Chiltern Primary School

About Chiltern Primary School

Chiltern Primary School in Basingstoke and Deane was rated Requires Improvement overall in its most recent Ofsted inspection, a downgrade from the Good rating it had held previously. The inspection, carried out in October 2024, judged the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management all to require improvement, while personal development was rated Good. The most telling academic metric comes from the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results: just 31% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That figure is significantly below the Hampshire local authority average of 61% and places the school at the very bottom of its local authority ranking of 40 primary schools. Only 10% of pupils reached the higher standard in maths, and none did so in writing. Reading scores were slightly stronger, with 52% reaching the expected standard, but the overall picture is one of a school where academic outcomes are a serious concern.

The school's exam results paint a mixed picture across individual subjects. In writing, 72% of pupils met the expected standard, which is a more positive figure, but reading and maths both lagged behind at 52% and 38% respectively. Average scaled scores in reading and maths both sat at exactly 100, the national benchmark, suggesting that while some pupils are hitting the expected level, the proportion doing so across all three core subjects is low. The school's ranking score of 31 out of 100, based on the combined RWM metric, places it in the bottom 50 nationally and in the 96th percentile regionally, meaning it performs worse than the vast majority of schools in the South East. For parents comparing options, the nearest Outstanding-rated primary is St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 2.8 kilometres away, while top-performing peers in the LA include Preston Candover Church of England Primary School.

Chiltern Primary is a smaller-than-average state school with 185 pupils on roll against a capacity of 210, and it was oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, receiving 39 applications for 28 places, with 23 first-preference offers made. The school serves a community with a high level of disadvantage, with 45.9% of pupils eligible for free school meals. Facilities include a library, forest school, gymnasium, outdoor playground, playing fields and a chapel, and the school offers a range of sports including football, rounders, cricket and athletics, plus clubs in gardening, drama and coding. SEND provisions cover specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, and speech, language and communication needs. Parent View responses, based on 30 respondents, show 57% would recommend the school, though there were notable splits: 50% strongly agreed or agreed that their child is happy, while 26% strongly disagreed or disagreed. This is a school that may suit families who value its inclusive SEND support and forest school provision, but the academic outcomes and Ofsted rating will give many parents pause for thought.

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