Chiltern Way Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 3 March 2026

Pupils, who all have special educational needs and/or disabilities, feel valued at this school and enjoy attending. They develop a deep sense of belonging. This is the result of staff creating warm and trusting professional relationships with them. Pupils trust that staff will help them. They know they will be supported to face challenges. For many pupils, this is their first positive experience of school and education. Pupils across the four school sites are consistently well supported by staff. They are helped to develop strategies to manage their own behaviour. As a result of the work of skilled and knowledgeable staff, behaviour across the school is calm and respectful. Staff respond quickly to provide additional support for pupils who require it. Pupils are confident that staff will deal with bullying if it occurs. This helps them feel happy and safe. Pupils are provided with opportunities and support to become increasingly confident and resilient. They feel they belong to the school community and experience the community beyond the school gates. An extensive range of carefully selected wider experiences, including visits, trips and sporting events, means that pupils participate in a wealth of opportunities they may not otherwise have. Many pupils achieve gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards by the time they leave. Pupils benefit from consistent approaches and high-quality teaching across the school. Leaders and staff are ambitious for all pupils in the school. Pupils learn and make progress through a well-planned curriculum. Older pupils have access to a wide range of qualifications. A comprehensive careers and work experience programme prepares pupils for independence. The curriculum is tailored to the school’s mission to 'Get them a job'. This results in pupils being ambitious and aspirational. They are knowledgeable about future choices. They are very well prepared for their next steps.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should sustain the effectiveness of their work in all areas, refining and embedding their identified priorities for improvement, in order to produce a transformational impact for all pupils' experiences and outcomes.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)