Paxman Academy
Performance (KS4 GCSE)
Three-year trends
Last three years of DfE data. How to read trends
Ofsted judgements
Getting a place
Red dashed line = one first choice per place. How to read this
Every child who put Paxman Academy first was offered a place in 2026, so no distance cut-off applied: living further away did not cost a place that year.
Application figures: DfE, school level applications and offers (2026 intake).
School profile
- Age range
- 11–16
- Pupils on roll
- 886
- Gender
- Mixed
- Admissions
- Non-Selective
Pupil background
Special educational needs
Attendance
Staffing & funding
“Typical” = the median secondary school in England. What this means
Nearby secondary schools
Location
Official sources
About Paxman Academy
Paxman Academy is a secondary school in Colchester, Essex, classified by the DfE as a free school. Around 886 pupils aged 11 to 16 attend the school. The school holds a 'Good' judgement from Ofsted. In the most recent GCSE results, pupils achieved an average Attainment 8 score of 41.3, below the national average of 46. That is down 2.1 points in its Attainment 8 score on the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the lower half of secondary schools nationally.
34% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, below the national average of about 45%. 49% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Paxman Academy was not oversubscribed for September 2026: all 104 families who put it first were offered a place. Overall pupil absence was 7.3%. There are about 18.0 pupils per teacher. Given the recent dip in results, it may be worth asking the school what is behind the change and what is being done in response. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.