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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 1,275 1,198
Free school meals 5.3% 2.5%
Ofsted rating Outstanding Outstanding
Attainment 8 — 2025/26 81.4 79.7
11+ test board FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise Ltd) GL Assessment
Admission system qualifying score is the minimum; places then go in score order (distance only breaks ties) qualifying score is the minimum; places then go in score order (distance only breaks ties)
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 ↗

These schools use different tests (FSCE (Future Stories Community Enterprise Ltd) and GL Assessment), so their pass marks are set on different scales and cannot be compared as numbers.

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

  1. Looked after and previously looked after children scoring up to 5 marks below the eligible score, wherever they live
  2. Up to 30 places for girls on the Pupil or Service Premium scoring up to 5 marks below the eligible score and living within the 12.5-mile priority area since 31 October of Year 6
  3. The rest of 144 places in score order for girls with an eligible score living within the 12.5-mile priority area since 31 October of Year 6
  4. The remaining places (up to 36) in score order, wherever the girl lives

Source: school admissions policy.

Colchester County High School for Girls

  1. Looked after and previously looked after children scoring 320 or more
  2. Up to 20 places for the highest-scoring girls eligible for the Pupil Premium (free school meals now or in the last six years) scoring 320 or more
  3. Up to 10 places for the highest-scoring girls eligible for the Service Pupil Premium scoring 320 or more and living in the 25-mile priority area
  4. Places in score order for girls living in the 25-mile priority area, until 154 places have gone
  5. The remaining 38 places in score order, wherever the girl lives

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.

Full detail for each school: Chelmsford County High School for Girls · Colchester County High School for Girls
Or see all secondary schools in Essex ranked.

Other Essex comparisons

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