Chesham Bois Church of England School Review 2026, High-Performing Buckinghamshire Primary with Clear Values

Morning routines here are purposeful from the start, the gates open at 8:30am and pupils head straight into classrooms before registration. Academic outcomes are the headline, with 92% reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at key stage 2 in the latest published dataset, well above the England average of 62%.

This is a Church of England primary and the Christian framework is visible in daily language and weekly rhythms. The school’s published vision puts the child at the centre, with values that include Love, Integrity, Aspiration, Respect and Resilience. Leadership is stable, the head teacher is Miss Sara Tilbey, who took up post in April 2020.

Admission is the main pressure point. For Reception entry, there were 151 applications for 30 offers in the most recent admissions dataset provided, a ratio of just over five applications per place.

The school positions itself as values-led rather than slogan-led. Its published vision explicitly links daily life to Christian values, and it sets out what each value looks like in practice, for example, Love as kindness and inclusion, and Resilience as learning from when things go wrong and continuing to try. That clarity matters for parents because it signals consistency, it is easier for pupils to understand expectations when the language is stable and repeated across classroom, playground, and assemblies.

Collective worship and reflection are part of the routine, and the school’s own admissions information describes assemblies across the week, including head teacher led assemblies connected to a value or a Bible story, child-led class assemblies, and mid-week sessions delivered by local churches through Open The Bible. For families who actively want a Church of England school, that structure can feel coherent and reassuring. For families seeking a more secular experience, it is something to weigh early.

The tone is also shaped by strong behaviour expectations and a community feel across year groups. Mixed-age play and older pupils modelling routines are the kinds of structures that usually reduce low-level disruption and help younger pupils settle quickly into school life.

Outcomes at key stage 2 are a clear strength provided. In the latest published figures, 92% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared to an England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 41.67% achieved the higher threshold in reading, writing and maths, compared to an England average of 8%.

The scaled scores also point to secure attainment across core areas, with reading at 111, maths at 109, and grammar, punctuation and spelling at 111.

Ranked 347th in England and 3rd in Amersham for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the school sits well above the England average, placing it within the top 10% of schools in England.

For parents comparing options locally, the quickest way to sense-check the local picture is to use the FindMySchool Local Hub comparison tool to view nearby primaries side-by-side across attainment, higher standard outcomes, and admissions pressure.

Curriculum intent is described in formal terms, broad, ambitious, and designed from Reception to Year 6 so knowledge builds in sequence. That matters in practice because it reduces repetition and gaps when pupils move year groups, and it helps teachers be precise about what must be remembered, not just covered.

Early reading is organised around a structured phonics programme, with reading books matched to the sounds pupils know and additional help for pupils who fall behind. The practical implication is that most pupils should move through early decoding with confidence, although consistency of phonics delivery remains a live focus for improvement.

The wider curriculum is intended to be ambitious and inclusive, including for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. Where schools sometimes struggle is the “last mile” of subject consistency beyond the core, and this school’s improvement priorities explicitly include embedding practice in some foundation subjects so pupils recall as much as leaders intend.

As a primary, the key transition is to local secondary schools, and the school publishes a clear list of the most common destinations. The majority of pupils move on to The Amersham School, Chesham Grammar, Chiltern Hills Academy, Dr Challoner’s Grammar, Dr Challoner’s High School, and The Misbourne.

This destination mix tells you something important about local family priorities. A significant share of pupils appear to progress into selective routes as well as comprehensive routes, so it is sensible for parents to ask early how transition support works for both pathways and what pastoral support looks like around Year 6, when choices and assessments can raise anxiety for some children.

Reception admissions are coordinated by Buckinghamshire Council rather than directly by the school. The council’s published timeline for September 2026 entry is precise: online applications open on 5 November 2025, the deadline is 15 January 2026 (11:59pm), and national offer day is 16 April 2026. Parents then typically confirm acceptance by 30 April.

Demand is high provided. For the primary entry route, 151 applications were recorded for 30 offers, which equates to around 5.03 applications per place, and the route is marked oversubscribed. This level of demand usually means that small differences in priority criteria can decide outcomes, so it is worth reading the published admissions arrangements and checking how your own circumstances map to them.

The school also publishes useful context for recent intakes. For the 2025 to 2026 intake, it states that 5 children were in catchment, 6 were siblings, and 19 were from outside catchment allocated by distance from the school. That pattern suggests families should not assume catchment is the only realistic route, but they should also treat each year as different because sibling numbers and local demand shift annually.

Parents considering this school should use the FindMySchoolMap Search tool to understand their home-to-school distance accurately and to model the risk of distance-based allocation where relevant.

Pastoral culture is built around pupils feeling known and safe, with adults explicitly positioned as the people to talk to when something feels wrong. The latest Ofsted inspection (published January 2023, following a November 2022 visit) judged the school Good overall, with Outstanding for Behaviour and Attitudes and Outstanding for Personal Development.

The report also confirmed safeguarding is effective, and described a culture where safeguarding remains a standing priority supported by regular staff training and an up-to-date approach to online safety education.

In practice, this usually translates into calm classrooms, fewer low-level incidents, and quicker resolution when friendship issues appear. For families, the more useful question is how this is sustained through busy points in the year, particularly the autumn term in Reception and the spring term in Year 6.

The offer here is more distinctive than a generic list of “sports and arts”. The school is explicit about variety and pupil participation, including clubs such as sign language, football, coding and young enterprise, plus public speaking competitions and residential activity trips. It also references a seasonal highlight, Radio Christmas, which gives pupils a structured, real-world project with an audience and a deadline.

The club list published through the school’s site and staff information adds further specificity. Examples include Chess Club, Drama Club, Tennis Club, Athletics Club (through Kudos), Art Busters, and a paid lunchtime French club.

Music is also supported through peripatetic teaching for instruments, and the school advertises in-school options for guitar, drums and vocal lessons, alongside choir opportunities delivered by an external provider. The practical implication for parents is that enrichment can be built into the week without extensive travel, although families should budget for paid options and check termly timetables.

The school gate opens at 8:30am, registration is at 8:45am, and the school day ends at 3:15pm. The school states it is open for a total of 32.5 hours per week.

The school’s own admissions information states it does not provide wraparound care on-site. It instead signposts breakfast and after-school provision run separately at Pioneer Hall next door, with a breakfast club stated as 7:25am to 8:25am and after-school care running from school pick-up to 5:30pm. Families should confirm availability directly with the providers, as these arrangements sit outside school management.

For prospective families, open morning tours are published for the September 2026 intake and booking is stated as essential due to limited spaces.

• Admission pressure. With around five applications per place in the most recent dataset, competition is the limiting factor. Families should read the admissions arrangements carefully and plan for a realistic set of preferences.

• Curriculum consistency beyond the core. Improvement priorities include embedding curriculum delivery in some foundation subjects so pupils retain as much as intended. This will matter most to families who place high value on breadth as well as core attainment.

• Phonics delivery consistency. Early reading is structured and well-organised, but leaders are still working to ensure all staff deliver the phonics scheme consistently. Parents of early readers may want to ask how support is targeted when a child needs extra practice.

• Church of England ethos. Daily life includes collective worship and a Christian values framework. Many families actively want this, but it may not suit every household equally.

This is a high-performing primary with outcomes that stand out well above England averages and a values framework that is clearly explained rather than implied. It suits families who want a Church of England setting with strong academic foundations, clear routines, and a structured enrichment offer. The main challenge is securing a place, so shortlisting should be paired with a realistic admissions plan and strong backup preferences.