Chosen Hill School Review 2026: High-demand Churchdown secondary with a strong pastoral spine and a broad offer

Oversubscription is part of the story here. For September 2025 entry, the school’s published admission number (Year 7) was 228, with 952 total preferences recorded through the local authority booklet, a clear signal that this is a first-choice option for many families in and around Churchdown.

What families tend to value most is the combination of structure and breadth. The day is tightly organised around roll call, learning mentor time, and five teaching periods, with breakfast available from 08:00 and the school day ending at 15:05. A four-house model (Carne, Whittle, Masefield, Scott) sits underneath the pastoral system, with students anchored to a learning mentor group as their daily base.

As a school, it is explicit about its values and culture. Its W.A.T.C.H framework, Wellness, Ambition, Togetherness, Confidence and Honesty, is set out plainly, and it helps explain the emphasis on relationships, mental wellbeing and high expectations that comes through across the school’s materials and formal evaluations.

Chosen Hill opened in 1959 and later became an academy trust in 2011, a timeline that matters because the current model is a single-academy trust rather than a large multi-academy trust structure. That autonomy shows up most in the way the school describes and organises its internal systems. The pastoral model is not presented as an add-on; it is the organising principle for how students start each day, who they go to first when something is wrong, and how support is coordinated. Learning mentor groups provide a consistent adult relationship, and year leadership is described through a progress coordinator structure, with senior progress coordinators spanning Years 7 to 11 across named phases (Foundation, Transition, Pathways).

The personal development curriculum is unusually detailed in the way it is described. In Year 7, the school sets out modules including finance education, internet safety, the democratic process, philosophy and ethics, and healthy relationships and healthy living. This is supported by specialist staff and external speakers and workshops, which is typically the difference between a personal development programme that remains theoretical and one that has a chance of landing with students.

There is also a strong emphasis on mental wellbeing in the formal documentation about the school. One practical illustration is the use of a school dog, Riggs (a cocker spaniel mix), who is scheduled to be in school three days a week and based in the Hub to support students’ mental health and help students learn about caring for a dog. This will suit some children extremely well, especially those who regulate through calm routines and supportive relationships, and it will not matter to others. The important point is that the wellbeing offer is tangible rather than rhetorical.

Leadership is stable and clearly identified. Matthew Pauling is the headteacher, and has been recorded in official company filings as a director appointed on 01 September 2021, with his occupation listed as headteacher.

For GCSE outcomes, the school’s position is best described as mid-range within England, with some indicators that point to where improvement work is likely concentrated. Chosen Hill is ranked 2,372nd in England and 11th in Gloucester for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), which places it in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

On headline measures, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 44.3, and Progress 8 is -0.13. EBacc measures sit lower, with 11.4% achieving grades 5 or above in the EBacc measure listed and an EBacc average point score of 3.88. These figures suggest a school where outcomes are broadly typical in overall attainment, with progress slightly below average, and where the EBacc strand is not the defining driver of the results profile.

At A-level, the picture is more challenging in comparative terms. Ranked 2,283rd in England and 9th in Gloucester for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the school sits below England average on the FindMySchool measure. Grade distribution data shows 2.34% at A*, 5.14% at A, 18.22% at B, and 25.7% at A* to B.

Parents comparing options locally should treat this as a prompt to look closely at subject-level fit and the sixth form model, rather than relying only on the overall headline. The FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool is a useful way to view the GCSE and A-level picture side-by-side against other Gloucester options, using the same underlying official data.

The most helpful insight into teaching and learning here is the combination of a planned “blueprint” approach to sequencing knowledge, paired with an explicit acknowledgement that consistency is the next frontier. The school has identified the most important knowledge in each subject and the order in which it should be learned, aiming to build understanding over time. Where this lands well, it is expressed as clear explanations, purposeful questioning, and frequent opportunities to practise and demonstrate learning, with particular strength described at sixth form level in written work.

The improvement edge is also clearly defined. In some subjects, checks for understanding are not consistently secure before moving on. In practice, this tends to show up as gaps that widen over a unit, particularly for students who need one more worked example, one more retrieval opportunity, or a more explicit recap before applying knowledge in new contexts.

Reading support is also described as an active priority, with additional help for younger students who have fallen behind, including phonics and comprehension support, and tutor-led reading for pleasure that is intended to be routine, even if not always equally effective.

This is a school that serves two distinct transition points. The first is Year 11 to Year 12 for internal students. The second is Year 13 destinations for those who complete the sixth form.

For sixth form leavers in the 2023/24 cohort, the dataset records 45% progressing to university, 8% starting apprenticeships, and 40% moving into employment (cohort size 100). This is a mixed destinations profile that will suit students who want multiple credible pathways rather than a single narrow definition of success.

The sixth form admissions policy describes a model that aims to keep routes open. A minimum threshold of at least five GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 is required for admission to A-level or Level 3 courses, with higher subject-specific requirements in some areas (grades 9 to 6). The same policy also describes supervised directed study sessions per subject, and a suite of extension subjects including EPQ, TAG, Duke of Edinburgh and Core Maths.

The practical implication for families is that sixth form life is intended to be structured, with independence built through guided study rather than assumed from day one. For some students, that structure is exactly what keeps them on track, especially where organisation is the limiting factor rather than ability.

Year 7 admissions are coordinated through the local authority, but the school is its own admissions authority as an academy trust. The published admission number for Year 7 is 228.

