SCHOOL PROFILE

Thriftwood School

Not applicable Academy special converter URN 137554
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 266 Published school capacity
Capacity used 104.9% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 5 – 19 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

15 July 2025
Latest published outcome Not judged
OEIF
Quality of education Outstanding
Behaviour & attitudes Outstanding
Personal development Outstanding
Leadership & management Outstanding
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

21 June 2023
Ungraded inspection School remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next
Published 12 September 2023
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy special converter
Phase Not applicable
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Essex
Trust SEAX TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 279 279 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 97 34.8% of pupils
Male pupils 182 65.2% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

53.0%
28.2 pts above England
School 53.0%
Chelmsford 14.4%
East of England 19.7%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

3.9%
16.4 pts below England
School 3.9%
Chelmsford 11.6%
East of England 16.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.4%
0.6 pts below England
School 0.4%
Chelmsford 1.3%
East of England 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
83.9%
234
Any other White background
3.2%
9
White and Asian
1.8%
5
White and Black African
1.8%
5
Any other Asian background
1.4%
4
White and Black Caribbean
1.4%
4
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 100.0% 279 of 279 pupils
79.2 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 100.0%
Chelmsford 16.0%
East of England 19.8%
England 20.8%
SEN support 0.0% 0 pupils
England 14.8% 14.8 pts below
EHC plans 100.0% 279 pupils
England 6.0% 94.0 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Moderate learning difficulty 234
Severe learning difficulty 36
Autistic spectrum disorder 7
Specific learning difficulty 1

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

0.0% 60.4 pts below England
School 0.0%
Chelmsford 62.7%
East of England 58.3%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

0.0%

73.8 pts below England

School 0.0%
Chelmsford 76.2%
East of England 72.9%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

0.0%

70.3 pts below England

School 0.0%
Chelmsford 70.4%
East of England 68.0%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

0.0%

72.0 pts below England

School 0.0%
Chelmsford 73.4%
East of England 70.3%
England 72.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

8.87%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

2.65 pts higher than England
School 8.87%
Chelmsford 6.61%
East of England 6.17%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

28.30%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

12.49 pts higher than England
School 28.30%
Chelmsford 15.59%
East of England 15.39%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

1.42%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.39 pts lower than England
School 1.42%
Chelmsford 2.32%
East of England 1.83%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open not applicable schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

104.9% 25.1 pts above England
Thriftwood School
104.9%
Chelmsford
77.8%
East of England
78.7%
England
79.8%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information