Writtle College Limited, Chelmsford
Writtle College Limited is a post-16 school for pupils aged 16 to 99 in Chelmsford. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Writtle College Limited in detail
Writtle College Limited in its own words
In its own words: "We're proud to have received a Gold award for the quality of our education in a UK-wide review of university teaching standards. Study with a university that's rated 'outstanding' for course content, learning resources, and supporting student success."
Coming up: an open day on Saturday 14 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Chelmsford Rail Station, about 1.7 miles away in a straight line.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Agricultural College (outside), 150 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Writtle College Limited stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 7th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Sources: NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Contribution to meeting skills needs: Reasonable
Source: Ofsted, further education and skills inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Writtle College creates a supportive learning environment where students thrive with expert, industry-experienced teachers. The college excels at supporting students with high needs, offering tailored academic and pastoral support that helps even those who struggled in previous settings make good progress. Students gain valuable real-world experience through work placements, community contributions and enrichment activities that prepare them well for their future careers.
Key Strengths
- Students and apprentices are keen to learn in calm, respectful environments where they feel confident expressing their views
- Teachers are professionally qualified and experienced, many continuing to work in industry to keep their knowledge current
- Students with high needs receive tailored academic and pastoral support and make good progress
- Apprenticeship curriculums are effectively developed in partnership with employers, with clear connections between theory and practice
- Students develop strong work-related skills through placements and enrichment activities like work experience and community contributions
Areas for Improvement
- Equine students do not consistently develop practical yard-based skills to meet workplace expectations
- Teachers do not consistently use formative feedback to help students identify what they need to improve, particularly in equine and some classroom sessions
- Some subjects lack sufficient employer and stakeholder involvement in curriculum design
- Mathematics lesson planning needs review
- In a small proportion of lessons, teachers do not consistently check prior knowledge before introducing new content
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is effective. Students and apprentices know how to keep themselves safe and are confident reporting concerns, though some need deeper understanding of local risks and dangers of radicalisation relevant to their sector.
Extracurricular Activities
Fitness sessions for local primary school pupils and people with Alzheimer's disease, work placements, horse-riding shows, flower shows, zoo visits, lambing, floristry arrangements in local church, raised bed gardening for small animals
Writtle College Limited is a newly established further education college offering courses in sport, agriculture, horticulture, animal studies, equine studies, wildlife conservation and floristry. The college was rated Good across all areas of inspection.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Special Measures
Sixth Form Performance (A-Level)
A-Level Results
c
Average grade
z
Best 3 A-Levels
z
Value added
1
A-Level students
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 1 nearby school
Keep up with Writtle College Limited
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Essex is 9 (the median across 614 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
Area Demand Pressure - Chelmsford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Chelmsford
Across Essex council
Places available
17,590
Applications
16,568
Got 1st preference
83.4%
Got preferred school
97.0%
All secondary applications across Essex council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(2)
Questions parents ask about Writtle College Limited
What is Writtle College Limited's Ofsted rating?
Writtle College Limited was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in May 2025.
What is the catchment area for Writtle College Limited?
No fixed boundary. When Writtle College Limited is oversubscribed, Essex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How do I apply to Writtle College Limited?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming Writtle College Limited on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Writtle College Limited?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Essex is 9 (the median across 614 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Writtle College Limited?
Writtle College Limited is at Lordship Road, Writtle, Chelmsford, CM1 3RR.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)