School Description
At Colchester High School we believe it’s important for children to want to be here. That’s why we regularly invite parents and children to visit our school.
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“God First, Others Second, Self Last”
Colchester High School works to create a safe, happy and supportive environment in which all individuals feel valued and respected. Every individual is an integral part of our inclusive community. Colchester High School is a place where true potential is recognised, high expectations are fulfilled, and personal achievements are celebrated.
The education that we provide encourages academic excellence, global connectivity and social responsibility. We seek to create well balanced individuals who aspire to be active and conscious citizens of the future.
Our Values:
Parents who visit our school always remark on how happy the children are. It’s no coincidence that we place such an emphasis on providing excellent pastoral care.
Good pastoral care is about making children feel at ease so that they can thrive at school. That means making every child feel valued and cared for, which in turn means knowing them well, having good relationships with their families, and offering them the right support.
Read more about our Pastoral Care here.
COLCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS CELEBRATE EXCELLENT GCSE ACHIEVEMENTS
Pupils from Colchester High School are celebrating an incredible year of GCSE results. 98% of grades achieved were at Grade 4 or above (National Average 77%) and more pleasingly, 57% of grades were at Grade 7 or above (National Average 29%). 96% of pupils achieved at least 5 or more passes at Grade 4 and above, including Mathematics and English.
Ms Karen Gracie-Langrick, Headteacher of Colchester High School, said, “It has been such a pleasure to celebrate the excellent GCSE results achieved by our Year 11 pupils and to know that they have overcome the many challenges faced throughout this year. Determination and hard work have ensured that our pupils have gained outstanding results, with over 1/3 of our pupils gaining 8 or more grades at 7-9. We are especially delighted with the excellence demonstrated in the STEAM subjects in which a 100% pass rate was achieved in Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Single Sciences, Computer Science and Graphic Design. These results are testament to the dedication of our pupils, combined with excellent online and classroom teaching and robust assessment. My congratulations go to all our Year 11 pupils who should be so proud of their individual achievements. We wish them every success with their futures.”
SCHOLARSHIPS AND BURSARIES
Colchester High School are delighted to offer 3-year Academic Scholarships to Year 6 pupils demonstrating outstanding achievement in English and Mathematics and Year 7 pupils demonstrating outstanding acheivement, talent and/or potential in a range of subjects. Applications are judged purely on merit, based on evidence gathered via a range of methods including auditions, work samples, and references.
Scholarships give students opportunities to develop their talents within the school. Scholars act as ambassadors for the school, making a valued contribution to life at our school.
Applicants for Academic Scholarships are required to undertake an assessment and attend an interview.
Scholarships are awarded solely on merit and at the discretion of the Headteacher.
COLCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL AWARDED QUALITY MARK FOR ENGLISH AND MATHEMATICS
Colchester High School are delighted to announce their recent accreditation of the Quality Mark which was awarded for English and Mathematics from Year 1 to 6 (Primary Accreditation). The accreditation process was undertaken by Nicola Morris, the National Director of Tribal Group and the Quality Mark Programme. As a school community, Nicola Morris was treated to a myriad of pupil, staff and parent presentations, interviews, focus groups, learning walks and a guided tour of the Lower School by our Lower School Head Girl and Boy.
Mrs Morris praised the school for the way in which it, ‘fostered a culture of empowerment’, which was demonstrated by the way in which she felt that, ‘our pupils are at the heart of everything we do.’ Additionally, she commented on ‘the inclusive and positive ethos of the school’, which supports both a holistic and personalised approach for pupils, and included, ‘precision teaching, robust planning and personalised pupil assessment’, enabling ‘a clear view of pupil attainment which supports their next steps in learning to be achieved.’
Ms Gracie-Langrick, Headteacher said, “This is an outstanding accolade for Colchester High School and marks a year-long aspiration for the school to be recognised for Academic Excellence within our Lower School. We are incredibly proud of all our teachers and pupils’ hard work this year and the progress they have all made as they continue on their own individual learning journey. This award is a source of pride to us all.“
COLCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL CELEBRATES BECOMING A MICROSOFT SHOWCASE INCUBATOR SCHOOL
Colchester High School are proud to announce that they have recently been awarded Microsoft Showcase Incubator School status. The Microsoft Showcase School programme brings together schools from around the world who are committed to embracing technology to drive a culture of innovation and continuous improvement which transforms learning, empowers pupils, and delivers sustained success.
Ms Gracie-Langrick, Headteacher explains, “Since our founding in 1882, Colchester High School has been committed to providing an education which not only provides academic excellence but also prepares pupils for both life and their future careers. Utilising the full suite of Microsoft Educational platforms, we have not only provided our pupils with an uninterrupted education during the global pandemic but have also equipped them with future-ready skills (digital collaboration, communication, self-regulation, creativity, and critical and computational thinking) for the 21st Century workplace. We are delighted that Microsoft has recognised the hard work of our teachers, led by Harriet Croydon, Assistant Head Teaching and Learning, and look forward to connecting with global educators to share expertise and to enable our pupils to remain at the forefront of the digital age, pioneers for tomorrow’s world.”
