Market Field School and College
School Road, Elmstead Market, Colchester, CO7 7ET
- Phase
- Academies
- School type
- Academy special converter
- Ages
- 5 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- HOPE LEARNING COMMUNITY
- Headteacher
- Mrs Ruth Whitehead
- Sponsor
- Hope Learning Community
- SEN provision
- ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- Harwich and North Essex
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 225
- Pupils on roll
- 519
- URN
- 143589
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01206825195
About this school
Market Field School and College is a special academy in Colchester. It teaches children aged 5 to 19 and has 519 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
A short monitoring inspection followed on : inspectors confirmed the school remains Good.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 31 | 25 | 27 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Average scaled score in reading | - | - | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | - | - | - |
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 48 | 39 | 47 |
| Attainment 8 score | 1.6 | 1.7 | 0.7 |
| Progress 8 score | -1.57 -2.01 to -1.12 | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
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 Market Field School and College 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 | 0% | 58.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 0% | 59.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 0% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | Essex average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1.6 | 43.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 1.7 | 41.6 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 0.7 | 42.2 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 10.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 10.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 10.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 446 |
| 2023/24 | 472 |
| 2024/25 | 502 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
Inspection history
-
Ungraded inspection report12 October 2023
- 16 October 2019
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 44.24%
- English as an additional language
- 2.4%
- Overall absence
- 10.45%
- Persistent absence
- 31.55%
Location
Nearby schools
-
University of Essex2.2 miles
Universities · Colchester
-
Colchester Prep & High School4.5 miles
Independent schools · Colchester
-
North East Essex Co-operative Academy4.7 miles
Academies · Colchester
-
Kingswode Hoe School4.9 miles
Academies · Colchester
-
St Mary's School for Girls5.0 miles
Independent schools · Colchester
Other schools in Colchester
- Doucecroft School Special schools
- Kingswode Hoe School Academies
- Langham Oaks Academies
- Lexden Springs School Academies
- North East Essex Co-operative Academy Academies
- The St Aubyn Centre Education Department Local authority maintained schools
- The Willows Special schools
- Alresford Primary School Primary
- Ardleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy Primary
- Baynards Primary School Primary
- Birch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Boxted St Peter's Church of England School Primary
Recorded changes at this school
- School name changed from Market Field School to Market Field School and College recorded 22 Sep 2026
Common questions
- What year groups does Market Field School and College teach?
- Market Field School and College teaches children aged 5 to 19. It is a special school in Colchester.
- Who is the headteacher of Market Field School and College?
- The headteacher of Market Field School and College is Mrs Ruth Whitehead, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Market Field School and College last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Market Field School and College, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Market Field School and College?
- Market Field School and College has 519 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 19.
- Is Market Field School and College full?
- Market Field School and College has capacity for 225 pupils and 519 on roll (231%), so it is at or above 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 Market Field School and College a faith school?
- No. Market Field School and College has no designated religious character.
- Who runs Market Field School and College?
- Market Field School and College is part of HOPE LEARNING COMMUNITY. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Market Field School and College have?
- The schools register lists Market Field School and College's special educational needs provision as: ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Market Field School and College's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 0% in 2022/23 and 0% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Market Field School and College's absence rate?
- Market Field School and College's overall absence rate is 10.5% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Market Field School and College's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Market Field School and College'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 22 September 2026.