Chiltern Primary School

Chiltern Primary is an inclusive, caring school where pupils feel safe and valued, relationships are strong, and staff support families well. Personal development is a notable strength, with good provision for pupils' health, wider experiences, clubs and leadership roles, and safeguarding is effective. The school has a new ambitious curriculum and robust SEND systems, including effective support in Meadow class, and attendance is improving after determined action. However, the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and early years provision require improvement. Curriculum implementation is still at an early stage and inconsistent, especially in early years and key stage 1, and pupils do not always remember key knowledge in reading and mathematics. Staff checks do not precisely identify gaps, leading to misconceptions, and phonics delivery is inconsistent, so some pupils need catch-up and do not become fluent readers as quickly as they could. Early years children do not always access all learning areas well enough to develop early reading, writing and number skills. Attendance remains too low for groups including pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, despite improving strategies being in early stages. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and, under the current framework, no overall effectiveness grade was given; governors have an accurate view and work well with leaders, providing considered challenge.

Strengths

• Inclusive and caring culture where pupils feel safe, valued and accepted.
• Strong positive relationships and effective support for pupils and their families.
• Pupils typically behave well in lessons and the school's behaviour rules are lived.
• Personal development is a notable strength, including health, wider experiences and leadership opportunities.
• Enrichment activities and clubs bring learning to life and build pupils' interests.
• Robust systems identify pupils with SEND, and Meadow class provides effective, high-quality support.
• A new ambitious curriculum identifies important knowledge and breaks it into small steps.
• Subject leaders are passionate advocates and staff receive training to deliver subjects confidently.
• Early reading is prioritised, with high-quality phonics support and books matched to pupils' sounds.
• Determined action is improving attendance and staff work increasingly effectively with families.
• Governors have an accurate view, provide considered challenge and consider staff workload.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation is inconsistent across subjects and is at an early stage.
• Pupils, including in early years, do not always learn or remember key information as well as they should.
• Outcomes in reading and mathematics need to improve.
• Staff do not check pupils' understanding precisely enough, so misconceptions and knowledge gaps persist.
• Some activities, including for pupils with SEND, do not help pupils learn the curriculum effectively.
• Phonics delivery is inconsistent, including in early years, and some pupils need interventions to catch up.
• Early years children do not access all learning areas effectively, limiting early reading, writing and number skills.
• Attendance remains too low for groups including pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
• Strategies to improve attendance are still in their early stages and need to have greater impact.
• Inconsistencies in teaching in early years and key stage 1 must be swiftly addressed to prepare pupils for key stage 2.

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 Chiltern Primary School attended 92.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 24.0% 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, 5.9% of pupils at Chiltern 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 Chiltern Primary School had 15.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 35.6% 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, 25.9% of pupils at Chiltern Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 9.4% 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 Chiltern Primary School received £9,225 and spent £8,652 for each of its 170 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £158,000 (£932 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 Basingstoke · Hampshire local authority: places and applications

What is Chiltern Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Chiltern Primary School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Chiltern Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Chiltern Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Chiltern Primary School have?

Chiltern Primary School has 170 pupils on roll.

What age range does Chiltern Primary School cover?

Chiltern Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 43% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Chiltern Primary School?

Chiltern Primary School is at Chiltern Way, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG22 5BB.