The Trinity School

The Trinity School is a growing secondary free school within the Alpha Trust and was inspected for the first time under section 5. It currently educates pupils from Year 7 to Year 10. Inspectors found a school with high expectations and a broad, ambitious curriculum, where most pupils work hard and achieve well. Teaching is strong, staff know pupils' needs well, and pupils with SEND are supported effectively to access the curriculum. Literacy, oracy and reading are prioritised, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. Personal development is a particular strength. Pupils benefit from an exemplary range of clubs, trips, super-curriculum topics and careers activities, and they are well prepared for adulthood. Pupils say the school is safe and inclusive, and they understand how to look after themselves and others. Staff are well supported with workload and professional development, and trustees and governors provide robust challenge as the school grows. The main concern is that a minority of pupils do not have positive attitudes to learning and do not attend well enough. On occasion, inconsistent application of the behaviour policy allows a few pupils to disrupt others' learning. The school has begun effective work to improve attendance and attitudes, and leaders should build on this so that all groups of pupils engage fully and attend regularly.

Strengths

• A broad and ambitious curriculum across subjects
• Strong subject knowledge and clear teaching
• Regular recap and rigorous checks of pupils' learning
• Effective adaptations for pupils with SEND
• Structured literacy, oracy and reading support
• An exemplary personal development offer
• A wide range of clubs, trips and super-curriculum opportunities
• Strong careers and employer engagement
• Pupils feel safe and differences are accepted
• High expectations of pupils' learning and behaviour
• High-quality professional development and strong staff workload support
• Robust trustee and governor challenge
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• A minority of pupils do not have positive attitudes to learning and can disrupt others when the behaviour policy is applied inconsistently
• Some groups of pupils do not attend well enough, although the school's actions are beginning to have an impact

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 The Trinity School attended 91.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.1% 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, 5.0% of pupils at The Trinity 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 The Trinity School had 19.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.0% 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, 10.1% of pupils at The Trinity School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.8% 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 The Trinity School received £7,453 and spent £7,057 for each of its 598 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,047,000 (£1,750 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of Alpha Trust, income was £7,215 and spending £7,158 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

The Trinity School is part of Alpha Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• The Gilberd School Colchester
• Colchester County High School for Girls Colchester
• Home Farm Primary School Colchester
• Manningtree High School Manningtree

What is The Trinity School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Trinity School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was The Trinity School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Trinity School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does The Trinity School have?

The Trinity School has 780 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Trinity School cover?

The Trinity School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are The Trinity School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 49.6, and 57% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Trinity School?

The Trinity School is at Carris Close, Colchester, CO4 6ED.