Chelsea Academy
Lots Road, Chelsea, London, SW10 0AB
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- THE CHELSEA ACADEMY (A SCIENCE ACADEMY)
- Principal
- Mrs Mariella Ardron
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious ethos
- None
- Diocese
- Diocese of London
- Sponsor
- Diocese of London
- SEN provision
- ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
- Constituency
- Chelsea and Fulham
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,050
- Pupils on roll
- 1,106
- URN
- 135531
- Local authority
- Kensington and Chelsea
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02073763019
About this school
Chelsea Academy is a Church of England secondary academy in London. It teaches children aged 11 to 19 and has 1,106 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Chelsea Academy, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 178 | 176 | 177 |
| Attainment 8 score | 53.1 | 50.1 | 51.9 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.38 +0.16 to +0.61 | +0.23 +0.01 to +0.45 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 61% | 54.5% | 53.1% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 76% | 73.9% | 68.9% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 37% | 25.6% | 44.1% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.6 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Chelsea Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Kensington and Chelsea average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 53.1 | 34.2 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 50.1 | 32 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 51.9 | 35.2 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 10.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,182 |
| 2023/24 | 1,159 |
| 2024/25 | 1,126 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Chelsea Academy compares
Chelsea Academy ranked 4th of 6 secondary schools in Kensington and Chelsea for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 81% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 7% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 51.9 | 10.3% | 46.9% | 1,106 | — |
| Saint John Bosco College | 43.5 | 10.3% | 53.6% | 828 | 0.5 miles |
| The London Oratory School | 62.3 | 6.9% | 12.5% | 1,392 | 0.5 miles |
| The Fulham Boys School | 61.4 | 7.3% | 28% | 822 | 0.7 miles |
| Lady Margaret School | 66.3 | 5.8% | 17.9% | 817 | 0.8 miles |
| The Hurlingham Academy | 58.4 | 6.5% | 41.8% | 728 | 0.9 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 46.87%
- English as an additional language
- 29.9%
- Overall absence
- 10.25%
- Persistent absence
- 31.59%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Saint John Bosco College0.5 miles
Secondary · London
-
The London Oratory School0.5 miles
Secondary · London
-
The Fulham Boys School0.7 miles
Secondary · London
-
Lady Margaret School0.8 miles
Secondary · London
-
The Hurlingham Academy0.9 miles
Secondary · London
Other schools in London
Chelsea Academy ranks 112th of the 258 ranked secondary schools in London.
- Acland Burghley School Secondary
- Ada Lovelace Church of England High School Secondary
- Addey and Stanhope School Secondary
- AIM Academy North London Secondary
- Alexandra Park School Secondary
- All Saints Catholic College Secondary
- All Saints Catholic High School Secondary
- Ark Acton Academy Secondary
- Ark All Saints Academy Secondary
- Ark Bolingbroke Academy Secondary
- Ark Burlington Danes Academy Secondary
- Ark Elvin Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Chelsea Academy teach?
- Chelsea Academy teaches children aged 11 to 19. It is a secondary school in London.
- Who is the principal of Chelsea Academy?
- The principal of Chelsea Academy is Mrs Mariella Ardron, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Chelsea Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Chelsea Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Chelsea Academy?
- Chelsea Academy has 1,106 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 19.
- Is Chelsea Academy full?
- Chelsea Academy has capacity for 1,050 pupils and 1,106 on roll (105%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Chelsea Academy a faith school?
- Yes. Chelsea Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of London.
- Is Chelsea Academy a selective school?
- No. Chelsea Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Chelsea Academy part of an academy trust?
- Chelsea Academy is part of THE CHELSEA ACADEMY (A SCIENCE ACADEMY). Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Chelsea Academy have?
- The schools register lists Chelsea Academy's special educational needs provision as: ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Chelsea Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 53.1 in 2022/23 and 51.9 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Chelsea Academy compare with other schools in Kensington and Chelsea?
- Chelsea Academy ranked 4th of 6 secondary schools in Kensington and Chelsea for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 81% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 7% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Chelsea Academy's absence rate?
- Chelsea Academy's overall absence rate is 10.3% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Chelsea Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Chelsea Academy's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.