Grammar schools in Essex.Two test routes to understand.

What this guide covers

This guide covers eight fully selective grammar schools in Chelmsford, Colchester and the Southend/Westcliff area. Southend-on-Sea is a separate local authority from Essex County Council, even though it belongs in many families’ wider Essex school search.

For the normal school application, use your home local authority’s CAF. Test registration is a separate step. The first distinction to make is CSSE versus Chelmsford County High School for Girls, which runs a different assessment route.

Essex grammar schools at a glance

• King Edward VI Grammar School, ChelmsfordBoys at Year 7 · Chelmsford · CSSE→
• Chelmsford County High School for GirlsGirls at Year 7 · Chelmsford · Separate assessment→
• Colchester Royal Grammar SchoolBoys at Year 7 · Colchester · CSSE→
• Colchester County High School for GirlsGirls at Year 7 · Colchester · CSSE→
• Southend High School for BoysBoys at Year 7 · Southend · CSSE→
• Southend High School for GirlsGirls at Year 7 · Southend · CSSE→
• Westcliff High School for BoysBoys at Year 7 · Westcliff · CSSE→
• Westcliff High School for GirlsGirls at Year 7 · Westcliff · CSSE→

These are Year 7 intakes. KEGS is a boys’ school at Year 7, although its sixth form is mixed. Do not infer a child’s entry eligibility from sixth-form descriptions.

The admissions split that matters most

CSSE also serves some selective places at schools that are not fully selective grammar schools. Its membership list and this guide’s eight grammar schools therefore answer different questions.

A shared score does not create a shared admission policy. Each CSSE school has its own rules for eligibility, priority groups, geography and allocation. CCHS has its own policy too. Check the actual entry year before selecting preparation materials or relying on a previous test format.

Chelmsford, Colchester, or Southend and Westcliff?

Chelmsford

KEGS and CCHS are different Year 7 intakes and use different assessment routes. For a girl considering CCHS alongside a girls’ CSSE school elsewhere, the family needs to understand both registrations and assessments.

Colchester

Colchester Royal Grammar and Colchester County High School for Girls are on different sites and have different Year 7 intakes. Check the last part of the journey from the station or bus stop, rather than relying only on arrival in Colchester.

Southend and Westcliff

The four schools share CSSE context but not an identical school site or admission policy. Compare the relevant boys’ or girls’ options, including their priority-area rules and the actual door-to-door trip. Southend and Westcliff labels do not make journeys interchangeable.

Compare schools and results carefully

1. Identify eligibility and category

   Read Year 7 intake, qualification, priority areas and evidence requirements at each school.

2. Check historical figures precisely

   A last-offered score needs its school, entry year, category and allocation round. It is not a guaranteed future cut-off.

3. Use dated result measures

   Compare the same GCSE or A-level measure and year. An unexplained composite score cannot establish which school is best for your child.

4. Try the ordinary week

   Include fares, station walks, clubs and support needs alongside curriculum and school visits.

Use rankings for the published measure shown there, then return to admissions and travel. This guide does not assign permanent ranks to schools.

Your Essex application record

Keep a shared CSSE test record where relevant and a separate CCHS record if applying there. For every school, save the correct-year policy, priority category and any separate forms. Check score-sharing or preference instructions rather than assuming registration finishes the application.

After results, use the CSSE score guide where applicable and read CCHS’s own result guidance for its route. Submit the home council CAF in genuine preference order, with acceptable alternatives. For visits, use open-day listings and confirm booking with the school.