St John Payne Catholic School, ChelmsfordChelmer Valley High School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Chelmsford.
Summary of the comparison
St John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford and Chelmer Valley High School are secondary schools in Chelmsford.
St John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford scores 62 out of 100 (grade C, average) and Chelmer Valley High School scores 62 out of 100 (grade C, average). Our score is the same for each of them on the data available.
St John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford was judged Good and Chelmer Valley High School was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 48.7 for St John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford and 48.0 for Chelmer Valley High School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at St John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford (54.3 in 2021-22, 48.7 in 2025-26) and has fallen at Chelmer Valley High School (51.0 in 2021-22, 48.0 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | ChelmsfordSt John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford | ChelmsfordChelmer Valley High School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C62/100 | C62/100 | |
| Local ranking | 17th of 80 in Essex Stronger figure | 18th of 80 in Essex | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Voluntary aided school | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-18 | 11-18 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,241 | 1,200 | |
| Capacity | 1,220 | 1,168 | |
| Location | Chelmsford, CM1 4BS | Chelmsford, CM1 7ER | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 48.7 Stronger figure | 48.0 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 46.2% | 50.0% Stronger figure | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 65.8% | 66.1% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 184 | 192 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | 102 | 71 | |
| A-level average points | 32.7 Stronger figure | 32.4 | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | C+ | C+ | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | 33.7 Stronger figure | 33.0 | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | 11.4% Stronger figure | 9.1% | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,210 | 1,155 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 18.1% | 20.4% | |
| English as an additional language | 10.2% | 3.5% | |
| SEN support | 9.9% | 12.6% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 3.0% | 2.7% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 6.1% Stronger figure | 7.0% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 14.6% Stronger figure | 17.7% | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
A-level average points
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
St John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford
Chelmer Valley High School
Full profiles: St John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford · Chelmer Valley High School