St Helena School

St Helena School is performing effectively with a good overall effectiveness rating, demonstrating significant strengths in leadership and management, which has been rated outstanding. The school fosters a supportive learning environment where students feel safe and have positive relationships with their teachers. The curriculum is ambitious and well-structured, promoting regular reading and ensuring that pupils with special educational needs receive appropriate support for their learning. Although there have been improvements in behavior and attendance, the school acknowledges the need for some teachers to enhance their checking of student understanding to further optimize learning outcomes.

Strengths

• Strong leadership and management which is outstanding.
• Well-constructed and ambitious curriculum in place.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs.
• High expectations for student behavior are consistently upheld.
• Positive relationships between pupils and teachers contribute to a safe environment.
• Comprehensive personal development and careers education offered.
• Wide range of extracurricular activities available to students.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers do not consistently check students' prior knowledge before new learning.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at St Helena School attended 92.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 6.2% of pupils at St Helena School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 St Helena School had 16.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 15.4% of pupils at St Helena School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 St Helena School received £8,505 and spent £8,301 for each of its 1,001 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £408,000 (£408 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of The Sigma Trust, income was £8,335 and spending £8,168 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Colchester · Essex local authority: places and applications

St Helena School is part of The Sigma Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Philip Morant School and College Colchester
• Paxman Academy Colchester
• The Thomas Lord Audley School Colchester
• Monkwick Junior School Colchester
• Monkwick Infant and Nursery School Colchester
• The Stanway School Colchester
• Colne Community School Colchester
• Alton Park Junior School Clacton-On-Sea
• Clacton County High School Clacton-On-Sea
• Holland Park Primary School Clacton-On-Sea

What is St Helena School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Helena School is Good, from an inspection in March 2024.

When was St Helena School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Helena School was last inspected in March 2024.

How many pupils does St Helena School have?

St Helena School has 986 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Helena School cover?

St Helena School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are St Helena School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 42.4, and 36% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is St Helena School?

St Helena School is at Sheepen Road, Colchester, Essex, CO3 3LE.