Cambian Chesham House School, Thrush Drive
Cambian Chesham House School is a special school for pupils aged 10 to 18 in Thrush Drive. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2024. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Cambian Chesham House School in detail
Cambian Chesham House School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, rugby, cricket, cooking, gardening, Duke of Edinburgh, forest school and cheerleading.
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Cambian Chesham House School are Oak Haven School (1.6 miles, Requires improvement); Mill School - Bury (1.8 miles, Good, selective); Forestwood School (1.8 miles, Good); and Heywood Academy (2.1 miles).
Oak Haven SchoolMill School - BuryForestwood SchoolHeywood Academy
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Cambian Chesham House School has an education, health and care plan (16 of 16 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Bury Interchange (Manchester Metrolink), about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Chesham Fold Road (near), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Cambian Chesham House School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 11 months agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Independent school standards
Did not meet the independent school standards in Part 1 (quality of education), Part 3 (welfare, health and safety) and Part 8 (leadership and management).
- Part 1: quality of educationNot met
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentMet
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyNot met
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationMet
- Part 6: information for parentsMet
- Part 7: handling of complaintsMet
- Part 8: leadership and managementNot met
Progress-monitoring inspection, 4 November 2025: The school met all the standards Ofsted checked.
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The school has made significant improvements in behaviour management, with staff now using consistent, effective strategies to help pupils act responsibly. The school maintains thorough reporting and recording of behaviour incidents which guides appropriate support for pupils. Safeguarding is a priority with strong policies and regular staff training in place.
Key Strengths
- Staff consistently use effective behaviour management strategies following targeted training
- Behaviour incidents are thoroughly reported, recorded and used to guide appropriate interventions
- Clear consistency in how pupils' behaviour is managed with staff understanding processes and procedures
- Strong safeguarding culture with up-to-date policy and regular staff training
- Leadership now provides regular quality assurance monitoring to check effectiveness of improvements
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is effective - the school has a strong safeguarding culture with an up-to-date policy, staff receive regular training that considers pupils' vulnerabilities, and staff know procedures for reporting concerns about adults.
Cambian Chesham House School is a small independent special school for pupils aged 10-18 with social, emotional and mental health needs. The school has successfully addressed all previously identified weaknesses and now meets all independent school standards.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Social & online
Keep up with Cambian Chesham House School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 18
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 18 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 13 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot.
3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Bury is 10 (the median across 92 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
80%
Available places
16 pupils
20 places
4 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Across Bury council
Places available
2,444
Applications
2,233
Got 1st preference
90.7%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All secondary applications across Bury council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(9)
Independent school Progress Monitoring inspection
Outcome: the school met all the standards Ofsted checked.
Independent School standard inspection
Did not meet the independent school standards in Part 1 (quality of education), Part 3 (welfare, health and safety) and Part 8 (leadership and management).
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
16
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Cambian Chesham House School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
16
Total Pupils
7
Boys
9
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Cambian Chesham House School
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Cambian Chesham House School
What are GCSE results like at Cambian Chesham House School?
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for Cambian Chesham House School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
What is Cambian Chesham House School's Ofsted rating?
Cambian Chesham House School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2024, it was rated Requires Improvement.
Does Cambian Chesham House School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in October 2024, Cambian Chesham House School did not meet the independent school standards in Part 1 (quality of education), Part 3 (welfare, health and safety) and Part 8 (leadership and management). At a later progress-monitoring inspection in November 2025, the school met all the standards Ofsted checked.
How many pupils go to Cambian Chesham House School?
Cambian Chesham House School has around 16 pupils on roll.
Does Cambian Chesham House School have specialist SEN provision?
Cambian Chesham House School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Cambian Chesham House School?
Cambian Chesham House School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Cambian Chesham House School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 18 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 13 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot. 3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Bury is 10 (the median across 92 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Cambian Chesham House School?
Cambian Chesham House School is at Chesham House, Thrush Drive, Thrush Drive, BL9 6JD.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)