St Cedd's School

Hold Fast

that which

is Good

We provide a secure and happy environment in which our children are encouraged to work and play with enthusiasm and commitment.

Parents' Information Line

History and Philosophy

Our school takes its name from St Cedd, who was sent from Northumberland to Essex with another priest to evangelise the Essex people. The King of the Essex Saxons had recently been converted to Christianity by the King of Northumberland and had asked for a priest to be sent. Cedd came to Essex in 654 and went about preaching and making converts. He was later made Bishop of the East Saxons and lived at a monastery he founded at Bradwell-on-Sea, among the ruins of the former Roman fort there. His little church still remains out on the sea wall at Bradwell. Cedd also founded a small monastery at Tilbury in Essex . He died in 664 from an epidemic known as the 'yellow plague', while on a visit to Lastingham in Yorkshire and is buried there. Information gained from the 1971 magazine tells us that our school badge was designed by Mrs Welch, the wife of the then Bishop of Bradwell, and depicts the firm hand of St Cedd grasping his crozier. The text, taken from St Paul 's first letter to the Thessalonians, has fittingly become our school's motto: 'Hold Fast That Which is Good'.

St Cedd's School was established in 1931 with four pupils and one teacher in the playroom of a private house and moved premises on three occasions before relocating to its present site on the 3 May 2011.  St Cedd's School has developed its curriculum and facilities and is a leading preparatory school. The school was awarded the highest grade of Excellent for all aspects of its 3-11 provision by the Independent School Inspectorate (ISI) in February 2013.   

The school is a Charitable Trust administered by a Council of Governors, and its Head is a member of the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools (IAPS). Being affiliated with the Chelmsford Choral Foundation, the school shares associate membership of the Choir Schools' Association. The school has International School (ISA) and UNESCO status.  

At age eleven, children move on to a variety of local secondary schools, including the selective grammar schools in Essex, and to a range of independent schools, often with scholarships.