Chambersbury Primary School

About Chambersbury Primary School

Chambersbury Primary School is clearly in demand among local families, with 11 of its 14 places for the 2025/26 academic year going to first-preference applicants. The school received 67 applications in total, giving it an oversubscription ratio of 4.79, meaning nearly five families applied for every available place. This level of interest suggests a strong local reputation, though it is worth noting that no parent-view survey data is available from the most recent inspection to confirm how current families feel about the school. The headteacher, Christopher Payne, leads a mixed, non-religious state primary in Dacorum, Hertfordshire, with capacity for 210 pupils and 194 currently on roll. The school does not have a nursery provision, so all pupils are aged between 4 and 11. Some 22.6 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is above the national average and indicates a diverse intake.

Academically, Chambersbury was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2022, with all five graded categories — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — all judged to be Good. This is consistent with its previous inspection in 2013, which also rated overall effectiveness as Good. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 40 per cent of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is below the Hertfordshire local authority average of 64 per cent. Reading was the strongest area, with 67 per cent reaching the expected standard and 27 per cent achieving a higher score. Maths followed with 57 per cent at expected and 27 per cent at higher, while writing saw 63 per cent at expected but only 3 per cent at higher. The school’s average reading score was 105 and maths 102. Nationally, Chambersbury ranks in the bottom 50 per cent of primary schools on the combined expected standard metric.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a library, ICT suite, sports hall, playing fields, outdoor playground, and a forest school, which supports outdoor learning. Sports on offer include athletics, football, netball, cricket, dance and cross country, and there are clubs for book, art and coding. For families with children who have additional needs, Chambersbury lists provisions for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment, autistic spectrum disorder, and other difficulties. The nearest outstanding-rated primary school is Brockswood Primary School, 4.6 km away, which may be a consideration for families prioritising a top Ofsted grade. Given its oversubscription, Chambersbury is likely to suit families who live close enough to secure a place and value a primary experience with strong SEND support and a forest school programme.

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