Chelmsford School choice for parents and children covers a wide range of options all the way from primary school, through secondary school, to further education. Beginning at many good primary schools in the town, the alternatives become apparent when starting a secondary education and are hugely varied.

When choosing a Chelmsford school at the primary starting age, it is normally the local school to where they live which the majority of parents will choose. This is generally because primary schools are greater in number than secondary schools, are very much part of the local community, and because children have to accompanied to school it is easier for the parents to get to. There are approximately 35 junior schools within the Chelmsford town area including Hylands Primary School and Westlands Community Primary School, as well in the outlying villages such as Roxwell Primary School.

When the children are in Year 6 and approaching that daunting time of moving to a ‘big' school, the decision of which Chelmsford school to send your child that parents have to make can be a difficult and daunting one. Nowadays, with so many secondary schools being awarded ‘specialist status', the choice has become a lot harder and more varied. For example Great Baddow High School in Chelmsford is now a specialist ‘Sports College' and classed as a ‘centre of Excellence', due to its first class sporting facilities including an indoor swimming pool.

Others classed as ‘specialist' colleges in Chelmsford include, The Boswells School Performing Arts College, King Edward VI Grammar School (KEGS) which are leaders in Science and Language as well as a ‘Lead School for the Gifted and Talented', and Hylands School, who have achieved specialised status in the fields of Mathematics and Science. If you are looking for either Music, Technology or Language, then the Chelmsford County High School for Girls hold the distinction of ‘triple specialist' status, one of very few schools in the UK to achieve this honour.

Chelmsford School League Tables

With the relevantly recent and sometimes controversial introduction of School League Tables by the UK Government, parents in Chelmsford now have a quick guide to find out the basic information about how a school is performing.

To find out the latest Chelmsford Primary school ratings and rankings for all the primary schools within a 5 mile radius of the town, please see the table below. As at 2010.

To find out the latest Chelmsford Secondary school ratings and rankings for all the secondary schools within a 5 mile radius of the town, please see the table below. As at 2010.

Chelmsford School Uniform

Disliked by most kids, especially those in secondary education, the school uniform is an important part of Chelmsford school life and helps achieve an identity and discipline for each establishment. Unless parents are entitled to special help, it is the normally the most expensive part of a child's education, having to be replaced frequently as they grow.

There are a number of school uniform shops in Chelmsford, including School Wear Plus, who have a retail outlet based in Parkway and also sell online. Stocking a whole range of school sports wear, as well as some of the Chelmsford school uniforms like Chelmer Valley High School & New Hall School, Pope & Smith in Moulsham Street, is normally the first point of call for many parents.

Chelmsford School Holidays Dates

Being under the jurisdiction of the Essex Local Education Authority (ELEA), all Chelmsford Schools follow the same holiday dates as each other. Any additional inset days, teacher training days, or non-pupil days are left up to the individual school to decide. See our guide to find out the latest Chelmsford School Holiday Dates.

Chelmsford School Sport Partnership

Based at Great Baddow High School Sports College, the Chelmsford School Sports Partnership (SSP) has been established since 2003. Consisting originally of 28 secondary, primary, junior and special schools, it was expanded three years later to encompass 61 schools including all of the ten secondary state schools in Chelmsford.

For each primary, infant, junior, special school in Chelmsford which belong, there is a primary link teacher (PLT) assigned from that particular school. They are responsible for leading the development of school sport & physical education (PE) within their own school.

For the ten Chelmsford secondary schools involved, they are granted funding allowing the release of a school sports coordinator (SSCo). Their remit is supporting and developing the school sport and PE in the partnership's group of schools.

Other Chelmsford Schools

Aside from education, there are a number organisations classified as, or known as, schools in Chelmsford.

With so many driving schools or motoring schools in Chelmsford, competition amongst them for new customers is fierce and those wishing to take driving lessons have a wide choice from which to choose. Amongst those most well known in the area are Jeanettes School of Motoring, RPL Driving School, and Chapman School of Motoring.

Other schools you will find in Chelmsford include music schools, theatre schools & dance schools, which offer lessons for all ages, gender, and ability. For dancing, why not try First Steps UK based within SpringHealth Leisure Centre, or a good starting place for theatre, street dance, singing, drama and the performing arts is Dreams Theatre School which hold classes in Great Baddow.

For a totally different subject altogether, there are a few Chelmsford Language Schools and teachers within the town. Offering language lessons for all ages and abilities, many tongues are taught including Russian, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and of course English, to help those moving here from abroad.