Thomas Harding Junior School

Thomas Harding Junior School is a caring and inclusive junior school where pupils feel safe, valued and proud to belong. Inspectors found the school performing securely overall, with inclusion and pupils’ personal development and wellbeing as particular strengths. Safeguarding standards are met. Pupils achieve well by the end of Year 6, with recent attainment above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics combined, and reading is a clear priority. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils are well supported to access the same broad curriculum and opportunities as their peers. The school is part of Oxford Diocesan Bucks Schools Trust, and at the time of this full section 5 inspection an interim headteacher was in post.

Strengths

• Highly inclusive culture where all pupils, including those with SEND or disadvantage, take part fully
• Early identification of additional needs and prompt, well-matched support
• Strong personal development and wellbeing provision, including mental health and safety education
• Pupils behave well, are polite and respectful, and bullying is rare
• Ambitious and broad curriculum that builds knowledge step by step
• Effective reading provision, with targeted support helping pupils catch up
• Pupils achieve well overall, with above-average Year 6 attainment in recent outcomes
• Wide range of trips, visits and pupil-led clubs that build confidence and independence
• Supportive leadership and governance, with staff feeling valued and parents very positive
• Safeguarding standards are met and pupils feel safe
• Strong support for disadvantaged pupils and those known to social care
• Clear values and caring community ethos

Areas for Improvement

• Teachers do not always check pupils’ understanding precisely enough to address gaps and misconceptions swiftly
• Some pupils’ written work is not as accurate or fluent as it could be
• Handwriting and letter formation are not consistently well developed across the school
• A small number of pupils lose focus where expectations are less clear
• Persistent absence is above the national average
• Disadvantaged pupils’ combined reading, writing and mathematics outcomes have been below national average over the latest three-year period

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 Thomas Harding Junior School attended 94.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.1% 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, 0.4% of pupils at Thomas Harding Junior 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 Thomas Harding Junior School had 19.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 20.6% of pupils at Thomas Harding Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.1% 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 Thomas Harding Junior School received £6,393 and spent £6,374 for each of its 229 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £294,000 (£1,283 per pupil).

Across all 14 schools of Oxford Diocesan Bucks Schools Trust, income was £7,077 and spending £7,224 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

Thomas Harding Junior School is part of Oxford Diocesan Bucks Schools Trust, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

• Chiltern Hills Academy Chesham
• Elmtree Infant and Nursery School Chesham
• Chesham Bois Church of England School Amersham
• Woodside Junior School Amersham
• Curzon Church of England Combined School Amersham
• Chenies School Rickmansworth
• The Downley School High Wycombe
• St John's Church of England Primary School, Lacey Green Princes Risborough
• Longwick Church of England Combined School Princes Risborough
• St Mary's Church of England School Aylesbury

What is Thomas Harding Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Thomas Harding Junior School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Thomas Harding Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

Thomas Harding Junior School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Thomas Harding Junior School have?

Thomas Harding Junior School has 238 pupils on roll.

What age range does Thomas Harding Junior School cover?

Thomas Harding Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Thomas Harding Junior School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 81% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Thomas Harding Junior School?

Thomas Harding Junior School is at Thomas Harding Junior School, Fullers Hill, Thomas Harding Junior School, Chesham, Buckinghamshire, HP5 1LR.