CHELMSFORD: Our schools flying high again

[weezypops]

SCHOOLS in Chelmsford are proving the only way is Essex – at least for education.

Two preparatory schools in the town have taken the top spot and second place in a list of the top independent prep schools in East Anglia.

Widford Lodge and St Anne’s School came out best in the Sunday Times Parent Power list.

They were not the only schools banging the drum for the county town. The two grammar schools took second and third place in the top state secondary schools in East Anglia.

In fact, nine out of the ten top state secondary schools in East Anglia are in Essex.

Now in its 20th year of publication, Parent Power is widely acknowledged as the most authorative survey of the country’s best schools.

King Edward VI Grammar School was second to Colchester Royal Grammar School and 15th nationally.

Chelmsford County High School for Girls was third and 19th nationally.

Tom Sherrington, headteacher at Kegs, said: “We are obviously very pleased with our Sunday Times ranking, and it is of course an honour to be recognised as a highly effective school.

“We are always keen to stress, however, it is important to understand league tables and rankings can’t ever tell the whole story.

“In Chelmsford we are fortunate enough to have a huge number of excellent schools and we at KEGS take great pride in working alongside them.”

Widford Lodge moves up in the national rankings to 27 from 30 and takes top spot in East Anglia from St Anne’s, which it pipped into second place.

Simon Trowell, headteacher at Widford Lodge, said: “We are delighted, although I am not a huge fan of league tables.

“I am very pleased for the staff, children and parents who are also pleased with the results.

“We have a broad curriculum here and it is not all work and no play. It is a pat on the back for us.”

Fiona Pirrie, headmistress at St Anne’s, said Essex had fared very well in the tables.

She said: “We were top last year in East Anglia so we are going to have to fight back for that top spot.

“But we are absolutely delighted. We have high expectations of our pupils and the work of the teachers and children has paid off.”

St Anne’s dropped its national ranking from 22 to 30 in the list.

In the top East Anglian primary schools, Woodville Primary in South Woodham Ferrers was second and Danbury Park Primary School was seventh.