Chestnuts Primary School

About Chestnuts Primary School

Chestnuts Primary School sits within Haringey, a London borough with 63 primary schools, 18 of which hold an Outstanding rating from Ofsted. The school itself ranks 12th in the local authority, placing it comfortably in the top 25% of primaries across Haringey. Its closest Outstanding-rated neighbour is St John Vianney RC Primary School, just half a kilometre away, while the top-performing peers in the borough include Lift Trinity, Rhodes Avenue Primary School, and Lift Noel Park. Headteacher Katie Horwood leads a mixed, non-denominational state primary for children aged 3 to 11, with a nursery on site. The school is nearly at full capacity, with 439 pupils against a published capacity of 446, and 18.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, a figure that gives some indication of the socioeconomic mix of the intake.

Academically, Chestnuts performs well above the Haringey average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 78% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a local authority average of 69%. The school’s scaled scores in reading (108) and maths (107) are both above the national benchmark of 100, and a quarter of pupils achieved the higher standard across all three subjects. In individual subjects, 41% of pupils reached the higher standard in maths and writing, and 39% did so in reading. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2022, awarded a Good rating across all five categories, including behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. The previous inspection in 2016 also rated the school Good overall, though early years provision was judged as Requires Improvement at that point; in 2022, early years provision was upgraded to Good.

The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 240 applications for 59 places, a ratio of just over four applicants per place, and 80 families put Chestnuts as their first preference. Facilities include a library, playing fields, a gymnasium, a sports hall, an ICT suite, music rooms, and a chapel. Sports on offer include netball, athletics, football and cricket, and clubs range from science club and drama to choir and film club. The school’s SEND provision is broad, covering specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, physical disability, autistic spectrum disorder, and other difficulties. This is a school that suits families looking for a well-regarded, community-focused primary with strong academic outcomes and a wide range of support, though the high demand means securing a place is competitive.

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