Chestnuts Primary School

Chestnuts Primary School has demonstrated effective leadership and maintained its previously good standards during this ungraded inspection. The school fosters a positive learning environment where pupils are engaged and supported in their education. Strong relationships are evident between staff and students, contributing to a respectful and aspirational atmosphere. The curriculum is broad and encourages students to develop essential skills in communication, reading, writing, and mathematics, preparing them well for future educational challenges.

Strengths

• Effective action taken to maintain good standards identified in previous inspections.
• Strong relationships between staff and pupils, fostering positive attitudes towards learning.
• A broad and engaging curriculum that supports pupils' knowledge retention.
• Supportive environment for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Effective phonics teaching helping pupils become fluent readers.
• Valuable personal development opportunities through clubs and community interactions.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent checks on pupils' understanding leading to gaps in learning.
• Occasional misalignment of teaching activities with pupils' prior knowledge.

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 Chestnuts Primary School attended 94.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.4% 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, 0.7% of pupils at Chestnuts 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 Chestnuts Primary School had 18.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.0% 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, 23.0% of pupils at Chestnuts Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.2% 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 2024–25 Chestnuts Primary School received £7,129 and spent £6,983 for each of its 420 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £126,000 (£299 per pupil).

Across all 20 schools of Inspiring Futures Through Learning, income was £6,729 and spending £6,481 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 Milton Keynes · Milton Keynes local authority: places and applications

Chestnuts Primary School is part of Inspiring Futures Through Learning, which runs 22 schools. The nearest others:

• Rickley Park Primary School Bletchley
• New Chapter Primary School Milton Keynes
• Heronsgate School Milton Keynes
• Heronshaw School Milton Keynes
• Holmwood School Milton Keynes
• Whitehouse Primary School Milton Keynes
• Two Mile Ash School Milton Keynes
• Ashbrook School Milton Keynes
• Heronshill School and Nursery Milton Keynes
• Fairfields Primary School Milton Keynes

What is Chestnuts Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Chestnuts Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Chestnuts Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Chestnuts Primary School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Chestnuts Primary School have?

Chestnuts Primary School has 400 pupils on roll.

What age range does Chestnuts Primary School cover?

Chestnuts Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 58% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Chestnuts Primary School?

Chestnuts Primary School is at Buckingham Road, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK3 5EN.