Lift Columbus
Lift Columbus is a special academy in Chelmsford for pupils aged 3 to 19.
Patching Hall Lane, Essex, Chelmsford, CM1 4ZBMs Carley Rawlings headteacherAll details
Ofsted
Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet. That is normal for a school that opened in 2026: new schools usually get their first inspection within three years.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
14 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England. These are the results of Lift Columbus, the school this one replaced.
The government hasn't published this school's headline results. That usually means the year group was too small to publish without identifying children.
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
27 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. These are the results of Lift Columbus, the school this one replaced.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025† | 2024† | 2023† | 2019† | 2018† | 2017† | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 27 | 29 | 21 | 13 | 19 | 10 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 64% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 10% | 8% |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | – | -2.6 | -5.0 | -3.3 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | – | -0.9 | -3.9 | -2.6 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 0% | 0% | – | 0% | 0% | – | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 0% | 0% | – | 0% | 0% | – | – | – |
There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.
† These results are for Lift Columbus, the school this one replaced in September 2026. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. Every gap at this school is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At the end of primary school, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Essex council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25† | 2023/24† | 2022/23† | 2021/22† | 2020/21† | 2018/19† | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 9.8% | 9.1% | 9.0% | 12.2% | 16.3% | 9.7% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 8.2% | 8.4% | 8.4% | 10.4% | 15.1% | 8.6% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.6% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 1.8% | 1.2% | 1.1% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 29.8% | 28.2% | 29.1% | 39.6% | 51.6% | 26.3% | 12.8% |
† These attendance figures are for Lift Columbus, the school this one replaced in September 2026. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford | Roman Catholic | 280 m | 1,241 | Good 2024 | 66 | Compare |
| St Pius X Catholic Primary School | Academy | 450 m | 215 | Not inspected | 78 | Compare |
| Tanglewood Nursery School | Local authority nursery school | 460 m | 133 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Parkwood Academy | Academy | 560 m | 196 | Requires improvement 2024 | 8 | Compare |
| Kings Road Primary School | Academy | 1000 m | 403 | Good 2020 | 25 | Compare |
| Newlands Spring Primary and Nursery School | Academy | 0.6 miles | 479 | Good 2023 | 49 | Compare |
| The Hawthorns School | Free school | 0.8 miles | 69 | Report card 2026 | – | Compare |
| Chelmsford County High School for Girls | Academy (grammar) | 0.8 miles | 1,275 | Outstanding 2024 | 98 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Lift Columbus a good school?
We don't have enough published data to score Lift Columbus yet.
How good are Lift Columbus's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level.
How many pupils does Lift Columbus have?
The number of pupils is not published.
What is attendance like at Lift Columbus?
Pupils were in school 90.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 30% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Patching Hall Lane, Essex, Chelmsford, CM1 4ZB
- Headteacher
- Ms Carley Rawlings
- Type of school
- Special academy (Academy special converter, academies)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 3-19
- Multi-academy trust
- The Bridge MAT Ltd (9 schools)
- Local authority
- Essex
- Ward
- Patching Hall
- Constituency
- Chelmsford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2026 (fresh start)
- URN
- 152695 · LAESTAB 8815950 · UKPRN 10101669
- Formerly
- Lift Columbus
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.