Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #51 in Essex public Top 32% UK

The Thomas Lord Audley School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Simon Essex

corporate_fareTHE SIGMA TRUST

location_onColchester, CO2 8NJ

language Visit Website phone 1206547911

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2016

groups

Students

876

trending_up

Attainment 8

42.3

leaderboard

GCSE Rank

#48 in Essex

#2,207 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

The Thomas Lord Audley School is a Academy converter secondary school in Colchester, serving ages 11-16. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

The Thomas Lord Audley School is an academy converter in Colchester, Essex, admitting pupils aged 11-16. It is part of THE SIGMA TRUST. The school has approximately 921 pupils on roll, of whom 36% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 42.3, placing the school #48 in Essex and #2,207 of 3,216 nationally. 41.90% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 10.6% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2016. The school's current overall rating is Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.9× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 16.6:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 2.2 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

42.3

Grade 5+ E&M

41.90%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)10.6%

Entering EBacc13.80%

EBacc APS3.51

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.13

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

40.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc24.20%

EBacc APS3.48

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.36

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

38.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc15%

EBacc APS3.29

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.62

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

37.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc4%

EBacc APS3.22

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc10%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.17

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

41.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc23%

EBacc APS3.63

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.36

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

38.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc11%

EBacc APS3.23

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

89%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)86%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)8%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

90%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)79%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment9%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)9%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)83%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment8%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)88%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)85%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

25 March 2025

Inspection Report

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04 February 2020

Inspection Report

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21 April 2016

Inspection Report

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11 September 2014

Inspection Report

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01 April 2014

Inspection Report

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10 August 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2016-04-21

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2014-04-01

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

2.1%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.6%(15 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 921 pupils. During this period, there were 19 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 2.1%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	921	19	2.1%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	917	21	2.3%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	894	47	5.3%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	894	39	4.4%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	888	71	8.0%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	872	61	7.0%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	876	60	6.8%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	873	64	7.3%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	838	39	4.7%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	841	63	7.5%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	833	37	4.4%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	830	39	4.7%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	832	14	1.7%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	830	43	5.2%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	814	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	814	26	3.2%	3.2%	2
2019/20 (Autumn term)	810	35	4.3%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	781	22	2.8%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	781	16	2.0%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	797	40	5.0%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	783	29	3.7%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	779	13	1.7%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	796	34	4.3%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	783	28	3.6%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	783	28	3.6%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	787	13	1.7%	3.1%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 71 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 61 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 33 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 9 pupils

Hearing Impairment 6 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 2 pupils

Physical Disability 2 pupils

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The Thomas Lord Audley School

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Essex

King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford

Chelmsford County High School for Girls

Colchester Royal Grammar School

Colchester County High School for Girls

Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School

Saffron Walden County High School