What schools serve Colchester?

There are 103 schools in Colchester, Essex, including St. George's School, Hamilton Primary School, Lexden Primary School with Unit for Hearing Impaired Pupils, Myland Community Primary School, North Primary School and Nursery and more. You can view each school's catchment area guidance and admissions policy on catchment.school.

How many primary and secondary schools are in Colchester?

Colchester has 73 primary schools and 15 secondary schools. There are also 15 other schools (such as all-through or special schools) in the area. All data is sourced from the Department for Education's GIAS register.

How do I find out if my address is in a school's catchment area in Colchester?

To check whether your address falls within a school's catchment area in Colchester, use the postcode search tool at catchment.school. Catchment area boundaries for Colchester schools are set by Essex and reviewed each year. You can also consult the school's admissions policy or contact the Essex admissions team directly for the most up-to-date boundary maps.

Who sets catchment area boundaries for schools in Colchester?

Catchment area boundaries for schools in Colchester are set by Essex as the admissions authority. Community and voluntary-controlled schools follow the council's published admissions policy, while academies and voluntary-aided schools may set their own. Boundaries are reviewed annually and published each September for the following academic year.

Schools in Colchester

Reviewed by the catchment.school editorial team · Last updated 15 March 2026

Colchester is Essex's largest town and has 103 schools including 73 primaries and 15 secondaries. Essex County Council co-ordinates admissions, but 44 academies and 29 faith schools (Church of England, Roman Catholic and Christian) each publish their own oversubscription criteria alongside the LA's annual admissions booklet.

Demand is particularly acute for secondary places in the Lexden and Stanway areas, where popular schools routinely fill on distance within a mile or less. Colchester's rapid housing development has pushed several primary catchments below 500 metres at their tightest point, so re-checking boundaries annually is essential.

School demand in Colchester

Across the 99 schools in Colchester with published capacity data, the average fill rate is 93%. 27 of them are currently at or above their published admission number, and at those schools catchment distance is likely to decide places at the next intake.

29 schools in Colchester have a religious character, so faith criteria sit alongside catchment distance in their admissions policies.

44 of the schools in Colchester are academies that set their own admissions criteria independently of Essex, so check each school's policy directly rather than assuming the council default applies.

39 of the schools in Colchester have a current Ofsted rating, of which 34 are rated Good or Outstanding. Demand and catchment distance tend to be tightest at the highest-rated schools.

Primary schools in Colchester: 18 oversubscribed (73)

St. George's School

Primary · Community school

Colchester · CO2 7RU

Ages 3-11 626 pupils Capacity 630

Hamilton Primary School

Primary · Community school

Colchester · CO3 3GB

Ages 4-11 423 pupils Capacity 420

Lexden Primary School with Unit for Hearing Impaired Pupils

Primary · Community school

Colchester · CO3 9AS

Ages 3-11 230 pupils Capacity 210

Myland Community Primary School

Primary · Community school

Colchester · CO4 5LD

Ages 5-11 307 pupils Capacity 315

North Primary School and Nursery

Primary · Community school

Colchester · CO1 1RP

Ages 3-11 455 pupils Capacity 420

Old Heath Community Primary School

Primary · Community school

Colchester · CO2 8DD

Ages 4-11 213 pupils Capacity 210

St John's Green Primary School

Primary · Community school

Colchester · CO2 7HE

Ages 5-11 621 pupils Capacity 630

King's Ford Infant School and Nursery

Primary · Community school

Colchester · CO2 9AZ

Ages 2-7 161 pupils Capacity 150

Stanway Primary School

Primary · Community school

Colchester · CO3 0RH

Ages 5-11 404 pupils Capacity 420

Alresford Primary School

Primary · Community school

Colchester · CO7 8AU

Ages 4-11 239 pupils Capacity 240

Gosbecks Primary School

Primary · Community school

Colchester · CO2 9DG

Ages 5-11 248 pupils Capacity 285

Prettygate Junior School

Primary · Community school

Colchester · CO3 4PH

Ages 7-11 254 pupils Capacity 256

Prettygate Infant School

Primary · Community school

Colchester · CO3 4PH

Ages 5-7 177 pupils Capacity 180

Hazelmere Junior School

Primary · Community school

Colchester · CO4 3JP

Ages 7-11 231 pupils Capacity 240

Hazelmere Infant School and Nursery

Primary · Community school

Colchester · CO4 3JP

Ages 4-7 171 pupils Capacity 180

Montgomery Primary School, Colchester

Primary · Community school

Colchester · CO2 9QG

Ages 3-11 340 pupils Capacity 672

Brightlingsea Primary School and Nursery

Primary · Community school

Colchester · CO7 0HU

Ages 2-11 642 pupils Capacity 630

Broomgrove Infant School

Primary · Community school

Colchester · CO7 9QB

Ages 4-7 165 pupils Capacity 180

Broomgrove Junior School

Primary · Community school

Colchester · CO7 9QB

Ages 7-11 230 pupils Capacity 240

Milldene Primary School

Primary · Community school

Colchester · CO5 0EF

Ages 4-11 196 pupils Capacity 210

Friars Grove Primary School

Primary · Community school

Colchester · CO4 0PZ

Ages 5-11 398 pupils Capacity 420

Stanway Fiveways Primary School

Primary · Community school

Colchester · CO3 0QG

Ages 5-11 513 pupils Capacity 630

Baynards Primary School

Primary · Community school

Colchester · CO5 0ND

Ages 4-11 98 pupils Capacity 105

St Michael's Primary School and Nursery, Colchester

Primary · Community school

Colchester · CO2 9RA

Ages 3-11 232 pupils Capacity 281

Roach Vale Primary School

Primary · Community school

Colchester · CO4 3YN

Ages 4-11 192 pupils Capacity 210