11 Plus Exams Forum

Which one is good school
I missed the cchs openday
So cant make out the difference
Please give your input if anyone visited both schools

You could ask the school if you could visit on a normal school day. Most schools allow this & in my opinion it is a much better way if seeing the school. I wouldn't advise choosing a school for your child for the next 7 years base solely on what strangers on the internet think. It is always good to hear what people think if the teaching, pastoral care etc but you still have to visit & form your own opinion.

I believe they are both good schools. I dont think there is enough difference to warrant a difficult journey at age 11, so would go for whichever is easier to travel to, or if you are looking to move, where you would prefer to live.
My experience of ColCHSG is that there is a lot of after school activities and a lot of reasons that you will need to attend the school in the evenings. Also in the lower school there was several paired homework projects that caused difficulties for those whose partner lived a long way away (we are fortunate in that the girl next in the register to DD lives 5 mins walk away).
It is however an excellent school with good pastorial care and I would have no hesitation in recommending it. The only downside is that its public transport options are poor (it is a long walk from either train station) and those on contract buses will have more difficulty with the afterschool activities so if your DD is sporty or musical this could be a problem.

I have a daughter at both. My opinion is that Chelmsford has better facilities, a more diverse demographic & is better at communication to parents. Colchester has better pastoral care & a more relaxed environment.

It really depends on where your child feels more comfortable, and ease of travel. They are both excellent schools and you can't really go wrong with either of them.


Feel free to pm me if you want more information.

I cant compare with Chelmsford but my daughter has started at ColCHS Year 7 this year and I have been very pleased and she is very happy there and thriving. She is very active in both sports and music and has been encouraged to shine at every level and she is confident enough to ask for help and support when needed and to date this has been provided enthusiastically.

My only slight disappointment is that the sports facilities are not great - no floodlights for after school netball, no astro etc on site but they try and use other schools facilities. It certainly doesnt match the independent fee paying schools on this side nor indeed some of the state schools. Having said that some of the girls have achieved some wonderful things on a sporting front and for some thats not important anyway.