What are the best schools in Essex?

Written by Clive Read
Category: Essex

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October 2023

If you are considering moving your young family to Essex or moving within the county, then schools are no doubt on your mind. The good news is that there are a lot of great schools in Essex, so wherever you go, you will be spoilt for choice.

Essex has 130+ secondary schools and 500+ primary schools. There is a good selection of state secondary, private and grammar schools. A staggering 179 schools in the county are currently rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted (Oct 2023).

In this article, we will take a look at some of the excellent education opportunities for children in Essex.

If you are looking for property and mortgage advice in Essex, look no further than Goldmanread. We specialise in finding competitive mortgages for professionals throughout the county, and we have excellent local knowledge. Contact us today to arrange a consultation.

Thinking of moving your family to Essex and wondering about schools?

Naturally, you want your children to have the best chance of academic success in an environment which also nurtures their social skills and mental health. The ‘right’ school for them very much depends on their individual needs, and it’s hard to judge schools on paper alone.

However, there are a few indicators that provide reassurance of the quality of schools in Essex. We’ll take a look at the “best” schools in the region below based on:

Ofsted rating: The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills is the government body responsible for inspecting schools in the UK. It gives four ratings: Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement and Inadequate.

Academic performance: You can check a school’s performance using the Department of Education’s Compare School Performance website. This shows pupils’ performance in relation to the national average.

Best primary schools in Essex

There are hundreds of excellent primary schools in Essex, but here are just a few for your consideration.

Barons Court Primary School and Nursery, Southend-on-Sea, SS0 7PJ

Boys and girls 3-11 years
Ofsted – “Outstanding”
No. of pupils – 245
Pupil/teacher ratio – 17:1
Nursery classes available

Beehive Lane Community Primary School, Chelmsford, CM2 9SR

Boys and girls 4-11 years
Ofsted – “Outstanding”
No. of pupils – 210
Pupil/teacher ratio – 26:1
Nursery classes available

Other notable primary schools in Essex

Canvey Junior School, SS8 0JG
Shenfield St. Mary’s CE Primary School, Brentwood, CM15 9AL
Perryfields Junior School, Chelmsford, CM1 7PP
St Peter’s Catholic Primary School, Billericay, CM11 2UB
Chipping Hill Primary School, Witham, CM8 1FR

Best secondary schools in Essex

If you’re looking at non-selective state secondary schools, these are some of the finest in the county.

Beauchamps High School, Basildon, SS11 8LY

Boys and girls 11-18 years
Ofsted – “Outstanding”
No. of pupils – 1,416
Pupil/teacher ratio – 16:1
Sixth form – yes

Saffron Walden County High, CB11 4UH

Boys and girls 11-18 years
Ofsted – “Outstanding”
No. of pupils – 2,050
Pupil/teacher ratio – 15:1
Sixth form – yes

The Eastwood Academy, Southend-on-Sea, SS9 5UU

Boys and girls 11-16 years
Ofsted – “Outstanding”
No. of pupils – 970
Pupil/teacher ratio – 20:1
Sixth form – no

The Gilberd School, Colchester, CO4 9PU

Boys and girls 11-16 years
Ofsted – “Outstanding”
No. of pupils – 970
Pupil/teacher ratio – 20:1
Sixth form – no
A grammar school up until 2012, now a non-selective academy

Other notable secondary schools in Essex

Moulshom High School, Chelmsford CM2 9ES
Thriftwood School, Chelmsford, CM2 8RW
Becket Keys Church of England Free School, Brentwood, CM15 9DA
Hall Mead School, Upminster, RM14 1SF
Maltings Academy, Witham, CM8 1EP

Best schools in Essex for Special Educational Needs

If your child learns a little differently and would benefit from a school that specialises in teaching students with special educational needs, then the following are some of the best Essex has to offer.

The St. Christopher School, Southend-on-Sea, SS9 4AW

Boys and girls 3-19 years
Ofsted – “Outstanding”
No. of pupils – 212
Pupil/teacher ratio – 6:1
Sixth form – yes
Nursery classes available
Type of SEN provision – ASD, SEMH, MLD

Quarry Hill Academy, Thurrock, RM17 5UT

Boys and girls 2-11 years
Ofsted – “Outstanding”
No. of pupils – 510
Pupil/teacher ratio – 22:1
Nursery classes available
Type of SEN provision – SEMH

Mayflower High School, Billericay, CM12 0RT

Boys and girls 11-18 years
Ofsted – “Outstanding”
No. of pupils – 1,700
Pupil/teacher ratio – 20:1
Sixth form – yes
Type of SEN provision – SpLD

Other notable schools for SEN

The Pioneer School, Basildon, SS14 2LA
Glenwood School, Benfleet, SS7 4LW

Best grammar schools in Essex

Grammar schools are thought by many to be a pillar of academic achievement, known for their rigorous educational standards and commitment to preparing students for future success.

