The Cathedral Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Chelmsford

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 3 March 2026

Pupils at Cathedral School take pride in being part of the school community. They approach each day with excitement and enthusiasm and have high attendance. Pupils enjoy the lessons that staff prepare for them. They enjoy learning a wide range of subjects. Pupils who find learning tricky are quickly identified and given the support they need. As a result, pupils develop detailed knowledge as they progress through the curriculum. This helps them to progress well from their starting points and achieve highly. Pupils enjoy coming to school because they feel happy and valued. Pupils are greeted warmly by staff. Pupils build secure, positive relationships with both staff and their peers. These relationships include spending time with the guinea pigs 'Boudica and Blossom'. This helps them to regulate their emotions. Pupils also learn important skills about taking care of animals and others. Pupils talk confidently about their school values of 'courage, wisdom, hope and compassion'. They demonstrate these in all that they do. Older pupils explain that 'wisdom is important because knowledge is powerful'. Pupils speak openly with staff. They confidently share their worries and concerns. They know that staff listen carefully and respond with care. These relationships create a community where everyone feels safe and supported. Staff manage behaviour incidents quickly and effectively. This includes any rare incidents of unkind or discriminatory behaviour. From the Reception Year onwards, pupils learn the high expectations and follow them diligently. As a result, pupils' behaviour is exemplary. Pupils embrace the many leadership roles throughout the school, such as 'play leaders' and 'friendship buddies'. Pupils take on responsibilities with energy. They recognise how these opportunities help them grow as individuals. They understand that leadership experiences strengthen their confidence, independence and readiness for later life. Through these roles, pupils share their views about how they can improve their school. The 'eco council', for example, is fundraising for the garden through its own initiatives.

What the school should improve

• Leaders, including those responsible for governance, need to ensure that they continue to increase the precision of information gained from systems and processes to analyse school performance, especially for some disadvantaged pupils, and monitor the impact closely to accelerate closing attainment gaps.
• Leaders need to continue to strengthen staff development by deepening teachers' expertise to adapt content and teaching to respond with increasing effectiveness to the school's changing context and pupils' needs.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)