Henry Chichele Primary School, Higham Ferrers

Requires Improvement
Primary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~643m)Possible (~919m)Unlikely (~1.2km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Sue Hope
Pupils:341 / 420 capacity
LA:North Northamptonshire
Phone:01933352850
Address:School Lane, Higham Ferrers, NN10 8NQ
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 September 2004

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 9 months ago
Requires Improvement

Overall

Requires Improvement

Quality of Education

Requires Improvement

Behaviour & Attitudes

Requires Improvement

Personal Development

Requires Improvement

Leadership & Management

Requires Improvement

Early Years

Inspected 9 December 2025View full report
URN:133552
UKPRN:10074176
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Wellingborough and Rushden
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Henry Chichele creates a calm, nurturing environment where pupils are happy and feel safe to learn. The school has successfully improved behavior through clear expectations and warm relationships between staff and pupils. Reading is a priority with good phonics teaching, and pupils benefit from strong pastoral support tailored to their individual needs.

Key Strengths

  • Strong safeguarding culture with open communication and effective support systems
  • Improved behavior across the school with consistent expectations and positive attitudes to learning
  • Effective teaching of phonics, reading and mathematics with good catch-up support
  • Well-sequenced curriculum that builds on prior learning
  • Warm, nurturing relationships between staff and pupils

Areas for Improvement

  • Pupils' written work presentation and writing skills are weak, with gaps in letter formation and sentence structure not being addressed quickly enough
  • Too many disadvantaged pupils are persistently absent from school, with leaders not analyzing this data effectively
  • Curriculum teaching quality is inconsistent, with some classes not tailoring support well for pupils with SEND
  • Leaders have been slow to act on priorities for improvement since the previous inspection
  • Support targets for pupils with SEND are not precise enough, making it hard for teachers to know how to help them progress

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, concerns are actively identified and acted upon, and pupils feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

After-school clubs, sports clubs including girls' football team, sports tournaments, school choir, leadership roles such as librarian and anti-bullying ambassador

Henry Chichele Primary School is a welcoming, calm environment where pupils feel safe and happy. The school has made improvements in behavior and early years, but needs to address gaps in writing and attendance among disadvantaged pupils.

At a Glance

6.2%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading+10ppMaths+10ppWriting+15pp

Reading has improved from 75% to 85%. Maths has improved from 67% to 77%. Writing has improved from 68% to 83%.

Class Sizes

26.5

Avg class size

24.8

Infant (KS1)

28.2

KS2

12

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Henry Chichele Primary School (SW-bound)
115m · 2 min walk
High Meadows Lane (W-bound)
141m · 2 min walk
2 Meadow View (o/s)
247m · 4 min walk
Linden Avenue (S-bound)
253m · 4 min walk
42 Meadow View (o/s)
299m · 5 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

81%

Available places

341 pupils

420 capacity

79 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Higham Ferrers

Low pressure
New homes approved:97
Projected new pupils:24

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Higham Ferrers

Admissions Demand - North Northamptonshire

Low demand0.81x oversubscription

Places available

4,537

Applications

3,653

Got 1st preference

92.5%

Got preferred school

98.2%

Primary admissions across North Northamptonshire (2025/26)

Inspection History(9)

9 December 2025
Requires ImprovementReport
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesRequires Improvement
Personal DevelopmentRequires Improvement
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement
Early YearsRequires Improvement
19 April 2023
Requires ImprovementReport
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesRequires Improvement
Personal DevelopmentRequires Improvement
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement
Early YearsRequires Improvement
3 December 2019

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

4.44534%

Overall absence

6.45161%

Persistent absence

341

Enrolments

Authorised3.65746%
Unauthorised0.78788%
Persistent (10%+)6.45161%
Severe (50%+)0.29326%

Absence trend

3.50865%
18/19
3.55105%
20/21
5.41723%
21/22
5.1806%
22/23
4.61225%
23/24
4.44534%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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