Hylands School, Chelmsford

Ofsted's report card from its 10 February 2026 inspection grades Hylands School on 6 areas: 2 needs attention and 4 urgent improvement. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Leaders have taken robust action to address historically low attendance across different groups of pupils."

Personal development and wellbeing - Needs attention. "Pupils attend a school that serves a community with high levels of deprivation."

Achievement - Urgent improvement. "The school serves a community with a high proportion of disadvantaged pupils, many of whom join at different points in the school year."

Curriculum and teaching - Urgent improvement. "Leaders are beginning to develop the curriculum and improve teaching so that it better meets pupils' needs."

Inclusion - Urgent improvement. "Leaders' inclusive practices are at an early stage of development."

Leadership and governance - Urgent improvement. "Over a considerable period of time, those responsible for governance have not fulfilled their roles effectively."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Trustees and governors must strengthen their challenge and support to leaders in order to ensure that their actions, including the use of additional funding such as the pupil premium, are making a positive difference for pupils"; "Trustees, governors and leaders should ensure that they have an accurate oversight of the quality of the school's provision, so that they can identify and act on the most urgent priorities for improvement"; "Leaders should ensure that teachers have a clear understanding of pupils' starting points and provide work that is appropriately ambitious and well adapted so that all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), can access the curriculum and achieve well"; "Leaders should strengthen systems to identify, review and support the needs of pupils with SEND, and ensure that staff develop the appropriate expertise to help pupils with SEND access learning successfully"; "Leaders should evaluate more rigorously the impact of strategies to improve pupils' foundational skills, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics"; "Leaders should continue to develop and embed their strategies to improve attendance, particularly for disadvantaged pupils, those with SEND and those who are persistently absent"; "Leaders should ensure that careers education, information, advice and guidance are effective in raising pupils' aspirations and improving their understanding of the full range of pathways available, particularly for disadvantaged pupils"; "Leaders should take steps to increase pupils' participation in enrichment opportunities. This is to ensure that a much greater proportion of pupils, especially those who are disadvantaged, benefit from activities that develop their confidence, leadership skills and sense of belonging".

In 2026, pupils at Hylands School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 40.3, 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 up from 37.8 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.86: pupils made well below 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 29.8, against 48 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 18.2 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 21 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Art and Design.

For September 2026 entry, 27 families put Hylands School as their first choice and 108 named it as one of their preferences, for 171 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Hylands School are King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford (1.3 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 83); Moulsham High School (1.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 54.8); Chelmsford County High School for Girls (1.5 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 81.4); and St John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford (1.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48.7).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Hylands School.

Hylands School is one of 45 schools run by The Kemnal Academies Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 38.2 in 2024/25.

108 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Hylands School (as of April 2026): 81% would recommend the school, 84% say their child is happy there and 74% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (84%); the weakest, that they are kept well informed about progress (69%).

Of the 99 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 72% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 48% to a further education college, 1% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

Of the 41 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 46% went on to university or other higher education, 5% to apprenticeships and 29% into work. 2% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

45.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 99 pupils (16.1%) received SEN support and 16 (2.6%) 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.

The nearest railway station is Chelmsford Rail Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.

2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Hylands School (outside), 110 metres away.

In 2024/25, Hylands School issued 476 suspensions, 74.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 4 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Hylands School are Westlands Community Primary School (0.6 miles), Writtle Infant School (0.7 miles), Writtle Junior School (0.7 miles) and Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Primary School (1.2 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.