Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School, Chesham
Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Chesham. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 4th-highest of the 7 schools in Chesham with published results, and 4,333rd of 14,452 across England. It was 84% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Buckinghamshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School in detail
Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School in its own words
The school runs after-school care.
Coming up: an admissions event on Thursday 12 November 2026 and an admissions event on Thursday 7 January 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Buckinghamshire
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 88% of Year 6 pupils at Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School reached the expected standard in reading and 78% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 81% and 77% in Buckinghamshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 71% in reading and 61% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School
For September 2026 entry, 12 families put Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School as their first choice and 40 named it as one of their preferences, for 16 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School are Chartridge Combined School (2 miles, Good, 97% reading, 97% maths); St Bartholomew's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Wigginton (2.1 miles, Outstanding, 73% reading, 73% maths); Ivingswood Academy (2.3 miles, 66% reading, 63% maths); and St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch (2.5 miles, Good, 77% reading, 67% maths).
Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Chartridge Combined SchoolSt Bartholomew's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, WiggintonIvingswood AcademySt Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch
What parents say
77 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School (as of September 2025): 83% would recommend the school, 91% say their child is happy there and 59% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (95%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (59%).
Who goes there
16.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 3.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (83%) and Mixed (6%).
Staffing
Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School had 12 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 0 crimes within a mile of the school. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Buckinghamshire (44).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School issued 2 suspensions, 1.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no 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 school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Buckinghamshire published that the last place for 2019 entry went to a family 3.023 miles away (straight line). The cut-off moves every year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from September 2015, 11 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
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
The school aspires for pupils to flourish and achieve their best. However, this ambition is not yet being fully realised. There is more work to do to ensure that the curriculum and teaching enable all pupils to achieve well.
The school's values are the foundation of its ethos. Values such as respect, understanding and teamwork create a positive culture and sense of belonging. Pupils demonstrate these values in their good behaviour. They learn and play happily together. Pupils rightly feel cared for well by staff. Strong pastoral support means that there is always an adult on hand if pupils are worried or upset.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has worked hard to address the decline in pupils' outcomes at the end of Year 6 in the 2023 statutory assessments. This has been an exceptional challenge due to many factors. These include the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, a rise in the number of pupils with complex needs and several temporary staffing changes. As a result, not all of the school's planned improvements have yet been embedded in the way that leaders intend. While achievement has improved, there are inconsistencies in the quality of education for some pupils. This means that not all pupils achieve as well as they should.
Since the previous inspection, the school has implemented a new phonics programme and strengthened its work to instil a love of reading. This has contributed to improvements in early reading. Nonetheless, the school is still refining the phonics programme to establish the sounds pupils should learn, term by term. Most younger pupils get off to a secure start to learning to read. Nevertheless, there are inconsistencies in the teaching and support for the weakest readers in Years 1 to 6. As a result, this is not yet fully effective and risks these pupils falling further behind.
From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its September 2015 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
16.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
77 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 71% to 88% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 61% to 78% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 72% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
23.9
Avg class size
20.3
Infant (KS1)
26.5
KS2
7
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School
Before and after school care
Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Buckinghamshire
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School.
- Welldon Kids Club @ Hawridge and Cholesbury SchoolAt the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Buckinghamshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School is in Buckinghamshire; for families living there:
- Buckinghamshire's school travel policy: Home to School Transport Policy (0 to 25 Year Olds)
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 Buckinghamshire is 4 (the median across 274 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
Your chances of a place at Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School
Will you get a place at Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School.
- Last distance offered for 2019 entry, from Buckinghamshire's own figures, and how your distance compares each year.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Buckinghamshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
84%
Available places
175 pupils
209 places
34 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Chesham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Chesham
Across Buckinghamshire council
Places available
6,722
Applications
5,630
Got 1st preference
91.6%
Got preferred school
98.6%
All primary applications across Buckinghamshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
24
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
18.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
167
Total Pupils
84
Boys
83
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
13.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,890
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,638
Per pupil
£1105k
Total funding
£39k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.6%
Overall absence
11.0%
Persistent absence
164
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School
What are SATs results like at Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School?
Of the pupils at Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 88% reached the expected standard in reading and 78% did so in maths.
What is Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School's Ofsted rating?
Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2015, it was rated Good.
How close to Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School do you need to live?
Buckinghamshire published for September 2019 entry that the last place offered at Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School on distance went to a family 3.023 miles away. This is the authority's own figure for one year, not a fixed boundary - the cut-off moves with the number of applications, so treat it as a guide rather than a guarantee.
Is it hard to get a place at Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School?
Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School was not full in 2025: it ran at 84% of its 209 places.
How big are the classes at Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School?
Classes at Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School average 23.9 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School?
Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School has around 167 pupils on roll. 16% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School?
4.6% of sessions were missed at Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School in 2024/25. 11% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School?
Apply through Buckinghamshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Welldon Kids Club @ Hawridge and Cholesbury School (registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Buckinghamshire is 4 (the median across 274 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School?
Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School is at Hawridge, Chesham, Buckinghamshire, HP5 2UQ.
Sources: Buckinghamshire admissions booklet; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)