King Edward VI Grammar School, or KEGS, is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...

with academy status located in the

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Colchester and Southend-on-Sea. It is located north-east of London ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. It takes pupils between the ages of 11 and 18 (school years 7 to 13). For years 7 to 11 the school is boys-only, whereas it is mixed in the

sixth form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...

(years 12 and 13). The headteacher is Tom Carter, who was appointed in the autumn of 2014. It was ranked 9th out of all schools in England by the Sunday Times (2025 rankings), and is the 2025 ''East Anglia State Secondary School of the Year''.

History of the school

KEGS was one of many

s founded by

Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...

. Its current form resulted from a royal warrant dated 24 March 1551, although evidence of this school exists from as far back as the 13th century, possibly earlier, as a

chantry A chantry is an ecclesiastical term that may have either of two related meanings: # a chantry service, a set of Christian liturgical celebrations for the dead (made up of the Requiem Mass and the Office of the Dead), or # a chantry chapel, a b ...

school in a different location in Chelmsford. Indeed, the school of 1551 was merely a "rebranding" of the Chelmsford Chantry School, a Roman Catholic institution which had been abolished along with the monasteries during the

English Reformation The English Reformation began in 16th-century England when the Church of England broke away first from the authority of the pope and bishops Oath_of_Supremacy, over the King and then from some doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church ...

. The school was moved to its present site on Broomfield Road in 1892.A History of King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford, 1551-2001 — Anthony Tuckwell Once a

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

, it was one of many grammar schools to join the state sector and abolish the nominal fees. The last boarding students left in the 1970s. In 1976 it admitted the first female pupil, Fiona Hook, to the Sixth Form, to study Classics. The school has been ranked in the top 50 schools in the country in national examination league tables. KEGS was previously a

Foundation School In England and Wales, a foundation school is a state-funded school in which the school governor, governing body has greater freedom in the running of the school than in Community school (England and Wales), community schools. Foundation schools ...

and Specialist

Science College Science Colleges were introduced in 2002 as part of the now defunct Specialist Schools Programme (abolished in 2011) in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, science and mathem ...

and Language College. The school converted to academy status in April 2011, but continues to have science and languages as specialisms. It is also a Leading Edge school. In 1981 it was named by ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'' as the most successful state school as measured by

Oxbridge Oxbridge is a portmanteau of the University of Oxford, Universities of Oxford and University of Cambridge, Cambridge, the two oldest, wealthiest, and most prestigious universities in the United Kingdom. The term is used to refer to them collect ...

open awards. In 1998, it was rated by the

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

as the most successful state school at GCE advanced level in the period 1993-1998. In 2001 the school was named ''Sunday Times'' School of the Year. The 2015 Good Schools Guide names KEGS as the top selective state school for a number of

A-level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...

subjects, as well as

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools ...

History and FSMQ Additional Mathematics. In December 2021, it was judged to be "outstanding" by

OFSTED The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament. Ofsted's role is to make sure that organisations providing education, training ...

House system

In 1907,

headmaster A headmaster/headmistress, head teacher, head, school administrator, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. Role While s ...

Frank Rogers set up the system of "Houses"King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford » House System
/ref> – Holland, named for the translator

Philemon Holland Philemon Holland (1552 – 9 February 1637) was an English schoolmaster, physician and translator. He is known for the first English translations of several works by Livy, Pliny the Elder, and Plutarch, and also for translating William Camden's ...

; Mildmay, for the courtier and politician Sir Walter Mildmay; Strutt, for the antiquary Joseph Strutt; and Tindal, for the lawyer Sir Nicholas Conyngham Tindal, and dividing the school into four forms in each year. Due to the expansion of the school roll over the last few years, this has not been the case. Instead, there are five forms, which contain a mix of people from different houses.

Extracurricular activities

Combined Cadet Force and Corps of Drums

The school maintains an Army contingent of the

Combined Cadet Force The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is a youth organisation in the United Kingdom, sponsored by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), which operates in schools, sub divided into Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army and Royal Air Force sections. Its aim is to ...