The admission process for grammar schools is selective and based on the outcome of the 11+ exam. The following grammar schools all have selective admission policies but are state secondary school status, i.e. they do not charge a fee.

King Edward Vi Grammar School, Chelmsford, CM1 3SX

Boys* 11-18 years
Ofsted – “Outstanding”
No. of pupils – 1,131
Pupil/teacher ratio – 17:1
Sixth form – yes, *open to boys and girls
Rated 8th best grammar school in the UK, based on exam performance.

Colchester Royal Grammar School, CO3 3ND

Boys* 11-18 years
No. of pupils – 777
Pupil/teacher ratio – 17:1
Sixth form – yes, open to boys and girls
Boarding is available for a fee

Colchester County High School for Girls, Colchester, CO3 3US

Girls, 11-18 years
No. of pupils – 1,020
Pupil/teacher ratio – 17:1
Sixth form – yes
Ofsted – awaiting inspection following conversion to academy status
Rated 16th best grammar school in the UK, based on exam performance.

Chelmsford County High School for Girls, CM1 1RW

Girls, 11-18 years
Ofsted – awaiting inspection following conversion to academy status
No. of pupils – 1,163
Pupil/teacher ratio – 16:1
Rated 13th best grammar school in the UK, based on exam performance.

Other notable grammar schools in Essex

Westcliff High School for Boys, SS0 0BP
Westcliff High School for Girls, SS0 0BS
Southend High School for Girls, SS2 4UZ
Southend High School for Boys, SS0 0RG

Best private schools in Essex

If you are looking for a private school education for your young one (i.e. a fee-paying school), you should consider one of the following prestigious institutions. It’s worth noting that not all private schools are Ofsted-inspected. Instead, you should seek the latest Independent Schools Inspectorate report.

Brentwood School, CM15 8EE

Day and boarding school
Girls and boys 3-19
No. of pupils – 2,000
A*/A grades at GCSE – 66% (2023)
Academic, art, choral, drama, music, sport and sixth-form scholarships are available

Chigwell School, IG7 6QF

Day and boarding school
Girls and boys 3-19
No. of pupils – 1,085
A*/A grades at GCSE – 77.4% (2023)
Academic, art, drama, music and sixth-form scholarships are available

Bancroft’s School, IG7 6QF

Day school
Girls and boys 7-18
No. of pupils – 1,112
Ofsted rating – “good”
A*/A grades at GCSE – 76.5% (2023)
Music scholarships are available

What are the best places to live in Essex for schools?

At the time of writing, there are Ofsted-rated ‘good’ schools in every part of Essex, and most have a number of ‘outstanding’ schools. So your children will have access to great education across the county.

However, prominent areas that are known for leading primary, secondary, grammar and private schools include Chelmsford, Colchester, Brentwood and Uttlesford. But there are terrific schools all over Essex.

Most of the schools mentioned in this article are regularly oversubscribed, so it’s never too early to start thinking about setting down roots in the location of your preferred school.

Talk to Goldmanread for mortgage advice in Essex

When considering buying a property in Essex, it’s important to seek advice from an experienced mortgage professional, like Goldmanread.

We have been providing mortgage advice in Essex for many years and have great local knowledge, which we’re happy to share.

We are an independent mortgage broker, which means that we can look at a wide range of lenders to find the best possible deal for your circumstances. We will manage the entire mortgage application on your behalf so you can concentrate on finding the perfect family home.

We have clients in Essex and across the UK:

As a local mortgage broker based in Essex we have clients close to our offices, but we also work with professionals across the UK. No matter where you are based we can provide you with the specialist mortgage advice you need.

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Clive Read

Managing Director at Goldmanread

Clive Read is an appointed representative of PRIMIS Mortgage Network. PRIMIS Mortgage Network is a trading style of Personal Touch Financial Services Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

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