The Hawthorns School
Free schools special school in Chelmsford (Essex).
Academy trust
iGet Information about Schools (DfE), extract of 24 Oct 2026, and Governance Register.The Hawthorns School is one of 5 schools run by Seax Trust.
- Type of school
- Free schools special
- Ages
- 7 to 16
Open the trust on Governance Register to see its trustees and board →
Schools in the trust
Scroll sideways for more
| School | Phase | Local authority | Pupils | Governors on Governance Register | Latest Ofsted in our data (as at 30 Sep 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grove House School | Special | Essex | 132 | 3 | Ungraded inspection 2023Last graded Good (Jun 2018) |
| Kingswode Hoe School | Special | Essex | 167 | 6 | Report card 2026Strong standard in all six areas; safeguarding standards met |
| Langham Oaks | Special | Essex | 82 | 4 | Key judgements 2024Good in all four key judgements; safeguarding effective |
| The Hawthorns School (this school) | Special | Essex | 69 | 3 | Report card 2026Strong standard in 4 areas, Expected standard in 2; safeguarding standards met |
| Thriftwood School | Special | Essex | 279 | 5 | Key judgements 2025Outstanding in all four key judgements; sixth form provision Outstanding; safeguarding effective |
| 5 schools | 729 |
Schools linked to the trust in the Governance Register school data (Get Information about Schools, extract of 24 Oct 2026). Pupils are on-roll counts from the register. Ofsted: latest inspection in the Ofsted management information (as at 30 September 2026); "No overall grade" means inspected since September 2024 without a one-word grade; what the inspection found is shown beneath, and the school's Ofsted card has the full table.
What this means
- Funding
- An academy is funded directly by the Department for Education, through its trust, rather than through the local council.
- Admissions
- The trust is the admissions authority and sets the admissions policy. Applications are usually still coordinated by the local council.
- Governance
- The trust board is legally accountable for the school. It often delegates some oversight to a local governing body.
General explanation of how academy trusts work in England, not a statement about this trust. See GOV.UK Academy trust governance guide.