St John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford
Secondary · Voluntary aided school · Ages 11–18 · Chelmsford, Essex
Last distance offered · Year 7 2026
Every applicant was offered a place
From Essex County Council · offers on 2 March 2026
Unlock every school · £9.99 Open on the map →St John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford is a secondary school in Chelmsford, Essex for ages 11–18 (voluntary aided school). Its latest Ofsted outcome is School remains Good, from the inspection on 20 June 2024. Essex has published a last distance offered for this school for Year 7 2022 to 2026 entry.
St John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford catchment area: last distance offered
Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.
| Entry | Last distance offered |
|---|---|
| Year 7 2026 | Every applicant was offered a place |
| Year 7 2025 | Not published |
| Year 7 2023 | Not published |
| Year 7 2022 | Not published |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- For Year 7 2026, there were 187 first-choice applications for 182 offers; 133 offers went to first-choice families, and 54 first-choice families were not offered a place.
- Of the 182 offers for Year 7 2026, 49 went to families who ranked the school second or lower.
- In 2024/25, 51% of pupils got grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths (England 45%), with an Attainment 8 score of 49.9 (England 46).
- At A level in 2024/25 the average grade was C+ (England B-), and progress from GCSE to A level was above average.
Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Essex schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.
Key facts
- Address
- Patching Hall Lane, Chelmsford, CM1 4BS
- Type
- Voluntary aided school
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–18
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Council
- Essex
- Pupils on roll
- 1,241 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 14.5% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 19.9
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
School remains Good Inspected 20 June 2024
Strengths
- “Pupils enjoy attending St John Payne Catholic School.”
- “They appreciate the exemplary support and encouragement that staff give them.”
- “The school is determined that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), succeed.”
To improve
- “In some subjects, teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are not high enough.”
- “When this happens, the learning is not always sufficiently demanding.”
- “Consequently, pupils in these subjects do not gain the breadth and depth of knowledge they need to achieve highly.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 15 July 2024 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| GCSE English and maths, grade 5 or above (2024/25) | 51% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 49.9 | 46 |
| A level average grade (2024/25) | C+ | B- |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Year 7 entry: 187 first-preference applications, 182 offers in total, 133 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Nearby secondary schools
Straight-line distance, in Essex.
- Chelmsford County High School for Girls 0.6 mi Outstanding
- King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford 0.8 mi No Ofsted grade
- The Boswells School 1.2 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Chelmer Valley High School 1.4 mi Good Last distance published
- Hylands School 1.9 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Moulsham High School 2.3 mi Improved significantly Last distance published
- Great Baddow High School 2.8 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- The Sandon School 3.4 mi Requires improvement Last distance published