ONE in four applicants for Colchester’s most popular secondary schools have been told there is no room for them.
Almost 17,000 pupils discovered the outcome of their secondary school applications in Essex.
Essex County Council said the total number of applications for September 2023 admissions is a record high with 16,945 pupils vying for their preferred place.
Data obtained from County Hall by the Gazette has now revealed the most popular schools in Colchester.
The oversubscribed Gilberd School saw 414 families select it as their first preference despite only having 317 places up for grabs.
The Stanway School received 324 first choice applications but only had 276 spots on offer in Winstree Road.
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Head teacher Jonathan Bland said: “We look forward to welcoming our new cohort of students in September where we will once again do everything we can to provide the best educational experience possible.”
St Benedict’s Catholic College was also extremely popular with 196 students putting the school as their first choice despite there being just 174 spaces.
Despite its recent troubles, Colchester Royal Grammar School had to disappoint 117 applicants who sat the 11+ exam and who wanted to attend the school.
The prestigious grammar school, which records some of the highest exam results in the country, has attracted criticism in light of a damning Ofsted report in 2021.
However, it saw 245 first choice applications for its 128 spaces.
And 11+ students fighting for a spot at Colchester County High School for Girls snapped up all 192 available places, with 101 missing out.
The Trinity School, which is expected to open in the Chesterwell site in Mile End, Colchester later this year, footed the table, followed closely by Colchester Academy.
Colchester’s newest school, The Trinity School, is expected to open on the new Chesterwell site. It received the lowest number of first choice applications at 116, despite 178 places being up for grabs.
It was followed by Colchester Academy with 129 top preferences for 177 spaces and St Helena School which only had 145 first choice applications for its 196 spots.
Colchester Academy principal Jenny Betts said: “We are immensely proud of the work we have done to grow our student population in recent years.
“It is testament to the hard work of staff and the attitudes of students that we are now full.”
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