The Trinity School, Colchester

Secondary
Free schools
Mixed
Ages 1116

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~1.7km)Possible (~2.4km)Unlikely (~3.2km)Confidence: medium

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data. Admissions policy: Non-selective

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr Edward Turner
Pupils:780 / 900 capacity
LA:Essex
Phone:01206700910
Address:Carris Close, Colchester, CO4 6ED
Trust:ALPHA TRUST
Admissions:Non-selective
Status:open
Opened:1 September 2021

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Good

Quality of Education

Good

Behaviour & Attitudes

Outstanding

Personal Development

Good

Leadership & Management

Inspected 7 May 2025View full report
URN:143701
UKPRN:10088816
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Colchester
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

The Trinity School excels at preparing pupils for life beyond the classroom through its outstanding personal development programme, which includes residential trips, inter-house activities, and meetings with employers and universities. Teaching is high-quality with teachers using strong subject knowledge to help pupils develop real breadth and depth of understanding across the curriculum. The school creates an inclusive, welcoming environment where being different is celebrated and all pupils are supported to thrive.

Key Strengths

  • Outstanding personal development with a rich range of clubs, trips, and employer engagement to prepare pupils for their future careers
  • High-quality teaching with strong subject knowledge and effective use of assessment to close learning gaps
  • Excellent support for literacy and reading, with clear vocabulary teaching and tailored support for pupils who need it
  • Inclusive, safe school culture where pupils understand the importance of treating everyone equally and looking out for each other
  • Strong professional development and staff support, resulting in high staff satisfaction

Areas for Improvement

  • A minority of pupils do not have positive attitudes to learning and do not attend school well enough
  • Inconsistent application of the behaviour policy by some staff leads to occasional disruption to learning
  • Need to continue building on strategies to improve attendance and engagement for specific groups of pupils

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with pupils feeling safe and knowing that adults will robustly address any concerns or unkindness.

Extracurricular Activities

Games clubs, music clubs, sports clubs, residential trips, inter-house activities, prefect roles, subject ambassador roles, eco-committee membership

The Trinity School is a secondary comprehensive that provides pupils with a broad, ambitious curriculum and exceptional personal development opportunities. The school has high expectations for all pupils' learning and behaviour, with most pupils working hard and achieving well.

At a Glance

16.3%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

109 responses
Would recommend73%
Child is happy77%
Well taught81%
Good progress89%
Feels safe79%
Well behaved77%
Bullying dealt with21%
Kept informed73%
Handles concerns53%
Wider development72%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Class Sizes

27.0

Avg class size

21

Total classes

2 classes with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Gilberd School (opp)
180m · 3 min walk
Langdale Drive (adj)
211m · 3 min walk
Regents Close (opp)
354m · 6 min walk
Brinkley Lane (NE-bound)
385m · 6 min walk
Oyster Business Park (opp)
437m · 7 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

87%

Available places

780 pupils

900 capacity

120 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Colchester

High pressure
New homes approved:4,700
Projected new pupils:846

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Colchester

Admissions Demand - Essex

Low demand0.96x oversubscription

Places available

17,576

Applications

16,788

Got 1st preference

83.8%

Got preferred school

97.1%

Secondary admissions across Essex (2025/26)

Inspection History

7 May 2025
Quality of EducationGood
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentOutstanding
Leadership & ManagementGood

House Prices

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

8.47366%

Overall absence

20.06319%

Persistent absence

633

Enrolments

Authorised5.49001%
Unauthorised2.98364%
Persistent (10%+)20.06319%
Severe (50%+)5.52923%

Absence trend

6.49842%
21/22
6.6694%
22/23
8.56987%
23/24
8.47366%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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