School Chooser

Chiltern Wood School

Special · ages 3-19MixedCouncil228 pupilsSixth formNurseryHigh WycombeBuckinghamshire
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, May 2024
Reached the expected level at 110%England 63%
Attendance88.2%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families35%Far more than most schools
Places8 spare228 pupils, 236 places
Pupils per teacher7.2School workforce census

Chiltern Wood School is a council special school in High Wycombe for boys and girls aged 3 to 19. It has 228 pupils and room for 236. About 34 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Verney Avenue, High Wycombe, HP12 3NE01494 532621chilternwood.bucks.sch.ukMrs Rachel Chapman headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 16 May 2024 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

11 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

The government hasn't published this school's headline results. That usually means the year group was too small to publish without identifying children.

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

11 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 110%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 0%0%20172018: 0%0%20182019: 0%0%20192023: 0%0%20232024: 0%0%20242025: 0%0%2025
Since 2017: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017BuckinghamshireEngland
Pupils tested111825252718
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%67%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%11%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score84.0107.2105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score87.0105.7104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score83.0106.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%0%0%0%0%0%
Reading progressReading progress score-9.6-5.1-4.3
Maths progressMaths progress score-10.1-6.8-3.9
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged0%0%0%0%0%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Buckinghamshire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll228Census January 2026
Places23697% full
Pupils from low-income families33%35% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English29%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%228 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)32%£90,200 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls156 / 72
White British pupils35%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, profound and multiple learning difficulties, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Buckinghamshire with autism provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Severe learning difficulty (96), Moderate learning difficulty (51), Autistic spectrum disorder (29), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (25), language and communications needs (12), Other difficulty or disability (5).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll228218204199196208
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals33%28%29%29%29%25%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language29%29%32%30%32%29%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%0%1%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 88.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance88.2%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school41.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils1.42024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence11.8%10.8%11.4%12.0%19.8%8.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence10.5%9.3%9.5%10.7%17.7%6.5%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.3%1.6%1.9%1.3%2.1%1.5%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence41.1%36.5%44.6%42.4%77.4%22.8%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate1.40.50.02.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 13 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training92%and stayed there for at least six months
Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2018/19 leavers
Still in education, work or training92%100%100%100%
Education92%100%100%100%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%0%
Work0%0%0%0%
Not in education, work or training8%0%0%0%

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers31.7full-time equivalent, 34 people
Pupils per teacher7.2Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers94%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants99.1full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,405
Teachers who left in the year15%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.62024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£35,021England £32,258. Total £7.6m
Income per pupil£35,773England £32,367. Total £7.8m
Spent on teachers per pupil£9,642England £11,930
Money in reserve-5%In the red: -£374k, -£1,716 per pupil. England 7%
Money in against money out+£164kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£35,021spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m15612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate198 per 1,000 people118% higher than the England average
Typical house price£455,000Buckinghamshire
Nearest bus stop260 mLancaster Road, 21 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Kite Ridge SchoolPupil referral unit70 m10No overall grade 2025Compare
Chepping View Primary AcademyAcademy460 m422Outstanding 202494Compare
John Hampden Grammar SchoolAcademy (grammar)640 m1,281Outstanding 202297Compare
Wycombe High SchoolAcademy (grammar)780 m1,371Outstanding 202498Compare
Cressex Community SchoolFoundation900 m766Good 202476Compare
Castlefield SchoolFoundation960 m446Good 202490Compare
St Michael's Catholic SchoolAcademy0.8 miles2,414Report card 202668Compare
Booker Hill Primary School & NurseryCouncil0.8 miles235Good 202341Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Chiltern Wood School a good school?

Chiltern Wood School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in May 2024.

What is Chiltern Wood School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Chiltern Wood School good at its last full inspection on 16 May 2024.

How good are Chiltern Wood School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Chiltern Wood School have?

228 pupils aged 3 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 236 places, so it is 97% full.

What is attendance like at Chiltern Wood School?

Pupils were in school 88.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 41% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Chiltern Wood School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for autism, profound and multiple learning difficulties, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does Chiltern Wood School have a sixth form?

Yes.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Verney Avenue, High Wycombe, HP12 3NE
Telephone
01494 532621
Website
www.chilternwood.bucks.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Rachel Chapman
Type of school
Council special school (Community special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 3-19, with nursery, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Buckinghamshire
Ward
Abbey
Constituency
Wycombe
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
110578 · LAESTAB 8257013 · UKPRN 10018876
Formerly
Maplewood School

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from