The St Aubyn Centre Education Department
Special / other · Colchester · CO4 5HG
Data updated
Earlier grade, confirmed by a later ungraded inspection
Ofsted's most recent (ungraded) visit confirmed the school remains Outstanding. Ungraded inspections do not award a new grade.
Inspected 1 November 2023
Read the Ofsted report ↗At a glance
6 pupils · 21% of 28 capacity (January 2026 census)
- School type
- Pupil referral unit
- Age range
- 13–18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Free school meals
- 0% of pupils (January 2026)
- English as additional language
- 0% of pupils (2024/2025)
- SEN support
- 28.6% of pupils (2024/2025)
- EHC plan
- 71.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
- Sixth form
- Yes
- URN
- 134260
In figures
An ungraded Ofsted inspection on 1 November 2023 confirmed its earlier grade, Outstanding. It had 6 pupils at the 15 January 2026 census.
Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)
White British 67% (Essex 85%, England 73%) · Any other Black background 17% (Essex 1%, England 1%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 17% (Essex 6%, England 4%)
Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures
Staffing
Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.
Teacher retention (2024/25)
100% of teachers stayed at the school the following year
Vacancies (November 2025)
0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, special schools and PRUs: 0.68% vacant, 1.02% temporary
Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)
63.6% of teachers took sickness absence, 18.1 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days
Teacher pay (November 2025)
Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £55,671; 27.3% on the leadership pay range · England, special schools and PRUs: £53,604, 18.3%
Vacancies, sickness and pay, last three years Premium
Premium shows the same figures for each of the last three years.
Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted
Spending per pupil (2025-26)
Where the money went (2025-26)
Share of spending, with the median for pupil referral unit schools in brackets: Staff 93% (78%) · premises 0% (4%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 0% (4%) · supplies and services 6% (11%) · educational supplies 4% (3%) · bought-in professional services 1% (5%) · catering 0% (1%)
Reserves (2025-26)
Revenue reserve £556,766; in-year balance +£66,796
Spending and reserves, last three years Premium
Premium shows the same figures for each of the last three years.
Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: council-maintained school finance return, 2025-26, DfE · how spending is compared
Inspection history since 2015
- 31 October 2023: School remains Outstanding
- 16 May 2018: School remains Outstanding
Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems
The area around the school
- Child poverty (IDACI)
- 7/10less deprived than most of England
- Overall deprivation (IMD)
- 7/10less deprived than most of England
| Census 2021 | This area | England |
|---|---|---|
| Adults with a degree or higher | 42.9% | 33.9% |
| Adults with no qualifications | 10.9% | 18.1% |
| In managerial or professional work | 44.3% | 33.2% |
| Households deprived in two or more ways | 13.3% | 18.1% |
| Residents in very good health | 57.7% | 48.5% |
| Homes owned by the occupier | 74.2% | 62.3% |
| Social housing | 14.4% | 17.1% |
| Privately rented | 11.5% | 20.5% |
| Detached houses | 19.6% | 22.9% |
| Flats | 13.5% | 22.2% |
| Homes with four or more bedrooms | 21.4% | 21.1% |
| Households with no car or van | 15.3% | 23.5% |
These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01035170 · how to read area figures
What homes cost nearby
- Median sale price
- £353,000244 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
- Typical range
- £274,000–£436,000the middle half of sales
- England median
- £300,000all sales over the same period
Homes around this school are dearer than most school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.
Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
Roads around the school
- Child pedestrian casualties
- 0an urban school averages 2.0
- Collisions at school-run times
- 2an urban school averages 5.7
- All reported collisions
- 10an urban school averages 30.5
- Of those, serious or fatal
- 1an urban school averages 6.1
A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted