Chiltern Academy
Gipsy Lane, Luton, LU1 3GF
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- CHILTERN LEARNING TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Ian Douglas
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Chiltern Learning Trust
- Constituency
- Luton South and South Bedfordshire
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,200
- Pupils on roll
- 1,203
- URN
- 145872
- Local authority
- Luton
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01582310644
About this school
Chiltern Academy is a secondary academy in Luton. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 1,203 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Chiltern Academy, and its latest judgement is set out 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 207 | 238 | 231 |
| Attainment 8 score | 54.8 | 49.6 | 49.5 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.64 +0.44 to +0.84 | +0.38 +0.19 to +0.56 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 65% | 55% | 48.1% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 81% | 71.8% | 69.3% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 68% | 63% | 67.5% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 5.2 | 4.7 | 4.8 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Chiltern Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Luton average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 54.8 | 41.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 49.6 | 42.9 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 49.5 | 43.3 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,165 |
| 2023/24 | 1,200 |
| 2024/25 | 1,191 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Chiltern Academy compares
Chiltern Academy ranked 4th of 13 secondary schools in Luton for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 74% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 28% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 49.5 | 6.8% | 37.8% | 1,203 | — |
| Queen Elizabeth School | 39.9 | 7.1% | 32.6% | 1,229 | 1.5 miles |
| The Stockwood Park Academy | 35.9 | 10.1% | 41.6% | 1,438 | 1.5 miles |
| Denbigh High School | 52.6 | 5.9% | 31.3% | 1,130 | 1.6 miles |
| Stopsley High School | 42.3 | 8% | 31% | 1,046 | 2.0 miles |
| Putteridge High School | 49.2 | 5.6% | 21.2% | 1,193 | 2.4 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 37.78%
- English as an additional language
- 41.8%
- Overall absence
- 6.78%
- Persistent absence
- 18.61%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Queen Elizabeth School1.5 miles
Secondary · Luton
-
The Stockwood Park Academy1.5 miles
Secondary · Luton
-
Denbigh High School1.6 miles
Secondary · Luton
-
Stopsley High School2.0 miles
Secondary · Luton
-
Putteridge High School2.4 miles
Secondary · Luton
Other schools in Luton
Chiltern Academy ranks 4th of the 14 ranked secondary schools in Luton.
- Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College Secondary
- Challney High School for Boys Secondary
- Challney High School for Girls Secondary
- Denbigh High School Secondary
- Icknield High School Secondary
- Lea Manor High School Secondary
- Lealands High School Secondary
- Manshead Church of England Academy Secondary
- Putteridge High School Secondary
- Queen Elizabeth School Secondary
- Stopsley High School Secondary
- The Chalk Hills Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Chiltern Academy teach?
- Chiltern Academy teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Luton.
- Who is the headteacher of Chiltern Academy?
- The headteacher of Chiltern Academy is Mr Ian Douglas, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Chiltern Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Chiltern Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Chiltern Academy?
- Chiltern Academy has 1,203 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Chiltern Academy full?
- Chiltern Academy has capacity for 1,200 pupils and 1,203 on roll (100%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Chiltern Academy a faith school?
- No. Chiltern Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Chiltern Academy a selective school?
- No. Chiltern Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Chiltern Academy part of an academy trust?
- Chiltern Academy is part of CHILTERN LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Chiltern Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 54.8 in 2022/23 and 49.5 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Chiltern Academy compare with other schools in Luton?
- Chiltern Academy ranked 4th of 13 secondary schools in Luton for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 74% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 28% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Chiltern Academy's absence rate?
- Chiltern Academy's overall absence rate is 6.8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Chiltern Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Chiltern Academy'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 10 July 2026.