Chesham Grammar School

Chesham Grammar School is a highly successful selective grammar school where pupils flourish academically and personally. Inspectors found all key judgements to be outstanding, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school is part of the Red Kite Schools trust and this was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, with the previous inspection in 2014.

Strengths

• Curriculum provides exceptional breadth and depth beyond national expectations
• Teachers explain concepts clearly and check understanding effectively
• Staff provide thoughtful and demanding practice opportunities with helpful feedback
• Pupils with SEND are identified precisely and supported through effective adaptations
• Reading is a high priority, with strong support for pupils who need to catch up
• Behaviour is excellent and relationships between pupils and staff are highly positive
• Vertical tutoring helps build strong support across year groups
• Character education is impressive and embedded across the curriculum and house system
• Pupils take on many responsibilities and value the wide range of extra-curricular activities
• Careers programme is strong and pupils are aspirational about their futures
• Attendance is very high, with personalised pastoral support where needed
• Sixth-form students are remarkable role models and take leadership responsibilities seriously
• Staff feel valued and supported, and trustees provide rigorous oversight
• Parents, pupils and staff describe the school as a wonderful community

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 Chesham Grammar School attended 94.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 12.6% 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, 1.4% of pupils at Chesham Grammar 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 Chesham Grammar School had 18.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.3% 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, 2.9% of pupils at Chesham Grammar School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 0.8% 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 2024–25 Chesham Grammar School received £6,594 and spent £6,983 for each of its 1,326 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £554,000 (£418 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Chesham · Buckinghamshire local authority: places and applications

What is Chesham Grammar School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Chesham Grammar School is Outstanding, from an inspection in April 2025.

When was Chesham Grammar School last inspected by Ofsted?

Chesham Grammar School was last inspected in April 2025.

How many pupils does Chesham Grammar School have?

Chesham Grammar School has 1,331 pupils on roll.

What age range does Chesham Grammar School cover?

Chesham Grammar School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Chesham Grammar School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 75.6, and 98% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Chesham Grammar School?

Chesham Grammar School is at White Hill, Chesham, Buckinghamshire, HP5 1BA.