(CCF), which was also open to students of

Chelmsford County High School for Girls Chelmsford County High School for Girls or "CCHS", is a selective grammar school for girls aged 11–18 located in Chelmsford, Essex, England. Entrance to the school is by an academic selection test. CCHS is traditionally rated among the most co ...

until 2017. Military music is provided within the contingent by a Corps of Drums playing drums, flutes and bugles. The Corps wears the full dress scarlet tunics of The

Essex Regiment The Essex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958. The regiment served in many conflicts such as the Second Boer War and both World War I and World War II, serving with distinction in all three. ...

, incorporating the purple facings which gave the Essex Regiment its nickname 'The Pompadours'. It carries the drums of the 5th Battalion (Territorial Army) emblazoned with the Regiment's battle honours.King Edward VI Grammar School » CCF
/ref>

KEGS Music

The school has many ensembles, of which the orchestras include members from other schools, though the majority are from KEGS and

. The other ensembles are exclusive to those who attend KEGS.King Edward VI Grammar School » Music
/ref> * Junior Orchestra * Senior Orchestra * Choir * Wind Band * Jazz Ensemble * Big Band

The KEGS Ambassador

''The KEGS Ambassador'' is the school's independent student newspaper. Since its creation in January 2009, it has featured numerous articles by alumni, staff and students.

KEGS Young Engineers

The KEGS Young Engineers team won the 2022 PAPI

Raspberry Pi Raspberry Pi ( ) is a series of small single-board computers (SBCs) developed in the United Kingdom by the Raspberry Pi Foundation in collaboration with Broadcom Inc., Broadcom. To commercialize the product and support its growing demand, the ...

Competition in the years 12-13 division, as well as the People's Choice Award and has made it to the final every year since the competition started. The team competes in the

FIRST Lego League Challenge The ''FIRST'' Lego League Challenge (formerly known as ''FIRST'' Lego League) is an international competition organized by '' FIRST'' for elementary and middle school students (ages 9–14 in the United States and Canada, 9-15 elsewhere). Each y ...

, sending two year 8 and 9 teams every year, having gone to the finals numerous times, as well as a year 12 team annually to the

Student Robotics Student Robotics is a registered charity that runs an annual robotics competition for teams of 16 to 19 year-olds. The charity aims to foster a world where engineering and artificial intelligence is accessible to young people with a stated mission ...

competition where they have reached the quarter-finals multiple times.

KEGS Languages Society

The KEGS Languages Society (LangSoc) is a group where both concepts in linguistics and the structure of specific languages are discussed, mostly in short presentations. Langsoc also provides training for the United Kingdom Linguistics Olympiad (UKLO). A notable success is of a student winning a gold medal in the International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) in 2022.

KEGS Medical Society

The KEGS Medical Society (MedSoc) is the society where topical medical issues are discussed.

The KEGS Economics Journal

The KEGS Economics Journal is another of the school's student-led newspapers. They feature articles on a wide variety of national and international economic and political affairs.

KEGS Law Society

The KEGS Law Society (LawSoc) is a thriving hub of discussion and debate, fostering pupils' budding interest in Law through mock trials, external speakers, and student-led presentations.

Notable former pupils

Of the Chelmsford Chantry School (before the Royal Charter of 1551)

John Dee John Dee (13 July 1527 – 1608 or 1609) was an English mathematician, astronomer, teacher, astrologer, occultist, and alchemist. He was the court astronomer for, and advisor to, Elizabeth I, and spent much of his time on alchemy, divination, ...

, mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, occultist, and consultant to Queen Elizabeth I; responsible for the English translation of

Euclid Euclid (; ; BC) was an ancient Greek mathematician active as a geometer and logician. Considered the "father of geometry", he is chiefly known for the '' Elements'' treatise, which established the foundations of geometry that largely domina ...

's work.

Pre-1900

* John Hilton (surgeon), professor of human anatomy and surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons, president of the Hunterian Society *

, classical scholar * Joseph Strutt, author of "Sports and Pastimes of the People of England" *

Nicholas Conyngham Tindal Sir Nicolas Conyngham Tindal, PC (12 December 1776 – 6 July 1846) was a celebrated English lawyer who successfully defended the then Queen of the United Kingdom, Caroline of Brunswick, at her trial for adultery in 1820. As Chief Justic ...

