Great Baddow High School, Chelmsford

Ofsted's report card from its 24 March 2026 inspection grades Great Baddow High School on 7 areas: 2 strong standard and 5 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Leaders demonstrate a rigorous and highly-structured approach to improve the rate of pupil attendance."

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "Pupils' personal development is a clear strength of the school's provision."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Over time, the school has typically performed in line with national expectations."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "The curriculum is broad, balanced and thoughtfully constructed, with a clear emphasis on key stage 3 as a foundation for future learning."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "There is a tangible inclusive ethos in the school."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders and governors have navigated the school thoughtfully through a period of change as the school forms a new trust."

Post 16 provision - Expected standard. "Leaders have ensured that the provision in the sixth form follows government guidance and meets the needs of students."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that the guidance staff receive on supporting pupils with education, health and care plans in the main school is precisely tailored. They should also check more closely that staff follow specialist advice where required"; "Leaders should analyse more closely the impact of the interventions they run. This is so actions for further improvement are precisely targeted to help pupils achieve well"; "Leaders should ensure that curriculum endpoints are consistently clear in all subjects. This is so teachers and pupils alike understand the goals pupils are to achieve"; "Leaders should continue their work to raise the achievement of disadvantaged pupils as well as standards attained by students in A levels in the sixth form".

In its own words: "We believe that our core purpose is to enable each student to achieve their academic potential so that they can progress to university, further education or training. We also place great value on providing a vast range of opportunities through which students experience success, develop transferable skills and learn to value team-work, creativity, commitment and resilience."

From the headteacher's welcome: "G reat Baddow High School: a happy, safe and successful 11-18 school of which we are very proud. Our curriculum, enhanced by many enrichment opportunities, clubs, trips and visits, is broad and varied. We aim to support students in achieving their potential both academically and as well-rounded, confident individuals; we are equally committed to the professional development of our staff."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include drama, choir and Duke of Edinburgh.

On phones, the school says: "Mobile phones and all electronic devices must be switched off and kept out of sight during lessons."

Coming up: an open evening on Friday 12 March 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at Great Baddow High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 48.3, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.5 in Essex and 47 across England.

40% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 45% in Essex and 47% in England.

That is down from 50 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.03: pupils made about average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 36.8, against 50.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 13.8 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 25 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Information and Communication Technology, Geography and Biology.

For September 2026 entry, 267 families put Great Baddow High School as their first choice and 1119 named it as one of their preferences, for 245 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 58 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Great Baddow High School are Moulsham High School (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 54.8); The Sandon School (1.3 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 45.5); King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford (2 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 83); and Chelmsford County High School for Girls (2.2 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 81.4).

Great Baddow High School's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.

Great Baddow High School is one of 8 schools run by Quantum Multi-Academy Trust, an academy trust.

244 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Great Baddow High School (as of April 2026): 92% would recommend the school, 90% say their child is happy there and 69% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (92%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (69%).

Of the 250 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 88% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 37% to a further education college, 4% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

Of the 136 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 47% went on to university or other higher education, 11% to apprenticeships and 31% into work. 12% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

14.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 6.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (79%), Mixed (7%) and Black (5%).

In 2026, 66 pupils (4.4%) received SEN support and 51 (3.4%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.

Great Baddow High School has a resourced provision for hearing impairment: 22 places, 22 pupils on roll.

Great Baddow High School had 113 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical secondary school, at about one for every 17.

The nearest railway station is Chelmsford Rail Station, about 1.7 miles away in a straight line.

10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Duffield Road (e-bound), 120 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 158 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and vehicle crime. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Essex (97), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Great Baddow High School issued 114 suspensions, 7.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Great Baddow High School are Larkrise Primary School (0.2 miles), Beehive Lane Community Primary School (0.2 miles), Mildmay Primary School (0.7 miles) and Moulsham Infant School (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.