SCHOOL PROFILE

William de Ferrers School

Secondary Academy converter URN 136605
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 2,076 Published school capacity
Capacity used 59.6% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

24 September 2024
Latest published outcome Not judged
OEIF
Quality of education Requires improvement
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Good
Leadership & management Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character —
Local authority Essex
Trust THE CHELMSFORD LEARNING PARTNERSHIP
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,237 1,237 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 614 49.6% of pupils
Male pupils 623 50.4% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

13.0%
11.8 pts below England
School 13.0%
Chelmsford 14.4%
East of England 19.7%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

2.1%
18.2 pts below England
School 2.1%
Chelmsford 11.6%
East of England 16.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.8%
0.2 pts below England
School 0.8%
Chelmsford 1.3%
East of England 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
90.1%
1,115
Any other White background
1.9%
23
White and Asian
1.6%
20
Any other Mixed background
1.2%
15
African
1.1%
13
White and Black Caribbean
1.1%
13
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 14.6% 180 of 1,237 pupils
6.3 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 14.6%
Chelmsford 16.0%
East of England 19.8%
England 20.8%
SEN support 13.3% 164 pupils
England 14.8% 1.5 pts below
EHC plans 1.3% 16 pupils
England 6.0% 4.7 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Specific learning difficulty 49
Autistic spectrum disorder 48
Social, emotional & mental health 29
Moderate learning difficulty 22
Other difficulty or disability 13
No specialist assessment yet 7

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

44.1 4.9 pts above England
School 44.1
Chelmsford 52.0
East of England 40.4
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 38.9% England 36.0% 2.9 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 69.0% England 51.4% 17.6 pts above England
EBacc entry 9.7% England 30.6% 20.9 pts below England
EBacc average point score 3.57 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.41 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

9.10%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

2.89 pts higher than England
School 9.10%
Chelmsford 6.61%
East of England 6.17%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

24.53%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

8.72 pts higher than England
School 24.53%
Chelmsford 15.59%
East of England 15.39%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

3.37%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

1.56 pts higher than England
School 3.37%
Chelmsford 2.32%
East of England 1.83%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

59.6% 32.7 pts below England
William de Ferrers School
59.6%
Chelmsford
94.9%
East of England
92.9%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information