The Trinity School
Carris Close, Colchester, CO4 6ED
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- ALPHA TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Mark Orrin
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- The Alpha Trust
- Constituency
- Colchester
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 900
- Pupils on roll
- 780
- URN
- 143701
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01206700910
About this school
The Trinity School is a secondary academy in Colchester. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 780 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The Trinity School, and its latest judgement is set out 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
Ofsted did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Trends over time
How The Trinity 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 239 |
| 2023/24 | 419 |
| 2024/25 | 597 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Trinity School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 14% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 8.5% | 17.1% | 780 | — |
| The Gilberd School | 53.4 | 7.1% | 16.3% | 1,588 | 0.0 miles |
| Colchester Academy | 38.5 | 13.9% | 44.1% | 879 | 1.8 miles |
| St Helena School | 46 | 8% | 31.3% | 986 | 1.9 miles |
| Colchester Royal Grammar School | 82.1 | 5.4% | 6.6% | 1,073 | 2.4 miles |
| St Benedict's Catholic College | 54.7 | 5.8% | 12.6% | 905 | 2.8 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)
- 17.09%
- English as an additional language
- 10.7%
- Overall absence
- 8.47%
- Persistent absence
- 20.06%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Gilberd School0.0 miles
Secondary · Colchester
-
Colchester Academy1.8 miles
Secondary · Colchester
-
St Helena School1.9 miles
Secondary · Colchester
-
Colchester Royal Grammar School2.4 miles
Secondary · Colchester
-
St Benedict's Catholic College2.8 miles
Secondary · Colchester
Other schools in Colchester
- Colchester Academy Secondary
- Colchester County High School for Girls Secondary
- Colchester Royal Grammar School Secondary
- Colne Community School Secondary
- East Bergholt High School Secondary
- Honywood School Secondary
- Paxman Academy Secondary
- Philip Morant School and College Secondary
- St Benedict's Catholic College Secondary
- St Helena School Secondary
- The Gilberd School Secondary
- The Stanway School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does The Trinity School teach?
- The Trinity School teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Colchester.
- Who is the headteacher of The Trinity School?
- The headteacher of The Trinity School is Mr Mark Orrin, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Trinity School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Trinity 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 The Trinity School?
- The Trinity School has 780 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is The Trinity School full?
- The Trinity School has capacity for 900 pupils and 780 on roll (87%), 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 The Trinity School a faith school?
- No. The Trinity School has no designated religious character.
- Is The Trinity School a selective school?
- No. The Trinity School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is The Trinity School part of an academy trust?
- The Trinity School is part of ALPHA TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is The Trinity School's absence rate?
- The Trinity School's overall absence rate is 8.5% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- Does The Trinity School publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for The Trinity School. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
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 10 July 2026.