Thomas Harding Junior School
Thomas Harding Junior School, Fullers Hill, Thomas Harding Junior School, Chesham, HP5 1LR
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 7 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- OXFORD DIOCESAN BUCKS SCHOOLS TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Samantha Ruddell
- Sponsor
- Oxford Diocesan Bucks Schools Trust
- Constituency
- Chesham and Amersham
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 240
- Pupils on roll
- 238
- URN
- 145069
- Local authority
- Buckinghamshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01494782211
About this school
Thomas Harding Junior School is a primary academy in Chesham. It teaches children aged 7 to 11 and has 238 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Strong standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Expected standard
- Achievement
- Expected standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Expected standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Strong standard
- Leadership and governance
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 61 | 57 | 59 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 72% | 49% | 81% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 18% | 7% | 24% |
| Expected standard in reading | 85% | 68% | 88% |
| Expected standard in maths | 77% | 74% | 88% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 85% | 68% | 81% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 104.0 | 110.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 104.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.70 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Thomas Harding Junior School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Buckinghamshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 72% | 59.4% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 49% | 61.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 81% | 63.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 222 |
| 2023/24 | 227 |
| 2024/25 | 229 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Thomas Harding Junior School compares
Thomas Harding Junior School ranked 13th of 142 primary schools in Buckinghamshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 89% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 81% | 5.6% | 24.9% | 238 | — |
| Waterside Primary Academy | 34% | 7.9% | 36% | 225 | 0.7 miles |
| Our Lady's Catholic Primary School | 78% | 2.6% | 9.9% | 212 | 0.7 miles |
| Elmtree Infant and Nursery School | — | 5.6% | 23.6% | 160 | 0.8 miles |
| Newtown School | — | 6.6% | 17.2% | 234 | 0.9 miles |
| Chesham Bois Church of England School | 88% | 3.6% | 10.6% | 218 | 1.1 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
Inspection history
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 24.89%
- English as an additional language
- 26.6%
- Overall absence
- 5.58%
- Persistent absence
- 18.07%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Waterside Primary Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Chesham
-
Our Lady's Catholic Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Amersham
-
Elmtree Infant and Nursery School0.8 miles
Primary · Chesham
-
Newtown School0.9 miles
Primary · Chesham
-
Chesham Bois Church of England School1.1 miles
Primary · Amersham
Other schools in Chesham
Thomas Harding Junior School ranks 2nd of the 7 ranked primary schools in Chesham.
- Brushwood Junior School Primary
- Chartridge Combined School Primary
- Elmtree Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School Primary
- Ivingswood Academy Primary
- Ley Hill School Primary
- Newtown School Primary
- Waterside Primary Academy Primary
- Chesham Grammar School Secondary
- Chiltern Hills Academy Secondary
- Heritage House School Special schools
- Chesham Preparatory School Independent schools
Common questions
- What year groups does Thomas Harding Junior School teach?
- Thomas Harding Junior School teaches children aged 7 to 11. It is a primary school in Chesham.
- Who is the headteacher of Thomas Harding Junior School?
- The headteacher of Thomas Harding Junior School is Mrs Samantha Ruddell, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Thomas Harding Junior School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Thomas Harding Junior School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Thomas Harding Junior School?
- Thomas Harding Junior School has 238 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 7 to 11.
- Is Thomas Harding Junior School full?
- Thomas Harding Junior School has capacity for 240 pupils and 238 on roll (99%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Thomas Harding Junior School a faith school?
- No. Thomas Harding Junior School has no designated religious character.
- Does Thomas Harding Junior School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Thomas Harding Junior School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Thomas Harding Junior School?
- Thomas Harding Junior School is part of OXFORD DIOCESAN BUCKS SCHOOLS TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Thomas Harding Junior School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 72% in 2022/23 and 81% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Thomas Harding Junior School rank locally?
- Thomas Harding Junior School ranked 13th of 142 primary schools in Buckinghamshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 89% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Thomas Harding Junior School's absence rate?
- Thomas Harding Junior School's overall absence rate is 5.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Thomas Harding Junior School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Thomas Harding Junior School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 15 July 2026.