King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford

King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford - usually KEGS - is one of England's oldest selective schools. A royal warrant of Edward VI established a free grammar school in Chelmsford on 24 March 1551, and the modern school still carries that long academic inheritance. Today it is a selective grammar school with about 1,138 pupils, a sixth form, and a Year 7 route for boys through the Essex CSSE test.

The curriculum is deliberately broad. KEGS says breadth is central to preparing pupils for a rapidly changing world: Key Stage 3 keeps a wide range of subjects to the end of Year 9, GCSE study remains extensive, and all sixth formers begin Year 12 with four A levels, with many also completing an EPQ. The subject range is unusually wide for a state grammar, including Mandarin, Russian, Latin, electronics, geology, philosophy, politics, music, drama, design and technology, food technology and the core sciences and humanities.

KEGS has a deep co-curricular culture. The official clubs page lists orchestras, choirs, ensembles, concerts, musicals, plays, major team sports, Combined Cadet Force, Corps of Drums, Duke of Edinburgh, Young Engineers, debating, chess, quiz teams, language clubs, community service, charity work, arts clubs and trips. Facilities referenced publicly include the McCallum-Rich Theatre and sports facilities, while the school's international links and exchange activity sit naturally alongside its language provision.

For Year 7 entry, the published admission number is 150. The first 120 places are reserved for boys living within the 12.5-mile priority area, with reserved places for eligible pupil-premium and care-experienced candidates who meet the stated score thresholds; the remaining places are allocated by score regardless of address. Recent official benchmarks show Ofsted Outstanding, Progress 8 of +1.11, 100% grade 5+ in English and maths and 68.4% AAB or better at A level.