Clacton County High School
Walton Road, Clacton-on-Sea, CO15 6DZ
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- THE SIGMA TRUST
- Principal
- Mr Neil Gallagher
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- The Sigma Trust
- Constituency
- Clacton
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 2,320
- Pupils on roll
- 1,886
- URN
- 138084
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01255424266
About this school
Clacton County High School is a secondary academy in Clacton-on-Sea. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,886 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Clacton County High School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 16 October 2024, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 283 | 276 | 276 |
| Attainment 8 score | 43.3 | 38.5 | 38.6 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.05 -0.11 to +0.22 | -0.35 -0.51 to -0.18 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 32% | 30.8% | 30.1% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 51% | 48.2% | 54% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 13% | 31.9% | 18.1% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.1 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Clacton County High School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Essex average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 43.3 | 43.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 38.5 | 41.6 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 38.6 | 42.2 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 9.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,744 |
| 2023/24 | 1,829 |
| 2024/25 | 1,854 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Clacton County High School compares
Clacton County High School ranked 63rd of 78 secondary schools in Essex for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 34% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 8% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 38.6 | 9.9% | 35.5% | 1,886 | — |
| Lift Clacton | 30 | 18.4% | 57% | 1,466 | 0.8 miles |
| Lift Tendring | 36.9 | 14.2% | 30.3% | 1,464 | 5.0 miles |
| Colne Community School | 43 | 8.5% | 20.9% | 1,289 | 6.2 miles |
| Harwich and Dovercourt High School | 37.6 | 10.9% | 42.5% | 1,075 | 10.1 miles |
| Manningtree High School | 48.6 | 9% | 14.4% | 908 | 11.0 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 35.45%
- English as an additional language
- 5.3%
- Overall absence
- 9.86%
- Persistent absence
- 28.93%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Lift Clacton0.8 miles
Secondary · Clacton on Sea
-
Lift Tendring5.0 miles
Secondary · Frinton-on-Sea
-
Colne Community School6.2 miles
Secondary · Colchester
-
Harwich and Dovercourt High School10.1 miles
Secondary · Harwich
-
Manningtree High School11.0 miles
Secondary · Manningtree
Other schools in Clacton-on-Sea
- Alton Park Junior School Primary
- Burrsville Infant Academy Primary
- Cann Hall Primary School Primary
- Engaines Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Great Clacton Church of England Junior School Primary
- Holland Haven Primary School Primary
- Holland Park Primary School Primary
- Oakwood Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Ravens Academy Primary
- Rolph Church of England Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Sir Martin Frobisher Academy Primary
- St Clare's Catholic Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Clacton County High School teach?
- Clacton County High School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Clacton-on-Sea.
- Who is the principal of Clacton County High School?
- The principal of Clacton County High School is Mr Neil Gallagher, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Clacton County High School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Clacton County High School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Clacton County High School?
- Clacton County High School has 1,886 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Clacton County High School full?
- Clacton County High School has capacity for 2,320 pupils and 1,886 on roll (81%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Clacton County High School a faith school?
- No. Clacton County High School has no designated religious character.
- Is Clacton County High School a selective school?
- No. Clacton County High School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Clacton County High School part of an academy trust?
- Clacton County High School is part of THE SIGMA TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Clacton County High School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 43.3 in 2022/23 and 38.6 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Clacton County High School compare with other schools in Essex?
- Clacton County High School ranked 63rd of 78 secondary schools in Essex for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 34% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 8% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Clacton County High School's absence rate?
- Clacton County High School's overall absence rate is 9.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Clacton County High School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Clacton County High School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.