School profile

The Thomas Lord Audley School

Secondary · Academy converter · Colchester, CO2 8NJ

Good

Map showing The Thomas Lord Audley School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

GCSE 2025/26

#2,478 of 3,312

Worse than 74% of schools in England

Ranked by Attainment 8 score, state-funded mainstream schools.

The Thomas Lord Audley School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 21 Apr 2016

Ofsted rating
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeAcademy converter
Ages11 to 16
Pupils940
GenderMixed
Admissions policyNon-selective
Head teacherMr Simon Essex
TrustTHE SIGMA TRUST
Local authorityEssex
Opened01 Mar 2012
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 137937.

GCSE results

2025/26

GCSE and equivalent results at the end of year 11. Attainment 8 averages results across 8 subjects.

MeasureThis schoolEssexEngland
Attainment 8 scoreResults across 8 subjects, English and maths count twice. 50 is about a grade 5 average.41.2, worse than England, worse than Essex45.346.2
Grade 4 or above in English and mathsGrade 4 is a standard pass.50.9%, worse than England, worse than Essex63.2%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and mathsGrade 5 is a strong pass.35.1%, worse than England, worse than Essex44.2%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and mathsGrade 7 is roughly an old A grade.9.4%, worse than England, worse than Essex12.9%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths48.5%, worse than England, worse than Essex58.5%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4171--

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 performance, Academic year 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils940
Girls442
Boys498
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.30.3%
First language not English4.6%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.840
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.0%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.145
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.42
Average class size24.3

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
86.5%
Other White
3.9%
African
1.9%
Other mixed
1.8%
White and Black Caribbean
1.2%
White and Asian
0.9%
White and Black African
0.7%
Other ethnic group
0.7%
Other Asian
0.6%
Caribbean
0.4%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher16.1
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.11
Teachers (FTE)58.52
Teaching assistants (FTE)13.52
Support staff (FTE)46.79
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2557
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2551.8
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/251
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/254.2

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Year 7)Places offered on national offer day.185
Applications (Year 7)Includes every preference parents listed.494
First preference applications (Year 7)Families who put this school as their first choice.241
First preference offers (Year 7)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.175
Applications from another local authority (Year 7)2

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolEssexEngland
Overall absence7.5%, similar to England, better than Essex8.2%8%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.19.9%, similar to England, similar to Essex21.4%21.6%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.2.9%, better than England, better than Essex4%3.6%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate8.4%
Pupils with one or more suspensions5%
Permanent exclusion rate0.1%
Permanent exclusions1

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Destinations after GCSEs

2023/24

Where pupils went after year 11, sustained for at least two terms.

MeasureThis school
Sustained destinationIn education, an apprenticeship or work for at least two terms.88.5%
Staying in educationSixth form, college or further education.81.8%
Further education45.5%
Sixth form college29.1%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.9.1%
School sixth form7.3%
Employment3.6%
Apprenticeship3%

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 destination measures, Academic year 2024/25, published 15 Oct 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near The Thomas Lord Audley School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.1 miPrimaryMonkwick Junior SchoolAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.1 miPrimaryMonkwick Infant and Nursery SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.8 miPrimarySt. George's SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.9 miPrimaryCherry Tree AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.9 miPrimaryMontgomery Primary School, ColchesterCommunity school
Good
1.0 miPrimaryKendall Church of England Primary SchoolVoluntary controlled school
Outstanding
1.0 miPrimaryOld Heath Community Primary SchoolCommunity school
Requires improvement
1.1 miPrimaryHamilton Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.1 miPrimaryKing's Ford Infant School and NurseryCommunity school
Good
1.1 miPrimaryKings Ford AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Requires improvement

Frequently asked questions about The Thomas Lord Audley School

What is The Thomas Lord Audley School's Ofsted rating?

The Thomas Lord Audley School is rated Good by Ofsted, last inspected on 21 Apr 2016.

How does The Thomas Lord Audley School rank in England?

The Thomas Lord Audley School ranks 2,478 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (worse than 74% of schools).

What are The Thomas Lord Audley School's GCSE results?

In 2025/26, 35.1% of pupils at The Thomas Lord Audley School got grade 5 or above in English and maths (England 46.3%). The Attainment 8 score was 41.2 (England 46.2).

How hard is it to get into The Thomas Lord Audley School?

For Year 7 entry in 2026/27, The Thomas Lord Audley School made 185 offers from 494 applications (2.7 per offer), and 175 of 241 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend The Thomas Lord Audley School?

The Thomas Lord Audley School has 940 pupils aged 11 to 16.

What is the capacity of The Thomas Lord Audley School?

The Thomas Lord Audley School had 840 school places in 2024/25.

Does The Thomas Lord Audley School have a sixth form?

No, The Thomas Lord Audley School teaches pupils up to age 16.

How big are classes at The Thomas Lord Audley School?

At The Thomas Lord Audley School, the average class had 24.3 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 16.1 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at The Thomas Lord Audley School?

In 2025/26, pupils at The Thomas Lord Audley School missed 7.5% of sessions (England 8%), and 19.9% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 21.6%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.