Colchester High School is a

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...

located in

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, England. The school is owned and operated by the

Cognita Cognita is a global private schools group which owns and operates schools throughout the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil, India and Chile. Between them, Cognita schools deliver eight different ...

Group. Colchester High is the only coeducational independent school in Colchester to offer secondary education.

History

The school was a girls' school when it opened in 1882. It took boys from 1910, becoming an all-boys establishment over the course of the next 20 years. In 1993 the school started admitting girls again. The school is still affectionately known by many of the Old pupils from before it became co-educational as the "Boys'" or "Boys' High". The first Principal, Mr. Grӧne, stoutly refusing all approaches by the County Education Committee to incorporate the School into its education remit. It has pursued its independent course ever since, despite a spell as a hospital annexe from 1917 to 1918 and being strafed in 1941. For many years the school was family owned. In 2005, it was bought by

, the largest independent schools business in the UK.

The school today

The school admits pupils aged 2 1/2 to 16 from a wide catchment area including Colchester, Braintree,

Marks Tey Marks Tey is a large village and electoral ward in Essex, England; it is located six miles west of Colchester. Facilities Marks Tey is one of a group of villages called the Teys, also including Great Tey and Little Tey. Its main features includ ...

Coggeshall Coggeshall ( or ) is a small town in Essex, England, between Colchester and Braintree on the Roman road Stane Street and the River Blackwater. It has almost 300 listed buildings and a market whose charter was granted in 1256 by Henry III. ...

Kelvedon Kelvedon is a village and civil parish in the Braintree District of Essex in England, between Chelmsford and Colchester. It had a population of 4,717 in 2001, reducing to 3,587 at the 2011 Census. It is now home to several businesses including ...

Tiptree Tiptree is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the English county of Essex, situated south-west of Colchester and around north-east of London. Surrounding villages include Messing, Essex, Messing, Tolleshunt Knights, Toll ...

Maldon Maldon (, locally ) is a town and civil parish on the River Blackwater, Essex, Blackwater estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon District and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. It is known for Maldon Sea ...

, and

Wivenhoe Wivenhoe ( ) is a town and civil parish in north-eastern Essex, England, approximately south-east of Colchester. Historically Wivenhoe village, on the banks of the River Colne, and Wivenhoe Cross, on the higher ground to the north, were two ...

. Entry is normally at ages 2 1/2–15. Children are able to join at other ages if there is a vacancy. Younger children spend an informal morning at the school whilst entry to the Senior School from the Juniors is via an Entrance assessment, often held in March. Admission is on the basis of interview and/or assessment, but pupils will not be disadvantaged by the school by virtue of gender, race, background or religion. The 2008

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...

results for the school were at a high standard, making Colchester High one of the top ranking schools in Essex. Class sizes are typically with approx. 16–18 in a class, although this has grown recently. The school has an 'Old Boys and Girls Association' which all Old Colcestrians are eligible to join once they have left the school, often after their exam year. Membership of the OBGA allows the members to wear the association tie and attend the "social events" of the year. The school has four houses: Normans (Royal Blue); Saxons (Old Gold); Romans (Red); and Danes (Forest Green). Each house has two senior pupils who act as a Captain of the House and a Sports Captain. The school has traditionally tried to place pupils in the same house as any relatives who have attended the school before them. The school plays several sports during school 'Games', they are mainly: Rugby; Football; Cross Country; Hockey; Athletics; and Cricket. During each Year's PE lessons the main sports are Badminton; Indoor Cricket; Darts; Circuit Training; Volleyball and Basketball. Over recent years, there have been two new deputy heads after Mr Robertson (former head of the seniors) left. First being Mr Croydon, and second being Mrs Goodwin.

References

External links

Colchester High School website

Profile
on the

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website {{authority control Educational institutions established in 1882 Independent schools in Essex Cognita Member schools of the Independent Schools Association (UK) 1882 establishments in England Schools in Colchester (town)