Churchmead Church of England (VA) School Review 2026, Values-led secondary with a strong personal development offer

A smaller 11 to 18 secondary can feel either limited or genuinely personal. Here, the balance tilts towards the latter. Churchmead positions itself around clear Christian values, Courage, Compassion and Commitment, and the most recent external picture aligns with a school that takes relationships, inclusion, and wider development seriously. Personal development is graded Outstanding in the latest inspection, while quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and sixth form provision are graded Good.

Leadership continuity is a defining feature. Mr Chris Tomes has been headteacher since September 2013, following an appointment announced in May 2013. In practical terms, this matters because it typically underpins stable routines and a coherent curriculum plan. Families considering Year 7 entry should also note that places are limited to 120 per cohort, and applications are made through local authority coordinated admissions, with faith-school documentation required in the process.

Churchmead’s stated identity is explicitly Church of England, but it also frames itself as welcoming to students of all faiths. This tends to translate into a daily culture where language about values is used as a behavioural and pastoral reference point, rather than as a bolt-on. The school’s motto, Believe to Achieve, is presented as a guiding idea for effort and resilience, tied to the biblical theme of “life in all its fullness” (John 10:10).

Relationships sit at the centre of how the school describes itself. A vertical house pastoral approach is referenced as a way to ensure students are known individually, with tutoring positioned as both academic guidance and day-to-day support. That shows up in several practical mechanisms: student leadership structures, a wellbeing programme that emphasises listening and early help, and peer-facing roles that encourage students to support one another. The Blue Guardian Angel team, for example, is presented as part of how students can feel heard and safe, alongside adult safeguarding routes.

Faith is integrated in a way that will suit some families strongly and others more selectively. Links to St Mary’s Church in Datchet are prominent, with collective worship opportunities tied to key points in the school year, such as Christmas and Easter services. For families who want a Church of England school that still expects a mixed intake and a broad range of beliefs, the stated ethos is likely to feel accessible rather than insular.

At GCSE level, the headline outcomes indicate broadly typical performance in England terms, with a stable progress picture. The school’s Attainment 8 score is 42.5, and Progress 8 is 0.01, which indicates progress in line with England expectations for similar prior attainment. EBacc indicators are more mixed: EBacc average point score is 3.59, and 11.4% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above across the EBacc. (These figures are presented as the most recent published data available.)

FindMySchool’s ranking places the school 2,620th in England for GCSE outcomes, and 17th within the local area (Slough), which corresponds to performance in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). This is a proprietary FindMySchool ranking based on official data.

The practical implication for families is that Churchmead looks like a school where outcomes are supported by coherent routines and a broad offer, rather than an outcomes-only model. The inspection narrative reinforces this through an emphasis on an ambitious, broad curriculum and on vocabulary and reading being prioritised, which is often the lever that improves outcomes across multiple subjects over time.

A-level performance measures are not ranked for this school, and detailed grade distributions are not available in the published metrics here. In practice, families assessing sixth form fit will want to put more weight on subject availability, entry requirements, teaching quality within sixth form, and the destinations guidance provided, as well as the most recent inspection’s grading of sixth form provision as Good.

Parents comparing local outcomes can use the FindMySchool Local Hub page to view nearby schools side-by-side using the Comparison Tool, using the same dataset basis for a consistent view.

Curriculum intent is framed as broad, balanced, and sequenced, with the school describing an accelerated and personalised approach. The most useful way to interpret that claim is to look at implementation signals the school publishes. One example is the way Religious Education is laid out at Key Stage 3: the content is structured across Year 7 and Year 8 to cover multiple major worldviews, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, and Humanism, while remaining rooted in the school’s Christian tradition and values. For students, that structure matters because it suggests planned knowledge progression, not a series of disconnected topics.

A second indicator is the school’s emphasis on literacy. Vocabulary is presented as a priority, and subject departments publish enrichment and literacy-linked activity, such as author visits, theatre trips, and book clubs within English. The implication is that students who arrive with weaker reading stamina or limited academic vocabulary should find systematic support, which usually improves access to the full curriculum.

Facilities also shape teaching. Specialist spaces can be a decisive factor in practical subjects and in creative learning. Churchmead lists four science laboratories plus a newly refurbished laboratory, specialist workshops for design technology and food, a Mathematics and Business Centre, media and photography suites with Apple Mac workstations and multi-screen rooms, a photography studio with green screen technology, and a specialist performing arts and music area. In a mainstream comprehensive, that level of specialist accommodation usually supports stronger take-up and more ambitious project work, provided staffing and curriculum planning keep pace.

The school’s published material emphasises preparation for “higher education or the world of work” at sixth form level, and the inspection narrative highlights independent guidance and next-steps readiness. However, detailed destination statistics are not published in the available dataset for leavers, and Oxbridge-specific measures are not available here, so it would be inappropriate to imply a quantified pipeline.

What can be said with confidence is how the school structures decision points. At the end of Year 11, internal progression into Year 12 is supported by a direct sixth form application process, with clear minimum entry requirements. For Level 3 study, the admissions policy sets a threshold of five GCSEs at grades 5 to 9 (or equivalent), with additional subject-specific entry requirements for particular courses. That matters because it signals a sixth form designed around academic and applied Level 3 programmes, rather than a very open-entry model.

