Henry Chichele Primary School

Henry Chichele Primary School is a calm, nurturing and friendly school where pupils feel happy and safe. Pupils benefit from warm relationships with staff, improved behaviour and a wide range of clubs and leadership roles. Early years provision and personal development are particular strengths: children get a positive start, communication and language are prioritised, and pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. However, several core areas need attention. Pupils' writing is a significant concern, with gaps in letter formation, sentence structure and writing across subjects not being identified or closed quickly enough. Curriculum and teaching improvement is at an early stage, teachers are not consistently clear about independent learning, and leaders do not yet have an accurate view of curriculum delivery. Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is not precise or consistent enough. Attendance has improved overall, but too many disadvantaged pupils remain persistently absent, and leaders do not routinely analyse this group's attendance. Disadvantaged pupils' outcomes are also below national averages in several key measures. Leaders have identified the right priorities but have not responded swiftly enough, communication with some parents is inconsistent, and governors' challenge is not precise enough in some areas. This was a full section 5 inspection, and leaders acknowledge many improvement priorities since the previous inspection.

Strengths

• Pupils feel happy, safe and supported in a calm, nurturing environment.
• Early years provision gives children a positive start, with a strong focus on communication, language and reading.
• The personal development curriculum is progressive and prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.
• Pastoral support is effective, tailored and enhanced by external expertise.
• Pupils enjoy after-school clubs, leadership roles and wider enrichment opportunities.
• Behaviour across the school is much improved, with consistent routines and positive classrooms.
• Overall attendance has improved significantly.
• Phonics and early reading teaching is effective, and mathematics support helps pupils catch up.
• Staff receive appropriate professional development, and leaders consider staff wellbeing and workload.
• Leaders know the school and community well and have identified the right improvement priorities.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils' written work is not presented well, and gaps in writing knowledge are not effectively identified or closed.
• Teachers do not routinely identify or address mistakes in pupils' written work.
• Curriculum and teaching improvement is at an early stage, and leaders lack an accurate understanding of curriculum delivery.
• Learning during independent work is not clearly focused, limiting opportunities for pupils to make progress.
• SEND support strategies are not precise enough to guide teachers or enable effective monitoring of impact.
• Curriculum tailoring for pupils with SEND is inconsistent across classes.
• Too many disadvantaged pupils are persistently absent, and leaders do not routinely analyse attendance for this group.
• Leaders' response to improvement priorities has not been swift enough.
• Communication with parents and carers is inconsistent and affects relationships with some families.
• Governors' challenge is not precise enough in some areas, especially disadvantaged pupils' attendance.
• Disadvantaged pupils' outcomes are below national averages in reading, writing and mathematics combined and in reading and mathematics.

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 Henry Chichele Primary School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.5% 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, 2.1% of pupils at Henry Chichele Primary 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 Henry Chichele Primary School had 19.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 23.7% 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, 12.6% of pupils at Henry Chichele Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.1% 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 Henry Chichele Primary School received £6,804 and spent £6,443 for each of its 341 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £255,000 (£749 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).

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What is Henry Chichele Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Henry Chichele Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in February 2026.

When was Henry Chichele Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Henry Chichele Primary School was last inspected in February 2026.

How many pupils does Henry Chichele Primary School have?

Henry Chichele Primary School has 341 pupils on roll.

What age range does Henry Chichele Primary School cover?

Henry Chichele Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Henry Chichele Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Henry Chichele Primary School?

Henry Chichele Primary School is at School Lane, Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, NN10 8NQ.