Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge

Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge is a smaller-than-average secondary school within the Maiden Erlegh Trust, with a headteacher appointed in January 2025 and a pupil population that includes well-above-average proportions of pupils with SEND and EHC plans. Safeguarding standards are met, and the school is performing at the expected standard in most areas at this full inspection. Pupils achieve well across the curriculum, and outcomes at the end of key stage 4 improved in 2025 to broadly national averages; the gap for disadvantaged pupils is closing. Curriculum design, teaching, inclusion, personal development and leadership are all broadly effective, with strong trust support and positive relationships with staff and parents. Pupils are happy, safe and well prepared for life beyond school. They benefit from a well-sequenced curriculum, effective support for SEND and disadvantaged pupils, a highly effective careers programme, and a wide range of enrichment and leadership opportunities. Behaviour is calm and respectful, and pupils trust staff to deal with bullying or discrimination. The main area requiring attention is attendance: overall absence and persistent absence remain above national averages, and absence is not reducing quickly enough for some pupils, although leaders' actions are starting to show signs of improvement. Leaders know the school well and have focused improvement priorities appropriately. Next steps include evaluating and monitoring attendance processes more accurately, continuing to secure consistent curriculum delivery so misconceptions are addressed promptly, and ensuring teachers routinely extend pupils' spoken and written vocabulary.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where concerns are actively identified and managed.
• Pupils achieve well across the curriculum, and 2025 key stage 4 outcomes improved to broadly national averages.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND are well supported, and the disadvantage gap is closing.
• The curriculum is well designed and sequenced, with clear teaching and strong trust support for subject expertise.
• Inclusion is effective, including caring pastoral and specialist support through 'The Hive'.
• Personal development is comprehensive and pupils are well prepared for life in multicultural Britain.
• Careers provision is highly effective, with meaningful employer engagement and positive destinations.
• Behaviour around the school is calm, pupils are respectful, and bullying is not tolerated.
• Leaders have a clear direction, accurate understanding of the school, and effective governance and trust support.
• Staff are proud, well supported, and parents speak highly of leaders' actions.
• A wide range of clubs, leadership roles and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award develop pupils' confidence and independence.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance remains below the national average, and persistent absence is high.
• Absence is not reducing as quickly as it should for some pupils.
• Leaders' processes for improving attendance need more accurate evaluation and monitoring.
• Teaching is occasionally not adapted precisely enough to address misconceptions so pupils can move on quickly.
• Opportunities for pupils to apply technical vocabulary in spoken and written work are not yet routine.

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 Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge attended 88.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 29.1% 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, 12.8% of pupils at Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge 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 Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge had 15.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 32.9% 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, 29.9% of pupils at Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 7.2% 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 Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge received £9,983 and spent £9,979 for each of its 421 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £198,000 (£471 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Maiden Erlegh Trust, income was £9,722 and spending £9,767 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 Reading · Oxfordshire local authority: places and applications

Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge is part of Maiden Erlegh Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• River Academy Reading
• Maiden Erlegh School in Reading Reading
• Hamilton School Reading
• Maiden Erlegh School Reading
• Oak Tree School Wokingham
• Great Hollands Primary School Bracknell
• Birch Hill Primary School and Nursery Bracknell Forest
• John Rankin Junior School Newbury
• John Rankin Infant and Nursery School Newbury

What is Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge last inspected by Ofsted?

Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge have?

Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge has 374 pupils on roll.

What age range does Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge cover?

Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 39.2, and 32% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge?

Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge is at Reades Lane, Sonning Common, Reading, Berkshire, RG4 9LN.