Chelmer Valley High School
Court Road, Broomfield, Chelmsford, CM1 7ER
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- CHELMER VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL
- Headteacher
- Mr Tom Sparks
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Constituency
- North West Essex
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,168
- Pupils on roll
- 1,200
- URN
- 137260
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01245440232
About this school
Chelmer Valley High School is a secondary academy in Chelmsford. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,200 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Chelmer Valley High School, 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 | 193 | 190 | 195 |
| Attainment 8 score | 47.7 | 46.2 | 45.3 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.02 -0.22 to +0.18 | +0.25 +0.04 to +0.45 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 42% | 41.6% | 43.1% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 67% | 71.1% | 67.2% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 21% | 22.1% | 35.4% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.9 |
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 Chelmer Valley High School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Essex average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 47.7 | 43.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 46.2 | 41.6 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 45.3 | 42.2 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,145 |
| 2023/24 | 1,140 |
| 2024/25 | 1,155 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Chelmer Valley High School compares
Chelmer Valley High School ranked 34th of 78 secondary schools in Essex for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 58% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 45.3 | 7% | 20.4% | 1,200 | — |
| St John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford | 49.9 | 6.1% | 18.1% | 1,241 | 1.4 miles |
| The Boswells School | 48.4 | 7.2% | 16.6% | 1,423 | 1.8 miles |
| Chelmsford County High School for Girls | 80.7 | 4.6% | 5.1% | 1,275 | 1.9 miles |
| King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford | 83.3 | 4.3% | 2.5% | 1,153 | 2.2 miles |
| Hylands School | 37.8 | 12.3% | 44.4% | 614 | 3.1 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)
- 20.38%
- English as an additional language
- 3.5%
- Overall absence
- 7.01%
- Persistent absence
- 17.7%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford1.4 miles
Secondary · Chelmsford
-
The Boswells School1.8 miles
Secondary · Chelmsford
-
Chelmsford County High School for Girls1.9 miles
Secondary · Chelmsford
-
King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford2.2 miles
Secondary · Chelmsford
-
Hylands School3.1 miles
Secondary · Chelmsford
Other schools in Chelmsford
Chelmer Valley High School ranks 9th of the 11 ranked secondary schools in Chelmsford.
- Chelmsford County High School for Girls Secondary
- Great Baddow High School Secondary
- Hylands School Secondary
- King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford Secondary
- Moulsham High School Secondary
- St John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford Secondary
- The Boswells School Secondary
- The Sandon School Secondary
- William de Ferrers School Secondary
- Tanglewood Nursery School Nursery
- Woodcroft Nursery School Nursery
- Baddow Hall Infant School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Chelmer Valley High School teach?
- Chelmer Valley High School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Chelmsford.
- Who is the headteacher of Chelmer Valley High School?
- The headteacher of Chelmer Valley High School is Mr Tom Sparks, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Chelmer Valley High School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Chelmer Valley High School, 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 Chelmer Valley High School?
- Chelmer Valley High School has 1,200 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Chelmer Valley High School full?
- Chelmer Valley High School has capacity for 1,168 pupils and 1,200 on roll (103%), 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 Chelmer Valley High School a faith school?
- No. Chelmer Valley High School has no designated religious character.
- Is Chelmer Valley High School a selective school?
- No. Chelmer Valley High School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Chelmer Valley High School part of an academy trust?
- Chelmer Valley High School is part of CHELMER VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Chelmer Valley High School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 47.7 in 2022/23 and 45.3 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Chelmer Valley High School compare with other schools in Essex?
- Chelmer Valley High School ranked 34th of 78 secondary schools in Essex for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 58% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Chelmer Valley High School's absence rate?
- Chelmer Valley High School's overall absence rate is 7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Chelmer Valley High School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Chelmer Valley High School'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.