Free school · Essex
Paxman Academy
- Secondary
- Ages 11–16
- Term dates checked
Term dates
This school's own term dates broadly match Essex council's, so the council's dates are shown here. INSET days can differ, so check the school's calendar for those.
2026/27
2027/28
Admissions
Places for Year 7 are applied for through your home council, not the school.
Apply for a secondary school place on GOV.UK
How places are given: there's no entrance test. When there are more applicants than places, places usually go by criteria such as siblings, distance or catchment area. Check the council's or school's admissions policy for the exact rules.
How many families applied: Year 7
For September 2026, 104 families put this school as their first choice, and 174 places were offered. 104 of the families who put it first got a place (100%).
| Entry | Places offered | Put it first | Got their first choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 174 | 104 | 100% |
| September 2025 | 171 | 104 | 100% |
| September 2024 | 153 | 131 | 100% |
Offers made on national offer day, from the Department for Education. Waiting lists and appeals can change things later. The hardest schools to get into.
Ofsted inspection
Latest graded inspection, 6 February 2024. Overall: Good
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
From Ofsted's published inspection data (Open Government Licence). Report cards and older grades use different scales, so they can't be compared directly.
About and location
- Type
- Free school
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–16
- Pupils
- 873 (capacity 900)
- Gender
- Mixed
- Academy trust
- THE SIGMA TRUST
- Phone
- 01206413813
- Address
- Paxman Avenue, Colchester, CO2 9DB
- Website
- paxmanacademy.school
School details from the Department for Education's register of schools (Open Government Licence). Report a correction.