The Trinity School, Colchester
The Trinity School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Colchester, part of Alpha Trust. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 6th-highest of the 15 schools in Colchester with published results, and 1,041st of 3,298 across England. It was 66% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 4 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Essex (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
The Trinity School in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at The Trinity School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 49.6, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.5 in Essex and 47 across England.
57% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 45% in Essex and 47% in England.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 31.5, against 52.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 21.1 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 20 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Geography, Combined Science and History.
Getting a place at The Trinity School
For September 2026 entry, 126 families put The Trinity School as their first choice and 682 named it as one of their preferences, for 177 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 10 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to The Trinity School are The Gilberd School (under 0.1 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 49.9); Colchester Academy (1.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 35.3); St Helena School (1.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42.4); and Colchester Royal Grammar School (2.4 miles, selective, Attainment 8 80.9).
The Trinity School's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
The Gilberd SchoolColchester AcademySt Helena SchoolColchester Royal Grammar School
The trust
The Trinity School is one of 5 schools run by Alpha Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 59.8 in 2024/25.
What parents say
109 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Trinity School (as of September 2025): 73% would recommend the school, 77% say their child is happy there and 72% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (89%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (72%).
Who goes there
16.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 12.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (66%), Mixed (9%) and Black (6%).
In 2026, 79 pupils (10.1%) received SEN support and 22 (2.8%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Colchester Rail Station, about 1.5 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Gilberd School (opposite), 180 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 175 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Essex (97), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Trinity School issued 86 suspensions, 14.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to The Trinity School are Brinkley Grove Primary School (under 0.1 miles); Highwoods Community Primary School (0.4 miles); St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester (0.6 miles); and Camulos Academy (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Brinkley Grove Primary SchoolHighwoods Community Primary SchoolSt John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, ColchesterCamulos Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
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 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
49.6
Attainment 8
57.4%
Eng+Maths 5+
2025/26 academic year
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 49.6 | 57.4% |
| Disadvantaged(17) | - | 31.5 | 23.5% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(105) | - | 52.6 | 62.9% |
| Boys(55) | - | 48.8 | 52.7% |
| Girls(67) | - | 50.3 | 61.2% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(11) | - | 54.7 | 54.5% |
| Non mobile(113) | - | 49.9 | 56.6% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
Exclusions & Suspensions
3
Permanent exclusions
0.50%
Exclusion rate
86
Suspensions
14.41%
Suspension rate
30 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 597 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with The Trinity School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Trinity School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Trinity School is in Essex; for families living there:
- Essex's school travel policy: Education Transport Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 12
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 10 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle.
2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Essex is 9 (the median across 614 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at The Trinity School
Will you get a place at The Trinity School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Trinity School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Trinity School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Trinity School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Essex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Trinity School for 2022 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Essex got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
66%
Available places
595 pupils
900 places
305 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Colchester
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Colchester
Across Essex council
Places available
17,590
Applications
16,568
Got 1st preference
83.4%
Got preferred school
97.0%
All secondary applications across Essex council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
79
SEN Support
22
EHC Plans
12.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
780
Total Pupils
379
Boys
401
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
43
Teachers
18.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,388
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,474
Per pupil
£5276k
Total funding
£108k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.5%
Overall absence
20.1%
Persistent absence
633
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
The Trinity School
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about The Trinity School
What are GCSE results like at The Trinity School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at The Trinity School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 49.6. 57% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is the catchment area for The Trinity School?
No fixed boundary. When The Trinity School is oversubscribed, Essex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at The Trinity School?
The Trinity School was not full in 2025: it ran at 66% of its 900 places.
How big are the classes at The Trinity School?
Classes at The Trinity School average 27 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Trinity School?
The Trinity School has around 780 pupils on roll. 16% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Trinity School?
8.5% of sessions were missed at The Trinity School in 2024/25. 20.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Trinity School?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming The Trinity School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near The Trinity School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 10 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle. 2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Essex is 9 (the median across 614 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Trinity School?
The Trinity School is at Carris Close, Colchester, CO4 6ED.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)