Chestnut Lane School

Chestnut Lane School is a happy, caring infant and nursery school where pupils feel safe, behave exceptionally well and achieve well. The school has high aspirations, and children get off to a strong start in the Nursery. Reading is at the heart of the curriculum, pupils with SEND are well supported, and personal development and early years provision are outstanding. Leadership is good, staff feel supported, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The main area for improvement is in a few subjects where the curriculum is new: implementation is not yet consistently helping pupils to know more and remember more, which can slow learning. The school should continue developing teachers’ pedagogical understanding so the curriculum is delivered as intended. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. It had previously been exempt from routine inspection because it was judged outstanding in 2014, and under current arrangements it no longer receives an overall effectiveness grade.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, feel safe and have caring relationships with staff.
• Behaviour and attitudes are outstanding, with excellent learning behaviours and very strong attendance.
• Personal development is outstanding, with an impressive range of clubs, trips and enrichment experiences.
• Early years provision is outstanding, with children settling quickly and strong communication and language development.
• Reading is at the heart of the curriculum, and pupils become confident, fluent readers.
• Pupils with SEND achieve well because needs are identified accurately and support is well adapted.
• The curriculum is ambitious and often linked meaningfully to the local area.
• Leadership is good, staff are proud to work at the school, and governors provide clear strategic vision.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• In a few subjects where the curriculum is new, implementation does not consistently help pupils to know more and remember more, which can slow learning.
• The school should continue to develop teachers’ pedagogical understanding so they deliver the curriculum as intended.

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 Chestnut Lane School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.5% 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 Chestnut Lane 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 Chestnut Lane School had 20.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 4.4% of pupils at Chestnut Lane School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.5% 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 Chestnut Lane School received £7,165 and spent £7,193 for each of its 195 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £50,000 (£256 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 Amersham · Buckinghamshire local authority: places and applications

What is Chestnut Lane School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Chestnut Lane School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Chestnut Lane School last inspected by Ofsted?

Chestnut Lane School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Chestnut Lane School have?

Chestnut Lane School has 206 pupils on roll.

What age range does Chestnut Lane School cover?

Chestnut Lane School for pupils aged 3 to 7.

Where is Chestnut Lane School?

Chestnut Lane School is at 105 Chestnut Lane, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP6 6EF.