Colchester County High School for Girls

History and Culture of Colchester County High School for Girls

Colchester County High School for Girls (CCHSG) was established in 1909 to provide high-quality education for academically able girls in the Colchester area. Initially located on the High Street with just 67 students, the school eventually moved to its current site on Norman Way in 1957 to accommodate growing student numbers and expand its facilities. Over the decades, CCHSG has evolved from a traditional grammar school into a modern academy, gaining specialist status in science and languages along the way. It consistently ranks among the top schools nationally in both GCSE and A-levels. Despite changes in educational policy, the school has maintained its selective entry through the 11-plus exam and continues to uphold its founding principles of academic excellence and opportunity for girls.

Why attend Colchester County High School?

Exam Results

These results are the typical results you can expect, based on evidence from the last few years.

GCSEs

	Percentage of grades
Grades 8-9	Around 70%
Grades 7-9	Around 87%
Grades 5-9	Around 99%

A Levels

	Percentage of Grades
Grades A*	Around 15%
Grades A*-A	Around 40%

Opportunities

CCHSG encourages students to partake in some of the many opportunities available within the school. For those interested in performing on stage, the Drama Department produces two productions annually, with a large cast and professional summer production. Recent productions include “Les Miserables” and “Fiddler on the Roof“. On top of this, all Year 7 students partake in productions of Dickens and Shakespeare as part of their English curriculum, giving students a practical way of learning literature.

As well as Drama, the Music Department runs a range of clubs and performances throughout the year, covering a wide range of abilities. This ranges from the School Concert Band, the Choir and Wind Band to Kazoo Group and Record Group. Students can also access instrument lessons offered through Essex Music Services.

For students who are interested in sports, there are a number of opportunities available before school and at lunchtime. These clubs cover both team practice in sports like netball, football and tennis, as well as more relaxed clubs in sports such as badminton, cricket, trampolining and zumba.

For more academic clubs, the older students often help run clubs and societies such as BioSoc, Debating Society and Maths club. This can be a great place to meet older students and gain new skills or understanding.

Alumni

Students from Colchester County High School often go onto a wide range of careers. This includes MPs such as Charlotte Atkins (MP for Staffordshire Moorlands), Stella Creasy (MP for Walthamstow), athletes such as Laura Stephens (Olympic swimmer) and Saskia Clark (GB Olympic Gold Medal Winning Sailor), and careers in academia (Christine Davies  – Professor of Physics at University of Glasgow).

Colchester County High School – Essential Information

Address: Norman Way, Colchester CO3 3US

School phone number: 01206 576973

Students admitted at 11+: 192 Students

School email: office@cchsg.com

Link to website: https://www.cchsg.com

How to achieve entry in Colchester County High School for Girls

Colchester County High School for Girls has a very competitive application process with the main pathway being at 11+ entry.

Application

The school has 192 places available for 11+ entry, with students sitting the 11+ selection test CSSE. The purpose of the test is to identify students who have the potential to thrive in a highly academic environment. CCHSG welcomes applications from students in both Essex and surrounding areas.

Entrance Exam

The school requires an 11+ entrance examination, using the CSSE examination type.

	CSSE
Format	Standard
Layout	Whole paper
Separate Answer Sheet	No
Creative writing	Yes
Timing	Usually 50 mins per paper

The school entrance exams consist of two main parts:

• English Paper – topics include:
  • Comprehension exercises
  • Vocabulary – where children are asked to replace words in the passage
  • Short writing piece
  • Very short Verbal reasoning section
• Mathematics Paper – topics include:
  • Knowledge of times tables
  • Applying the four basic operations (+ – x ÷)
  • Quick mental arithmetic
  • Graph reading
  • Understanding of shapes, space & measures

How Redbridge Tuition can help your child Achieve Entry at Colchester County High School for Girls

Redbridge Tuition provides tailored support for students taking the CSSE exam. Our experienced tutors are more than willing to help students in our range of classes, which are available here.

One of the harder components of the CSSE exams can be the creative writing. If you’re struggling, have a look at our resources below:

 

 

If you want more practice, our CSSE-style practice papers can be found by clicking on the image below:

 

If you have any further questions, feel free to Contact Us