St John Payne Catholic School, ChelmsfordThe Beaulieu Park School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Chelmsford.
Summary of the comparison
This page compares St John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford and The Beaulieu Park School in Chelmsford.
St John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford scores 62 out of 100 (grade C, average) and The Beaulieu Park School scores 79 out of 100 (grade B, strong). The Beaulieu Park School is ahead on our composite score.
St John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford was judged Good and The Beaulieu Park School was judged Outstanding.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 48.7 for St John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford and 59.3 for The Beaulieu Park 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 held broadly level at The Beaulieu Park School (58.2 in 2023-24, 59.3 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | ChelmsfordSt John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford | ChelmsfordThe Beaulieu Park School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C62/100 | B79/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 17th of 80 in Essex | 5th of 80 in Essex Stronger figure | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: OutstandingStronger figure | |
| School type | Voluntary aided school | Free schools | |
| Phase | Secondary | All-through | |
| Age range | 11-18 | 4-19 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,241 | 1,763 | |
| Capacity | 1,220 | 2,020 | |
| Location | Chelmsford, CM1 4BS | Chelmsford, CM1 6DT | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 48.7 | 59.3 Stronger figure | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 46.2% | 77.7% Stronger figure | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 65.8% | 88.6% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 184 | 175 | |
| Key Stage 2 (SATs) | |||
| Reading, writing & maths at expected standard | Not reported | 78.0% | 62.0% |
| At higher standard | Not reported | 13.0% | 8.0% |
| Reading average scaled score | Not reported | 109.0 | 106.0 |
| Maths average scaled score | Not reported | 108.0 | 105.0 |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | 102 | Not reported | |
| A-level average points | 32.7 | Not reported | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | C+ | Not reported | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | 33.7 | Not reported | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | 11.4% | Not reported | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,210 | 1,609 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 18.1% | 12.9% | |
| English as an additional language | 10.2% | 12.7% | |
| SEN support | 9.9% | 10.1% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 3.0% | 2.5% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 6.1% Stronger figure | 7.0% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 14.6% Stronger figure | 16.4% | 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
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
The Beaulieu Park School
Full profiles: St John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford · The Beaulieu Park School