Church Hill School

Church Hill School is performing securely overall, with inspectors finding expected standards met across achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Safeguarding standards are met. Pupils achieve broadly in line with national expectations and sometimes above, read successfully through a consistent phonics programme, behave calmly and respectfully, and are well included, including pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. The school's inclusive culture, pastoral support, wider opportunities and recent improvements to SEND systems are notable strengths. Leaders know the school well and are taking appropriate action on the areas that need further work. Attendance is broadly in line with national figures and improving, but some pupils remain regularly absent, particularly around the start and end of term. Teaching is typically effective, especially in reading, but practice is not yet consistently strong in checking understanding, addressing misconceptions promptly and building securely on prior knowledge, particularly in writing. Some systems for tracking pupils' starting points and the impact of additional support are relatively new, though they are strengthening leaders' oversight. The school is part of the CHBP Federation and has a higher-than-average proportion of pupils with EHC plans and SEN support, which is relevant context for its inclusive work.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve broadly in line with national expectations, with writing and mathematics outcomes above national averages in recent years.
• Reading is prioritised, and pupils learn to read fluently and accurately through a consistent phonics programme.
• Behaviour is calm and orderly, relationships are warm and respectful, and disruption to learning is rare.
• Pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and others facing barriers are well included and supported to learn alongside their peers.
• Leaders have improved systems for identifying SEND needs and overseeing the impact of additional support.
• Early years provision is nurturing, with communication, language and reading prioritised from the start.
• Personal development is strong, including work on healthy relationships, online safety, diversity and respect.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of visits, residentials, sport, music and clubs, with leaders working to remove financial barriers.
• Staff speak positively about professional learning, support and leaders' attention to wellbeing and workload.
• Governance provides appropriate support and challenge and is committed to effective use of resources.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils continue to be regularly absent, particularly at the beginning and end of term.
• Teaching is not consistently effective across the school in checking pupils' understanding.
• Teaching does not always build sufficiently on pupils' prior knowledge, particularly in writing.
• Misconceptions are occasionally not identified promptly, and some opportunities to deepen understanding are missed.
• Some systems for checking pupils' starting points and the impact of additional support are relatively new and still being embedded.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Church Hill School attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at Church Hill School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Church Hill School had 18.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 53.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 18.8% of pupils at Church Hill School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 8.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Church Hill School received £9,849 and spent £10,321 for each of its 181 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £332,000 (-£1,833 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Barnet · Barnet local authority: places and applications

What is Church Hill School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Church Hill School is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Church Hill School last inspected by Ofsted?

Church Hill School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Church Hill School have?

Church Hill School has 181 pupils on roll.

What age range does Church Hill School cover?

Church Hill School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Church Hill School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Church Hill School?

Church Hill School is at Burlington Rise, East Barnet, Barnet, Hertfordshire, EN4 8NN.