The Chiltern School, Dunstable
The Chiltern School is a special school for pupils aged 3 to 19 in Dunstable. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2012. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2023 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2012)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Chiltern School in detail
The Chiltern School in its own words
In its own words: "We are a maintained school in the heart of Houghton Regis, Central Bedfordshire. The Chiltern School is an inclusive all through special school where staff have the specialist knowledge and skills to meet the needs of pupils aged 3 to 19 years with a range of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to The Chiltern School are Stannard School (1.6 miles, Good); Woodlands Secondary School (2.2 miles, Outstanding); Weatherfield Academy (2.5 miles, Good); and Active Support Education Centre (3.4 miles, Good).
Stannard SchoolWoodlands Secondary SchoolWeatherfield AcademyActive Support Education Centre
Where pupils go next
Of the 15 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 100% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 7% to a further education college.
Who goes there
36.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 17.3% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
Almost every pupil at The Chiltern School has an education, health and care plan (369 of 369 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
The Chiltern School provides for pupils with speech, language and communication needs, autism, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Leagrave Rail Station, about 2 miles away in a straight line.
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Farmstead (ne-bound), 300 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 168 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Central Bedfordshire (47), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Chiltern School issued 31 suspensions, 8.9 for every 100 pupils, and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from October 2012, 14 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its October 2012 inspection - down from Outstanding.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
About
The Chiltern School is a coeducational special school located in Houghton Regis in Bedfordshire, England. The school accepts pupils from all over the Central Bedfordshire area.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
36.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
Speech and language, Autism, Multi-sensory +3
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with The Chiltern School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Chiltern School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Chiltern School is in Central Bedfordshire; for families living there:
- Central Bedfordshire's school travel policy: Apply for school transport
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 16
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 16 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 13 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
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 Central Bedfordshire is 6 (the median across 135 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
92%
Near capacity
369 pupils
400 places
31 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Dunstable
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Dunstable
Across Central Bedfordshire council
Places available
1,710
Applications
1,502
Got 1st preference
91.0%
Got preferred school
95.9%
All secondary applications across Central Bedfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
369
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
The Chiltern School provides for pupils with speech, language and communication needs, autism, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
369
Total Pupils
273
Boys
96
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
60
Teachers
6.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,057
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
10.1%
Overall absence
33.6%
Persistent absence
318
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
The Chiltern School
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about The Chiltern School
What are SATs results like at The Chiltern School?
Of the pupils at The Chiltern School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 0% reached the expected standard in reading and 0% did so in maths.
What is The Chiltern School's Ofsted rating?
The Chiltern School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2012, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for The Chiltern School?
No fixed boundary. When The Chiltern School is oversubscribed, Central Bedfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to The Chiltern School?
The Chiltern School has around 369 pupils on roll. 37% are eligible for free school meals.
Does The Chiltern School have specialist SEN provision?
The Chiltern School provides for pupils with speech, language and communication needs, autism, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
What is attendance like at The Chiltern School?
10.1% of sessions were missed at The Chiltern School in 2024/25. 33.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Chiltern School?
Apply through Central Bedfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming The Chiltern School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near The Chiltern School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 16 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 13 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 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 Central Bedfordshire is 6 (the median across 135 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Chiltern School?
The Chiltern School is at Parkside Drive, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU5 5PX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)