For younger students, the personal development and careers elements are likely to be the bridge into post-16 choices. The inspection report describes a strong personal development programme, with PSHE and workshops covering safety and contemporary risk areas, alongside trips and experiences that broaden horizons. The practical implication is that students who benefit from structured guidance around choices, confidence, and employability skills should find this built into the rhythm of school life.

Churchmead is a voluntary aided Church of England school, which affects the admissions mechanics. For September entry into Year 7, families apply via their home local authority using the common application form, with a published admission number of 120 places. The closing date for on-time applications is 31 October in the year preceding entry, and offers are issued on 2 March for the September intake.

Oversubscription criteria follow a structured hierarchy. After pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, priority includes looked-after and previously looked-after children, exceptional medical or social needs, siblings, children living in the designated area, and named feeder schools. Where a tie-break is needed within criteria, distance from home to school is used, with random allocation as a final tie-break if distances are identical.

Open events are referenced, and the school has historically publicised an open evening in early autumn, which is a common pattern for Year 7 entry. Dates can shift year to year, so families should use the school’s admissions page and local authority timetable for the current cycle.

Parents who are assessing realistic travel distance should use the FindMySchool Map Search to check their precise home-to-gate distance against the current local authority allocation pattern. Distances vary annually with applicant distribution and the interaction of oversubscription criteria.

Pastoral provision is framed around knowing students individually and maintaining clear routines. The safeguarding team structure is explicitly set out, and student-facing routes encourage early reporting of concerns, including online safety and bullying-related issues. Alongside this, the wellbeing programme references external support pathways and mental health education activity, which is increasingly a baseline expectation in mainstream secondary settings.

The most recent inspection picture aligns with a school where students feel safe, bullying is addressed, and routines generally support calm learning. Safeguarding is judged effective in the latest report. The practical implication is that families looking for a school that combines firm expectations with a values language should find a coherent framework, while also recognising that, as in most schools, consistency in low-level behaviour management remains an implementation focus rather than a settled end state.

The strongest evidence for co-curricular breadth is the school’s published clubs timetable. This is useful because it shows not only “what exists”, but also how it is scheduled and who it is for. Across the spring term programme, the timetable lists Silent Study and Homework Club as daily options, with lunchtime and after-school activity that includes Fitness Club, Badminton, Piano Club, Choir, Athletics, Rounders, Ultimate Frisbee, Just Dance, and a Myths, Heroes and Legends club. For a student who needs structure, the implication is clear: there is a reliable after-school routine available, not just occasional one-off events.

Several activities connect directly to the school’s wider aims. Eco Club activity is linked to work towards an Eco-Schools Green Flag, which turns sustainability from a classroom topic into student-led action. Duke of Edinburgh provision is visible both as a scheduled activity and through programme updates, including expedition training and fieldwork experiences. These programmes tend to benefit students who learn best through responsibility and real-world tasks, because they convert soft skills into practical competence.

Facilities support the offer. The school highlights a newly opened fitness and learning centre with specialist gym equipment, a refurbished assembly hall with modern media capability, a learning resource centre, a personalised learning centre, and specialist media, photography, performing arts, and music spaces. The implication is that enrichment can be properly resourced, which typically improves take-up among students who are not naturally drawn to clubs unless the environment feels purposeful.

The school day runs from 8:30am to 3:00pm, with students expected on site by 8:20am, and enrichment, clubs, and intervention commonly taking place from 3:00pm to 4:00pm. Breakfast and after-school wraparound care are not described as a formal provision in the published timings; families who need childcare-style wraparound should confirm directly what is currently available beyond the enrichment hour.

Transport information is unusually detailed. The school publishes local transport links via bus and South Western Rail, including services connecting areas such as Slough, Iver, Colnbrook, Langley, Wraysbury, and Datchet, plus rail connections that support travel into the local area. For families outside Datchet, the key decision is whether the commute remains sustainable once after-school enrichment is factored in.

• New Ofsted framework presentation. The latest inspection (November 2024) does not provide a single overall grade; families need to read across the separate judgements, which are Good for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and sixth form provision, and Outstanding for personal development.

• Consistency in low-level behaviour. The latest inspection narrative identifies that while classrooms are usually calm and orderly, a small number of lessons experience low-level disruption, and the school’s consistency strategy is still embedding. This is most relevant for students who are easily distracted and need reliably quiet classrooms to thrive.

• Admissions mechanics and documentation. As a voluntary aided faith school, the process can involve additional forms and criteria beyond a straightforward distance-only allocation. Families should allow time to understand the designated area and feeder school rules, and to complete any supplementary information required.

• Sixth form entry thresholds. Progression into Year 12 is not automatic; the published baseline for Level 3 study is five GCSEs at grades 5 to 9, plus subject-specific requirements. Students who are borderline on grades should plan early for realistic course combinations.

Churchmead looks best understood as a values-driven, smaller secondary and sixth form with a strong personal development programme and a well-resourced set of specialist facilities. GCSE outcomes sit around the middle of England performance distribution in FindMySchool’s rankings, while curriculum intent and enrichment appear carefully planned and consistently scheduled. Best suited to families who value a Church of England ethos that is explicitly welcoming to a mixed intake, and to students who benefit from structure, close pastoral knowledge, and regular co-curricular opportunities. The main decision points are admissions fit, including designated area and feeder rules, and whether the commute supports participation beyond the 3:00pm finish.