Oversubscription criteria are clear and prioritised. After students with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, the priority order is: looked-after and previously looked-after children, siblings, Zone 1 (historical priority catchment area), Zone 2 (priority catchment area), children of eligible staff, and then proximity measured as a straight-line distance using the local authority’s distance system. Zone 1 is described as Churchdown and parts of the surrounding area including The Reddings, Badgeworth, Shurdington, Leckhampton and Up-Hatherley (with the additional note about areas formerly in Tewkesbury Borough and later incorporated into Cheltenham Borough in 1990). Zone 2 includes Innsworth and parts of Longford, Twigworth and Down Hatherley, plus additional parts of Leckhampton Parish.

Families should be realistic about the level of demand. For September 2025 entry, the local authority booklet records 952 total preferences and 190 first preferences against a published admission number of 228.

Key dates for September 2026 Year 7 entry are set out on the school’s admissions information page, reflecting the standard Gloucestershire timetable: online applications open on 03 September 2025; the closing date is midnight on 31 October 2025; allocation day is 02 March 2026; and the closing date for acceptances, declines and waiting list requests is midnight on 16 March 2026. (If a family is reading this after those dates, the pattern is still useful: autumn application window, early March allocation, mid-March response deadline, with appeals typically running later in the spring and early summer.)

For sixth form entry, the admissions policy sets an annual rhythm rather than exact fixed dates: an open evening is planned for January each year, applications should be received by the end of January, and offers are confirmed by late March, with late applications considered only where courses have space.

Given the catchment mechanics, parents who are making housing or transport decisions should use the FindMySchoolMap Search to check their precise distance and whether they fall into Zone 1 or Zone 2. This is the kind of detail that can matter more than general proximity.

The pastoral structure is intentionally layered. Daily contact runs through the learning mentor group. Year leads and progress coordinators oversee academic and personal progress, with senior progress coordinators spanning the lower years, Year 9, and Years 10 to 11. This is designed to stop students becoming anonymous as they move through a large secondary.

The school’s W.A.T.C.H values reinforce the emphasis on wellbeing and belonging. Wellness is framed explicitly as supporting emotional, social and physical health for staff and students; togetherness is described as an environment of trust and support; and honesty is tied to developmental support and ongoing evaluation. This language matters because it sets expectations for how behaviour and relationships are discussed.

Inclusion support is also referenced in formal documentation, including enhanced support routes through the Hub and CHoiceS, and work designed to reintegrate students with low attendance back into school.

The school publishes a detailed weekly clubs schedule, which gives a more credible picture than broad claims about enrichment. A few examples illustrate the breadth and the practical accessibility:

• Academic and interest-based clubs include MedChem Club for sixth form students, STEM Club (weekly cycle), Creative Writing for Years 7 and 8, Debate Club, Eco Club, and a Minecraft Club for Years 7 and 8.

• Student voice and communication opportunities show up through the WATCH Word Newspaper club, plus library-based options such as Chess Club and a Library Club running on multiple days.

• Sport is both recreational and organised through fixtures, with listed provision including hockey, netball, boys’ and girls’ football, badminton, running club, and strength and conditioning.

• Creative and practical strands include textiles club, 3D design (including a Year 13 slot), and Key Stage 4 Fine Art, Photography and 3D Design sessions.

The implication is that students can build a week that has routine and variety without needing an exceptional level of confidence to join in. Lunchtime options are plentiful, and the after-school programme is not limited to sport.

There is also evidence of a strong house culture, with the school’s formal documentation referencing a “much-loved” house music event led by sixth form students in positions of responsibility. House structure is not just a badge system; it is tied into pastoral grouping and student leadership.

On facilities, the school has launched a fundraising campaign towards a new 3G pitch intended for both school and community use, with a stated target of £87,000. This matters for sports breadth and winter resilience, particularly if the pitch is delivered as planned, because it supports consistent training and fixtures when grass surfaces become unreliable.

The school day is clearly timed. Breakfast is available from 08:00, roll call runs at 08:25, learning mentor time runs 08:30 to 09:00, and the teaching day ends at 15:05.

Transport is a point to check carefully. The admissions policy states that the school has no contractual arrangement with any bus company, and that services are provided as part of operators’ public routes, with bus pass entitlement handled through the local authority. For families outside the immediate Churchdown area, that can be the difference between a workable daily routine and a long day.

Wraparound provision in the primary sense does not apply here, but the published breakfast availability may be relevant for working families managing early starts.

• Competition for Year 7 places. The published admission number is 228, and the local authority booklet records 952 total preferences for September 2025 entry. This is a school where the admissions mechanics matter and families should plan on the basis of criteria, not reputation alone.

• Catchment zones add complexity. Zone 1 and Zone 2 priorities can outweigh simple proximity, and the definitions include specific parishes and areas. Families should check their address against the published catchment mapping before assuming eligibility advantages.

• Sixth form outcomes need context. The A-level ranking sits below England average while the sixth form model places emphasis on higher expectations and structured support. Families considering post-16 should focus on course fit, entry criteria and study support, rather than assuming the sixth form experience mirrors Year 11.

• Consistency in classroom checks is still improving. Teaching is described as effective where questioning and practice are used well, but checks for understanding are not always consistent across subjects. For some students, that is manageable; for others, it will shape how much independent consolidation is needed at home.

Chosen Hill School is a large, well-structured Churchdown secondary that combines clear expectations with a breadth of clubs, pastoral systems and wellbeing support that feels practical rather than performative. Admission is the primary hurdle, particularly for families outside Zone 1 and Zone 2, and the sixth form results profile means post-16 choices should be made with subject-level scrutiny.

Best suited to families who want a comprehensive, values-led school with an organised daily routine, a strong learning mentor model, and a wide extracurricular menu that includes STEM, debate and creative options alongside sport. Families considering it should use the Saved Schools feature to manage a realistic shortlist, including at least one alternative that is easier to secure.