Chingford Foundation School

Chingford Foundation School has made significant improvements since its last inspection, moving from a previous rating of requires improvement to a good overall effectiveness. The leadership team, under Gary Haines and the trust's oversight, has established clear expectations for student behavior, which are well understood by pupils. The curriculum is broad and well-sequenced, with a focus on essential life skills and effective study habits in the sixth form. However, attendance rates remain a concern, with some pupils consistently late and not attending regularly, which impacts their learning experience.

Strengths

• High expectations for pupil conduct and behavior
• Clear and established routines supporting good behavior
• Broad and well-sequenced curriculum
• Effective teachers with strong subject knowledge
• Strong support for pupils with special educational needs
• Sixth form students act as role models and mentors
• Robust communication from leadership to staff and parents
• Variety of enrichment clubs increasing in popularity

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent checking of pupil understanding
• Attendance rates have not fully recovered post-pandemic
• Some pupils are routinely late to school and between classes

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 Chingford Foundation School attended 92.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 24.3% 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, 9.3% of pupils at Chingford Foundation School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 Chingford Foundation School had 14.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.1% 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, 11.1% of pupils at Chingford Foundation School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 7.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has a SEN unit with 41 pupils.

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 Chingford Foundation School received £9,133 and spent £8,987 for each of its 1,401 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,513,000 (£1,080 per pupil).

Across all 2 schools of Chingford Academies Trust, income was £9,259 and spending £8,996 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 Waltham Forest · Waltham Forest local authority: places and applications

Chingford Foundation School is part of Chingford Academies Trust, which runs 2 schools. The nearest others:

• South Chingford Foundation School London

What is Chingford Foundation School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Chingford Foundation School is Good, from an inspection in November 2023.

When was Chingford Foundation School last inspected by Ofsted?

Chingford Foundation School was last inspected in November 2023.

How many pupils does Chingford Foundation School have?

Chingford Foundation School has 1,363 pupils on roll.

What age range does Chingford Foundation School cover?

Chingford Foundation School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Chingford Foundation School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 45.9, and 46% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Chingford Foundation School?

Chingford Foundation School is at Nevin Drive, Chingford, London, E4 7LT.