Paxman Academy

Paxman Academy is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating in all key areas including the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. As the first inspection since the school opened in 2019, it reflects a committed approach to education and student well-being. The school fosters a vibrant community with a wide variety of extracurricular activities and has strong support for pupils, particularly those with special educational needs. The leadership has shown diligence in creating an inclusive and aspirational environment for all students.

Strengths

• Strong support systems for pupils with special educational needs.
• A diverse and ambitious curriculum that includes vocational options.
• A caring ethos with community events that support military families.
• Effective reading interventions resulting in increased confidence among pupils.
• A well-planned curriculum that builds on prior knowledge.

Areas for Improvement

• Some issues with temporary staffing in certain subjects leading to behaviour challenges.
• A small number of pupils struggle to demonstrate positive behaviour consistently.

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 Paxman Academy attended 91.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 21.8% 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, 3.6% of pupils at Paxman Academy 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 Paxman Academy had 17.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.1% 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, 12.3% of pupils at Paxman Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.0% 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 Paxman Academy received £8,711 and spent £8,407 for each of its 889 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £708,000 (£797 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

Paxman Academy is part of The Sigma Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Philip Morant School and College Colchester
• The Stanway School Colchester
• The Thomas Lord Audley School Colchester
• Monkwick Junior School Colchester
• Monkwick Infant and Nursery School Colchester
• St Helena 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 Paxman Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Paxman Academy is Good, from an inspection in March 2024.

When was Paxman Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Paxman Academy was last inspected in March 2024.

How many pupils does Paxman Academy have?

Paxman Academy has 873 pupils on roll.

What age range does Paxman Academy cover?

Paxman Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Paxman Academy'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 Paxman Academy?

Paxman Academy is at Paxman Avenue, Colchester, Essex, CO2 9DB.