⌘ K
Overview
SCHOOL PROFILE

Chiltern Academy

Secondary Free schools URN 145872
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,200 Published school capacity
Capacity used 100.3% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

2 February 2023
Latest published outcome Good
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Outstanding
Leadership & management Good
Published 19 March 2023 View Ofsted record
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Free schools
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character —
Local authority Luton
Trust CHILTERN LEARNING TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,203 1,203 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 576 47.9% of pupils
Male pupils 627 52.1% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

38.2%
13.4 pts above England
School 38.2%
Luton 27.3%
East of England 19.7%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

40.1%
19.8 pts above England
School 40.1%
Luton 49.4%
East of England 16.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.8%
0.2 pts below England
School 0.8%
Luton 0.6%
East of England 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

Any other White background
21.0%
253
Pakistani
16.5%
199
White British
12.2%
147
Bangladeshi
9.9%
119
African
7.1%
86
Any other Asian background
6.3%
76
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 14.5% 174 of 1,203 pupils
6.4 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 14.5%
Luton 19.8%
East of England 19.8%
England 20.8%
SEN support 12.3% 148 pupils
England 14.8% 2.5 pts below
EHC plans 2.2% 26 pupils
England 6.0% 3.9 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 53
Speech, language & communication 31
Moderate learning difficulty 30
Autistic spectrum disorder 24
Specific learning difficulty 10
Physical disability 8

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

49.5 10.3 pts above England
School 49.5
Luton 43.3
East of England 40.4
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 48.1% England 36.0% 12.1 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 69.3% England 51.4% 17.9 pts above England
EBacc entry 67.5% England 30.6% 36.9 pts above England
EBacc average point score 4.78 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: 0.38 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

6.78%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.56 pts higher than England
School 6.78%
Luton 6.08%
East of England 6.17%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

18.61%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

2.80 pts higher than England
School 18.61%
Luton 16.56%
East of England 15.39%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

1.29%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.51 pts lower than England
School 1.29%
Luton 1.45%
East of England 1.83%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

100.3% 7.9 pts above England
Chiltern Academy
100.3%
Luton
97.3%
East of England
92.9%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information