Churchmead Church of England (VA) School

Churchmead Church of England (VA) School is a welcoming, values-led secondary school with a strong sense of community. Pupils are respectful, attend very well and feel safe, and the school is aspirational for all pupils, including those who are harder to reach. Personal development is a particular strength, with an exceptional PSHE programme, a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities and well-planned trips and experiences. The curriculum is ambitious and broad, and pupils with SEND are identified accurately and supported to learn the same curriculum as their peers. Reading is prioritised, and sixth-form students are highly engaged and well prepared for their next steps. Leadership and governance are committed, staff feel valued, and safeguarding is effective. There are some areas for improvement. In a few subjects, curriculum implementation is not yet secure or consistent, and approaches to help pupils remember content over time are not fully embedded. Behaviour is usually calm and orderly, but expectations occasionally slip and low-level disruption affects a small number of lessons; a new behaviour strategy is in place but has not yet had the intended impact. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Strengths

• Strong community ethos built on courage, compassion and commitment
• Pupils show consistently high levels of respect for others
• Pupils, including those with SEND, achieve well
• Excellent attendance across the school
• Calm and orderly learning environment in most lessons
• Outstanding personal development with a well-planned PSHE curriculum
• Wide range of extra-curricular clubs, trips and experiences
• Ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum with clear sequencing
• Accurate SEND identification and effective curriculum adaptations
• Reading is prioritised with timely support for early readers
• Strong sixth-form lessons and expert guidance for next steps
• Committed leaders and governors who support staff workload and wellbeing
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation is not secure and consistent in a few subjects
• Some staff in a few subjects are less confident and do not routinely choose activities that deepen learning
• Approaches to help pupils remember taught content over time are not embedded in some subjects
• Expectations for behaviour are occasionally inconsistent, leading to low-level disruption in a small number of lessons
• The new behaviour strategy has not yet had the full intended impact

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 Churchmead Church of England (VA) School attended 92.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 5.9% of pupils at Churchmead Church of England (VA) School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 Churchmead Church of England (VA) School had 16.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.1% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 23.2% of pupils at Churchmead Church of England (VA) School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Churchmead Church of England (VA) School received £8,615 and spent £8,585 for each of its 681 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £215,000 (£316 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 Slough · Windsor and Maidenhead local authority: places and applications

What is Churchmead Church of England (VA) School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Churchmead Church of England (VA) School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Churchmead Church of England (VA) School last inspected by Ofsted?

Churchmead Church of England (VA) School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Churchmead Church of England (VA) School have?

Churchmead Church of England (VA) School has 681 pupils on roll.

What age range does Churchmead Church of England (VA) School cover?

Churchmead Church of England (VA) School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Churchmead Church of England (VA) School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 42.8, and 34% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Churchmead Church of England (VA) School?

Churchmead Church of England (VA) School is at Priory Way, Datchet, Slough, Berkshire, SL3 9JQ.