Voluntary aided school · Secondary
Chelmsford · CM1 4BS · Essex
Ages 11–18
Status: Open
0.2 miles away
Open, but proposed to closeURN 138122
Lift Columbus
Academy special converter · Chelmsford · CM1 4ZB
Age range
Ages 3–19
Pupils
285
Local authority
Essex
Age range
Ages 3–19
05111619
Provision snapshot
Based on official GIAS characteristics
4 / 6
- NurseryHas Nursery Classes
- Sixth formHas a sixth form
- BoardingNo boarders
- Special school
- Independent
- Academy
Local context
How this school sits among open establishments in its area, using official GIAS records. These are counts, not rankings.
Mixed academy special converter, Ages 3–19, in Chelmsford, Essex, 285 pupils on roll. Notable characteristics: nursery, sixth form, academy, special school. Free school meals: 32.4%. SEN provision includes: SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty; PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty.
Nearby schools
Open schools within about 3 miles, prioritising the same phase where possible. Distances are approximate from GIAS coordinates.
- Compare
- Compare
Local authority nursery school · Nursery
Chelmsford · CM1 2DX · Essex
Ages 2–5
Status: Open
0.3 miles away
- Compare
Academy converter · Primary
Chelmsford · CM1 4HY · Essex
Ages 5–11
Status: Open
0.3 miles away
- Compare
Academy sponsor led · Primary
Chelmsford · CM1 2DX · Essex
Ages 3–11
Status: Open
0.3 miles away
- Compare
Academy converter · Primary
Chelmsford · CM1 2BB · Essex
Ages 4–11
Status: Open
0.6 miles away
- Compare
Academy converter · Primary
Chelmsford · CM1 4UU · Essex
Ages 2–11
Status: Open
0.6 miles away
- Compare
Free schools special
Chelmsford · CM1 2XT · Essex
Ages 7–16
Status: Open
0.7 miles away
- Compare
Academy converter · Secondary
Chelmsford · CM1 1RW · Essex
Ages 11–18
Status: Open
0.8 miles away
Overview
- School type
- Academy special converter
- Age range
- 3–19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Status
- Open, but proposed to close
- URN
- 138122
Location
- Address
- Oliver Way
- Postcode
- CM1 4ZB
- Town
- Chelmsford
- County
- Essex
- Local authority
- Essex
- District
- Chelmsford
- Constituency
- Chelmsford
- Urban/rural
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Size & intake
Pupil numbers and free school meals come from the GIAS school census fields. Capacity fill is calculated when both pupils and capacity are published. Census date: 15 Jan 2026.
- Pupils on roll
- 285
- Boys / girls
- 193 / 92
- School capacity
- 270
- Capacity fill
- 285 / 270 (106%)
- Free school meals
- 32.4%
- FSM pupils
- 80
- Gender
- Mixed
School characteristics
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sixth form
- Has a sixth form
- Boarding
- No boarders
- Governance
- Academy trust: LIFT SCHOOLS
- Academy trust
- LIFT SCHOOLS
- Sponsor
- Lift Schools
SEN & specialist provision
SEN types and resourced/SEN unit places as recorded in GIAS. This is provision detail, not an Ofsted judgement.
- SEN types
- SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty; PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
Contact
- Headteacher
- Ms Michelle Hughes
- Telephone
- 01245491492
Official links
Ofsted
Latest inspection outcomes from Ofsted monthly management information. Report-card grades use the current framework where published; older OEIF grades are shown when that is the latest graded inspection.
Headline
Not judged
Inspection date
2025-05-20
Category of concern
SWK
- Overall effectiveness
- Not judged
- Quality of education
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Requires improvement
- Personal development
- Requires improvement
- Leadership and management
- Inadequate
- Safeguarding effective
- No
Performance
Official school-level results from DfE school and college performance tables. Figures are not rankings — suppressed or unavailable values are omitted.
Key stage 4 (2023/24)
Key stage 2 (2023/24)
- Expected standard (RWM)
- 0%
- Higher standard (RWM)
- 0%