, Lord Chief Justice of The Court of Common Pleas

1900-1960

* Claude Colleer Abbott, poet and academic * H. H. Abbott, poet and headmaster * John Baker, Downing Professor of the Laws of England at the University of Cambridge and leading legal historian * J. A. Baker, author of ''The Peregrine'' and ''The Hill of Summer'' *

Norman Fowler Peter Norman Fowler, Baron Fowler, (born 2 February 1938) is a British politician who served as a member of both Margaret Thatcher and John Major's ministries during the 1980s and 1990s. He held the office of Lord Speaker from 1 September 201 ...

, former

Lord Speaker The Lord Speaker is the presiding officer, chairman and highest authority of the House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The office is analogous to the Speaker of the House of Commons: the Lord Speaker is elected by the membe ...

; Conservative politician; former Cabinet minister * Peter Joslin, Chief Constable of Warwickshire Police (1983–1998) * Ron Loveday,

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

minister in South Australia * Tony Oliver (referee), English Football League referee * Brian Parkyn, Labour MP for

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...

from 1966 to 1970 * Peter Seabrook, gardener and broadcaster * John G. Taylor, professor of Mathematics at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

from 1971 to 1996, and President of the European Neural Network Society from 1993 to 1994 * John Urquhart, cricketer * Paul White, Baron Hanningfield, politician and member of the House of Lords * Denis Wick, trombonist * Clive Young, former Bishop of Dunwich

Post-1960

* Nick Alston, Essex's first

Police and Crime Commissioner A police and crime commissioner (PCC; ) is an elected official in England and Wales responsible for generally overseeing police services. A police, fire and crime commissioner (PFCC) is an elected official in England responsible for generally ...

* Nick Bourne, Conservative politician * Lewis Brindley, co-founder of the Yogscast * Neil Cole, comedian, television presenter and radio broadcaster *

Mervyn Day Mervyn Richard Day (born 26 June 1955) is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League as a goalkeeper for West Ham United, Orient, Aston Villa, Leeds United, Luton Town, Sheffield United and Carlisle United. H ...

, former

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

winning professional footballer and former assistant manager of West Ham United Football Club * Alex Dowsett, British cyclist * Guthrie Govan, guitarist and guitar teacher, named "Guitarist of the Year" by Guitarist magazine in 1993 * Jason Hazeley, comedy writer * Simon Heffer, British journalist and writer for ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' and '' The Daily Mail'' * Thomas Jenkinson, electronic and jazz musician, also known as Squarepusher * Jon Lewis, former

and Durham cricketer * Anthony Marwood, concert violinist * James Maynard, Mathematician and Fields Medal winner * Tim Mead, countertenor * Anthony Milton,

Commandant General Royal Marines Commandant General Royal Marines is the professional head of the Royal Marines. The title has existed since 1943. The role is held by a General (United Kingdom), General who is assisted by a Deputy Commandant General, with the rank of Brigadier ( ...

and Commander UK Amphibious Forces from 2002 to 2004 * Joel Morris, comedy writer *

Grayson Perry Sir Grayson Perry (born 24 March 1960) is an English artist. He is known for his ceramic vases, tapestries, and cross-dressing, as well as his observations of the contemporary arts scene, and for dissecting British "prejudices, fashions and foib ...

, 2003 Turner Prize winner * Mike Smith, touring car driver and television presenter * Joe Thomas, actor, writer and comedian * John Tipler, international motoring journalist *

Oliver Bearman Oliver James Bearman (; born 8 May 2005) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for Haas F1 Team, Haas. Born in London and raised in Chelmsford, Bearman began competitive kart racing aged seven, winning several national and cont ...

, British Motorsport Racer for

Haas F1 Team Haas Formula LLC, competing as MoneyGram Haas F1 Team, is an List of Formula One constructors#Team's nationality, American-licensed Formula One racing team established by NASCAR Cup Series team owner Gene Haas in April 2014. The team made its ...

in Formula 1 * Brin Pirathapan, Winner of BBC MasterChef 2024

Fictional

* John Watson, character in the 2010 BBC series of ''Sherlock''. John Watson's CV is visible in episode two, where KEGS is cited under Education Qualifications (with 6 A*).

References

External links

The official KEGS website

The School's most recent Ofsted inspection report
{{DEFAULTSORT:King Edward VI Grammar School (Chelmsford) Educational institutions established in the 1550s Grammar schools in Essex 1551 establishments in England Academies in Essex Schools with a royal charter Schools in Chelmsford King Edward VI Schools