

31

Successful

(13%)

Primary (infant classes)

16,913 admissions

241

Lodged

(1.4%)

161

Heard

10

Successful

(6%)

Secondary

19,881 admissions

542

Lodged

(2.7%)

406

Heard

57

Successful

(14%)

Total

40,884 admissions

917

Lodged

(2.2%)

647

Heard

88

Successful

(14%)

Total appeals lodged per year

3556
2019
3833
2020
2569
2021
2404
2022
2474
2023
2675
2024
2592
2025
2075
2026

Source: DfE admission appeals statistics. Shows how competitive school places are in this area.

Towns in Essex

Colchester

101 schools

Chelmsford

81 schools

Harlow

42 schools

Basildon

35 schools

Brentwood

29 schools

Braintree

23 schools

Clacton-on-Sea

19 schools

Benfleet

18 schools

Halstead

16 schools

Saffron Walden

16 schools

Witham

15 schools

Canvey Island

14 schools

Billericay

14 schools

Wickford

14 schools

Loughton

14 schools

Maldon

13 schools

Rochford

10 schools

Bishop's Stortford

10 schools

Rayleigh

9 schools

Epping

9 schools

Questions parents ask about schools in Essex

How many schools are there in Essex?

Essex has 614 open schools: 444 state primary, 84 state secondary or all-through, 28 independent, 45 special and 13 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Essex are rated Outstanding?

55 schools in Essex were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Hereward Primary School; R A Butler Junior School; Saffron Walden County High School; Chatten Free School; Chancellor Park Primary School, Chelmsford; and 50 more. Counting Good as well, 94% of the 521 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Hereward Primary SchoolR A Butler Junior SchoolSaffron Walden County High SchoolChatten Free SchoolChancellor Park Primary School, Chelmsford

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Essex get the best GCSE results?

Of the 85 schools in Essex with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 83 and 99% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Chelmsford County High School for Girls (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 81.4 and 99% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Colchester Royal Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 80.9 and 98% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Selective schools admit by ability, so their raw results are not a like-for-like comparison with comprehensives. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

King Edward VI Grammar School, ChelmsfordChelmsford County High School for GirlsColchester Royal Grammar School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Essex have the best SATs results?

3 of the 388 primary schools in Essex with 2025 Key Stage 2 results had every pupil reach the expected standard in both reading and maths: Rickling Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School; Stambridge Primary School; and St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, Great Yeldham. Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Rickling Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolStambridge Primary SchoolSt Andrew's Church of England Primary School, Great Yeldham

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Essex?

Yes. Chelmsford County High School for Girls; Colchester County High School for Girls; Colchester Royal Grammar School; and King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford are state grammar schools in Essex. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Chelmsford County High School for GirlsColchester County High School for GirlsColchester Royal Grammar SchoolKing Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Essex have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Essex have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Essex allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Essex?

Apply to Essex through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.

Explore More

The Great School Divide
Anatomy of Outstanding
League Tables