Chaucer School has closed (Monday 31 August 2026).
The information below is kept for reference. The school at this address is now Mercia Northridge School.
Chaucer School, Sheffield
Chaucer School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Sheffield. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 34th-highest of the 35 schools in Sheffield with published results, and 3,161st of 3,298 across England. It was 90% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2018)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Well below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Sheffield (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 8 Oct 2026
Chaucer School in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Chaucer School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 33.6, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.6 in Sheffield and 47 across England.
22% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 47% in Sheffield and 47% in England.
That is up from 29.3 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -1.14: pupils made well below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 26.1, against 42.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 16.5 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 22 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Information and Communication Technology, Combined Science and Art and Design.
Getting a place at Chaucer School
For September 2026 entry, 122 families put Chaucer School as their first choice and 233 named it as one of their preferences, for 158 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Chaucer School are Mercia Northridge School (under 0.1 miles); Yewlands Academy (0.6 miles, Inadequate, Attainment 8 39.9); E-Act Parkwood Academy (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 43.9); and Lift Firth Park (1.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 36.7).
Each of them had higher 2026 results than Chaucer School.
Mercia Northridge SchoolYewlands AcademyE-Act Parkwood AcademyLift Firth Park
What parents say
33 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Chaucer School (as of September 2025): 42% would recommend the school, 46% say their child is happy there and 35% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (64%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (35%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 158 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 73% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 50% to a further education college, 1% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.
Who goes there
60.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 25.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (66%), Black (11%) and Mixed (7%).
In 2026, 144 pupils (19.9%) received SEN support and 18 (2.5%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Middlewood Supertram Platform, about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.
16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Wordsworth Avenue/Deerlands Avenue (adjacent), 100 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Chaucer School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Chaucer School issued 824 suspensions, 103.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 6 permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from November 2018, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Chaucer School is making real progress in turning around its performance. The school has created a much better environment where pupils feel safe and behaviour is improving significantly. Teachers are working with a clearer, more ambitious curriculum that better prepares pupils for their futures, and the school provides excellent support for students who need extra help with reading and learning needs.
Key Strengths
- Improved school culture and behaviour - most pupils behave well in lessons and social times, with increasing attendance rates
- Strengthened curriculum that is better sequenced and more ambitious than previously
- Strong support systems for pupils with SEND and those learning to read, enabling them to catch up
- Effective careers education leading to increased progression to further education, employment or training
Areas for Improvement
- Pupils have significant gaps in knowledge from earlier education that slow progress through the curriculum
- Attendance rates remain too high despite improvements - regular absenteeism causes pupils to miss important learning
- Limited cultural capital and wider knowledge of the world among some pupils impacts their understanding
- Recent improvements to behaviour policy and other changes are still being embedded with inconsistent impact
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with clear procedures and an open, positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Mock interviews with employers, house captain leadership roles, charitable work, wider opportunities (specific activities not detailed)
Chaucer School has emerged from a period of significant instability and is making improvements to behaviour, attendance, and curriculum quality. The school requires improvement across quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.
About
Chaucer School is a secondary school with academy status in the Parson Cross area of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Named after Geoffrey Chaucer, the school became Sheffield's third comprehensive school in 1964, on two sites separated by a field, one newly built.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
60.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
33 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has remained stable at around -1.14 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 30.4 to 33.6 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has remained stable at around 22% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 33.6 | 22.1% |
| Disadvantaged(84) | - | 26.1 | 10.7% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(70) | - | 42.6 | 35.7% |
| Boys(85) | - | 33.5 | 24.7% |
| Girls(69) | - | 33.8 | 18.8% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(30) | - | 44.8 | 36.7% |
| Non mobile(147) | - | 34.0 | 23.1% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 2 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 158 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
6
Permanent exclusions
0.76%
Exclusion rate
824
Suspensions
103.78%
Suspension rate
168 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 794 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Chaucer School
Term dates
Chaucer School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Sheffield's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Chaucer School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Chaucer School is in Sheffield; for families living there:
- Sheffield's school travel policy: Home to School Travel and Transport Policy September 2023
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Chaucer School
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
90%
Near capacity
807 pupils
900 places
93 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Sheffield
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Sheffield
Across Sheffield council
Places available
6,421
Applications
6,416
Got 1st preference
88.7%
Got preferred school
96.6%
All secondary applications across Sheffield council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(15)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
144
SEN Support
18
EHC Plans
22.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
722
Total Pupils
381
Boys
341
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
49
Teachers
14.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£45,775
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£8,565
Per pupil
£7537k
Total funding
£494k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
12.5%
Overall absence
37.6%
Persistent absence
902
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Chaucer School
What are GCSE results like at Chaucer School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Chaucer School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 33.6. 22% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Chaucer School's Ofsted rating?
Chaucer School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2018, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Chaucer School?
No fixed boundary. When Chaucer School is oversubscribed, Sheffield allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Chaucer School?
Chaucer School was not full in 2025: it ran at 90% of its 900 places.
How big are the classes at Chaucer School?
Classes at Chaucer School average 23.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Chaucer School?
Chaucer School has around 722 pupils on roll. 61% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Chaucer School?
12.5% of sessions were missed at Chaucer School in 2024/25. 37.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Chaucer School?
Apply through Sheffield's coordinated admissions process, naming Chaucer School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
Where is Chaucer School?
Chaucer School is at Wordsworth Avenue, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S5 8NH.