Chelmsford County High School for Girls vs Colchester County High School for Girls

Both are grammar schools in Essex, 20.0 miles apart. Side-by-side on official DfE, Ofsted and council admissions data.

Side by side

	Chelmsford County High School for Girls	Colchester County High School for Girls
Phase	Secondary	Secondary
Gender	Girls	Girls
Pupils on roll	1,236	1,210
Free school meals	4.2%	2.7%
Ofsted rating	Outstanding	Outstanding
Attainment 8 — 2024/25	80.7	80.6
A-level average points — 2024/25	47.24	45.33
11+ test board	GL Assessment	GL Assessment
Admission system	pass/fail then criteria order	pass/fail then criteria order
Places offered — 202627	179	190
First preferences per place — higher means more competition for a first-preference place	2	1.69

Qualifying scores

Chelmsford County High School for Girls

No fixed pass mark. IMPORTANT: Chelmsford County High School for Girls is NOT in the CSSE consortium — it runs its own FSCE test. 2026-entry last-offer standardised scores were reported around 106-107 within the 12.5-mile priority area and 118-119 outside it (unofficial; verify with the school).

Council source ↗

Colchester County High School for Girls

322 (2025 entry)

Lowest score to secure a place on National Offer Day (no priority area). CSSE test.

Council source ↗

Who gets priority

Where a school is oversubscribed, these are the first criteria applied, in order. This is usually what decides an application.

Chelmsford County High School for Girls

Looked after children and previously looked after children
Children with exceptional medical/social needs
Children from designated feeder primary schools or living in defined priority area
Siblings of children on roll at the school

Source: school admissions policy.

Colchester County High School for Girls

Looked after children and previously looked after children
Children with exceptional medical/social needs
Children from designated feeder primary schools or living in defined priority area
Siblings of children on roll at the school

Source: school admissions policy.

Choosing between them

Both schools admit girls, so the decision usually comes down to the admission criteria above and how far each one reaches. The figures on this page are the published ones — they describe intakes and results, not what either school would be like for your child. The right choice depends on your family's own priorities and circumstances.

Other Essex comparisons

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