The Boswells School

The Boswells School continues to perform well and is recognized as a good school. Pupils express high levels of happiness, safety, and engagement in their learning, contributing to a positive educational environment. The supportive culture within the school is evident, as both teachers and pupils emphasize respect and collaboration. High expectations from teaching staff contribute to pupil success. The curriculum is broad and well-planned, enabling pupils, including those with special educational needs, to gain knowledge and skills effectively. Additionally, the school offers a variety of extra-curricular activities that enhance pupil experiences and foster teamwork.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy and feel safe at school.
• Teachers have strong subject knowledge and effectively correct misconceptions.
• The curriculum is coherently planned and inclusive.
• Pupils with SEND receive well adapted support to aid their learning.
• A comprehensive personal development and careers education program is in place.
• Most students have good attitudes towards learning in the sixth form.

Areas for Improvement

• Persistent absenteeism affects learning for some disadvantaged pupils.

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 The Boswells School attended 92.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 18.8% 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, 5.1% of pupils at The Boswells School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 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 The Boswells School had 18.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.5% 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, 9.5% of pupils at The Boswells School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.6% 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 The Boswells School received £7,604 and spent £7,523 for each of its 1,411 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £2,422,000 (£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

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

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

What is The Boswells School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Boswells School is Good, from an inspection in April 2023.

When was The Boswells School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Boswells School was last inspected in April 2023.

How many pupils does The Boswells School have?

The Boswells School has 1,423 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Boswells School cover?

The Boswells School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Boswells School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 49.1, and 47% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Boswells School?

The Boswells School is at Burnham Road, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 6LY.