William de Ferrers School

William de Ferrers School is a mixed 11–18 academy converter that joined the Chelmsford Learning Partnership in April 2024 and appointed a new executive headteacher in September 2024. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and inspectors recognised that leaders have managed significant recent change well. Pupils enjoy attending, feel safe, behave well under the new behaviour policy, and benefit from a broad personal development programme and effective careers guidance. The sixth form is good, and students are well prepared for their next steps.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy school and take advantage of a wide range of clubs, visits and opportunities
• The new behaviour policy has led to consistently good behaviour and clear expectations
• Pupils feel safe and know how to seek help if they feel unsafe
• The curriculum is broad and clearly identifies the important knowledge pupils need
• Curriculum sequencing is well planned, with 'do now' tasks helping pupils recall prior learning
• Effective support is provided for pupils with SEND, including through the welcoming Acorn Centre
• Personal development prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain
• Pupils benefit from effective careers advice and guidance, including work experience in Years 10 and 12
• Sixth-form students follow a mix of academic and vocational qualifications and are well prepared for their next steps
• Leaders have made rapid improvements to behaviour and have gained the confidence of parents, staff and pupils
• Staff feel well supported with their well-being and are committed to improving pupils' life chances
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• The quality of teaching is not consistently good across the school
• In some lessons, activity choices do not help all pupils gain the knowledge and understanding they need
• Pupils are not always given opportunities to work independently and at an appropriate pace
• Staff do not always check effectively how well pupils have learned new content
• The school does not regularly or rigorously check how well pupils can read
• Support for weaker readers is not effective enough, so some pupils struggle to access the curriculum

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at William de Ferrers School attended 90.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 24.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 7.8% of pupils at William de Ferrers School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 5 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 William de Ferrers School had 15.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 13.3% of pupils at William de Ferrers School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 William de Ferrers School received £8,065 and spent £7,917 for each of its 1,248 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £2,142,000 (£1,716 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of The Chelmsford Learning Partnership, income was £6,917 and spending £6,857 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Chelmsford · Essex local authority: places and applications

William de Ferrers School is part of The Chelmsford Learning Partnership, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

• Woodville Primary School Chelmsford
• Rettendon Primary School Chelmsford
• Runwell Community Primary School Wickford
• Barnes Farm Primary School Chelmsford
• The Tyrrells School Chelmsford
• The Boswells School Chelmsford
• Perryfields Infant School Chelmsford
• The Beaulieu Park School Chelmsford
• Lakelands Primary School Colchester
• Roding Valley High School Loughton

What is William de Ferrers School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for William de Ferrers School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in October 2024.

When was William de Ferrers School last inspected by Ofsted?

William de Ferrers School was last inspected in October 2024.

How many pupils does William de Ferrers School have?

William de Ferrers School has 1,237 pupils on roll.

What age range does William de Ferrers School cover?

William de Ferrers School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are William de Ferrers School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 43.8, and 42% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is William de Ferrers School?

William de Ferrers School is at Trinity Square, South Woodham Ferrers, Chelmsford, Essex, CM3 5JU.