The Gilberd School

Term dates

This school sets its own term dates, which are different from Essex council's. See the school's own term dates.

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, 401 families put this school as their first choice, and 306 places were offered. 267 of the families who put it first got a place (67%). More families put it first than there were places.

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

Short (ungraded) inspection, 5 February 2025: Standards maintained.

Read the Ofsted reports

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

Academy

Phase

Secondary

Ages

11–16

Pupils

1588 (capacity 1600)

Gender

Mixed

Academy trust

ALPHA TRUST

Phone

01206842211

Address

Brinkley Lane, Colchester, CO4 9PU

Website

gilberd.com

Official school record, including Ofsted reports