We are also delighted to announce that Ms Chloe Haggerty, Head of Digital and Creative Arts, Miss Mercedes Romero-Fernandez, Head of Music, and Mrs Smith, Lower School Form Teacher and Computer Science specialist have been selected as Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts for 2021-2022 and that Miss Mercedes Romero-Fernandez will also be a Featured Author in this month’s, ‘SeeSaw Community Library’.
Ms Karen Gracie-Langrick joined Colchester High School as Headteacher of Colchester High School from September 2020.
Who/what inspired you to become a teacher?
There were two teachers who inspired me from a very early age in Junior School to become a teacher.
My own passion for Roman History and Archaeology was engendered from the age of 7 by an inspirational teacher, Mrs Walker, whose photographs of her travels not only transported me throughout Italy to the Colosseum and Pantheon, but helped to shape my own interests and aspirations.
The second person was the Head of the same school, Mrs Watt, whose office I found very interesting to visit. Mrs Watt showed me how good leadership can make a difference in the world
It is a huge privilege to be an educator; in a position to open the minds of young people and empowering them with a love of learning, a thirst for knowledge and the mindfulness for social responsibility which lasts throughout their lives.
What achievement are you most proud of as Head?
I am so proud of the achievements of the pupils at the school, whether these are academic or in any other area. I always feel so privileged when I see an incredible sporting performance or a wonderful Drama production at school. This is often not just solely the quickest runner or the most accomplished performer – I love seeing pupils who are achieving their best and truly enjoying what they are doing. Knowing that I may have played a small part in that is what gives me the most pride as a Head.
What does a successful school look like to you?
A school where the children are aspirant. A school that is outward looking but still child centered. A school that will take the children on a journey to discover their own talents and that inspires them to have high expectations for themselves and what they can achieve. This requires not just a strong academic education but enrichment opportunities that connect the children also with the community and the world at large.
What is the most important quality you want every child to have when they leave your school? And why?
The most important quality for me is “courage”. The courage for them to speak out when it matters but equally to sit down and listen to others. Courage to respect, understand, appreciate and value the views of others and themselves. The courage to have high expectations and ambitions for themselves and to be content with who they are. The courage to know what they want to achieve but also to pick themselves up when things are difficult and to be resilient going forward. The courage to know that they can be a change maker and to strive to do the best they can in the world.
Please give 5 words to describe the ethos of your school.
Aspiring – Our incredibly dedicated teachers instil in our pupils from Nursery onwards a love of learning, confidence in themselves and an aspiration to succeed. They not only teach an incredibly full and varied curriculum but also help our pupils to see for themselves, thereby becoming confident, ambitious and independent learners. Our excellent educational provision is supported by strong pastoral care where the teachers truly know each child and instils in them a confidence to succeed and the self-believe that they can make a positive difference in the world around them.
Inclusive – Colchester High School is proudly non-selective. I believe that a good quality education, which helps all students to succeed, has the power to change the lives of all individuals, who in turn can make a positive difference to the world in which they live. Our welcoming environment and combination of small classes and high-quality teaching allows us to give each child the individual attention they need to flourish whilst our enriching curriculum and expansive enrichment programme allows them to pursue their own particular blend of talents.
Co-educational - I strongly believe that children should learn in a co-educational environment where they not only learn alongside one another but learn about one another. A good, rounded, education should prepare students, academically, socially and emotionally for the life ahead of them. A life in which men and women work together, socialise together and live together. Our excellent academic results for both our boys and girls are testimony that teaching in a co-educational environment can work.
Global Citizenship - As a school we strive for every pupil to achieve their very best in terms of academic achievement, but we also firmly believe that education should develop children’s character and to prepare them for the future. I really enjoy working with our pupils on their character development programme “The Wellesley Award” which encourages them to focus on their personal character development whilst encouraging a strong community spirit and global mind-set. Our pupils should not only have the skills, resilience and confidence required to face the opportunities and challenges of an ever changing world but the emotional intelligence and sense of social responsibility to help others and build strong community around them.
Forward – thinking - Today schools need to prepare children for a digital future, both for inside and outside of school.
Technological innovation and digital literacy have clearly transformed education, enhancing independent research, collaboration, global connectivity and aiding assessment – and in particular supporting the delivery of on-line lessons and distance learning in a Covid-environment.
This is not about replacing the classroom face-to-face experience – quite the opposite. It’s about incorporating technology into education so the things that work best face-to-face are prioritised. For example, we know that learning happens most effectively through the discussion and debate of facts and concepts: it’s the discussion and debate that can be prioritised in the classroom, and the introduction to concepts and facts that can be done online.
At Colchester High School each one of our pupils from Year 3 are issued with 1-2-1 devices to enhance student learning, develop the pupils as autonomous learners and ensure they are technologically prepared for life beyond school.
This school is independently managed and its admission criteria may be selective. There is no set catchment area as pupils are admitted from a wide variety of postcodes and, in the case of boarding schools, from outside the UK. Contact the school directly or visit their website for more information on Admissions Policy and Procedures.
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