Listening Period Regarding the Closure of Chenies School

There is no doubting the fact that Chenies is a school we should all be hugely proud of. You only have to walk around the classrooms to see what a supportive and caring community Chenies is.

Sadly, however, despite the hard work and efforts of so many people, the number of young people joining our school in Reception each year is very low. Nationally, the birth rate has fallen significantly over the last decade, and the realities of this are being felt by schools across the country.

We have worked tirelessly to try and manage the pressures that these declining numbers have had. Every step has been taken to preserve everything that makes Chenies so special, while also doing what we can to use finances effectively and encourage more people to come to our school. There has been some real success, but sadly we are left facing a very difficult reality.

That is why, with a very heavy heart, we have to inform you that the Secretary of State for Education and our Trustees have made the hugely difficult decision to launch a process to start the process of closing Chenies at the end of this academic year (July 2027).

Rationale for the decision

Since 2010, the birthrate has fallen from just below two children per female to a record low of 1.39 children per female in 2025.
The impact of this change in birthrate is hugely significant, with the number of children in schools in England dropping by over 170,000 over the last two academic years.
As such, in September 2025, the Education Policy Institute predicted that over 800 primary schools would likely need to close by 2029.

The impact on Chenies Primary School

The impact of this change in society has been very significant for Chenies. In September of this year, Chenies had 47 children on roll. For context, in September 2022, the school had 94 children.
Furthermore, of the current 47 children, 53% are in Years 5 and 6.
Chenies relies heavily on attracting children from outside the area (in particular Little Chalfont and Amersham) due to our small catchment area. Since 2022, only four children have joined the school from Chenies’ designated catchment area.

The wider local picture

This issue is not limited to Chenies School. In the Amersham area, of which Chenies is part, there are currently 300 places for Reception children. In 2021 there were 271 children to fill these places. By 2026, this number dropped to 241 children. By 2029, the number is predicted to drop further to 204 children based on current birthrate data.
Local housing developments are happening in Little Chalfont. However, the number of new children that these houses are expected to add to local schools does not counter the significant drop in birthrate.
In addition, a significant percentage of local families also opt to send their child to private schools.

Further considerations

Financially, the drop in pupil numbers has left the school facing a very significant deficit. In 2024, the school had an in-year deficit of -£59,500 and reserves of -£90,000.
Despite the very best efforts of the whole team, currently the in-year deficit for the 2026/27 academic year is -£175,000. This means the cumulative deficit is forecast to be -£397,000 at the end of this academic year.
Given that a school’s funding is based on pupil numbers, and our reception intake will continue to be low, by 2028/2029 the cumulative deficit is predicted to be nearly -£800,000.
Furthermore, the school building requires significant investment to ensure that it is a learning environment that our children rightly deserve as we move forward. Given the very low pupil projections for Amersham, there is a question as to whether repairing the building is the right use of public money.

It is important to stress that this decision is not a reflection of the quality of education at Chenies. The children are happy, progressing and feel safe. However, our ability to continue to deliver the education that we all want to provide becomes increasingly impossible in the near future.

Next steps

Given the above, the Secretary of State for Education and Trustees for ODBST have made the hugely difficult decision to start the process to close Chenies School.
The process now requires that a listening period commences. This is a four-week process providing an opportunity for our school community to understand the reasons behind the decision to close the school, ask questions and share their views. This will conclude at 17:00 on December 1 2026.
Once this process has concluded, a final report with then be shared with the Secretary State for Education with other information that has been gathered during this process.
At this point, we will then be launching a separate consultation with our staff. This will include exploring opportunities for them to work in other Trust schools.
We are also working with the LA to develop special processes to support our children to secure places at their next schools. Details will be shared about this as soon as we can.

TO COMPLETE THE LISTENING PERIOD RESPONSE, PLEASE CLICK HERE.