Chesham Grammar School

What Chesham Grammar School does

Chesham Grammar School is a co-educational state-funded grammar school located in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England, operating as an academy under the Red Kite Schools Trust. Founded in 1972 (per company history; firmographics also reference 1947), the school serves over 1,300 students aged 11-18 across Years 7-13, delivering Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9), Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11) leading to GCSE qualifications, and Key Stage 5 (Years 12-13) A-level courses. Admissions are restricted to students meeting academic selection criteria through the Buckinghamshire 11-plus process administered by the local authority; no tuition fees are charged. The school is led by Headteacher Annmarie McNaney with a staff of approximately 76 and is the highest-ranked grammar school among all 13 in Buckinghamshire (29th nationally, 7th in the South East per Times/Sunday Times 2025), with an Outstanding Ofsted rating awarded in March 2025.

The school delivers a comprehensive curriculum supplemented by an extensive extracurricular programme spanning competitive sport (with over 700 students in inter-school competition), performing arts, music development, Duke of Edinburgh Award, Young Enterprise, and a vertical house tutoring system with four named houses (Austen, Darwin, Franklin, Shakespeare). The school's technology stack consists of standard, non-AI educational administrative platforms: ParentPay for online payments, MCAS (My Child At School) for the parent portal, Microsoft Forms for event registration, and TryBooking for ticketing. The school maintains a highly segmented social media presence with dedicated Instagram accounts for houses, academic departments, careers, alumni, ecoteams, and the school magazine 'On The Hill'.

As a not-for-profit state educational institution, Chesham Grammar School generates no commercial revenue. Operating income derives principally from government per-pupil funding channelled through the Red Kite Schools Trust and Buckinghamshire local authority, supplemented by approximately £30,000 raised annually by the Friends of Chesham Grammar School (a registered UK charity, No. 295740) through events and donations, plus income from facilities lettings, the CGS Development Fund, corporate match-giving, and music tuition. The school's 'customers' are its 1,300+ students and their families, with the UK State Education System as the institutional funding counterpart.

Name

Chesham Grammar School

Legal name

Chesham Grammar School

Website

https://cheshamgrammar.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Chesham Grammar School is a state-funded co-educational grammar school in Buckinghamshire, England, serving over 1,300 students aged 11-18 across Years 7-13, delivering GCSE and A-level programmes under the Red Kite Schools Trust.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Middle Schools (EDAJAAAC)

Keywords

• Secondary education
• Grammar school
• State-funded academy
• Sixth form education
• Curriculum programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Chesham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: State-funded grammar school receiving government funding for education provision. Students do not pay tuition fees.
2. Friends of CGS Fundraising: Parent-run charity organization raising approximately £30,000 annually through events, donations, and activities. Funds contribute to facilities and educational experience improvements.
3. Development Fund and Donations: CGS Development Fund accepts one-off and regular donations. Corporate match giving program available for employer-matched contributions.
4. Facilities Lettings: School facilities available for community hire through lettings program.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Chesham Grammar School delivers state-funded secondary and sixth-form academic education to 1,300+ students aged 11-18 in Chesham, Buckinghamshire. Its core service is a selective academic curriculum leading to GCSEs, A-Levels, and the Extended Project Qualification, alongside a pastoral care framework, well-being programmes, a careers programme, sports, music, trips, and other extracurricular activities. Provision is made through Red Kite Schools Trust, with no tuition fees charged to families.

Product overview

Chesham Grammar School offers a unified educational programme structured across three key stages: Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9), Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11) culminating in GCSE qualifications, and the Sixth Form (Years 12-13) providing A-level education. The school's core product is its academic curriculum supplemented by a comprehensive support ecosystem including the Careers Programme with Morrisby Profile assessments, Remote Education Provision, and Student Support Services (Wellbeing Hub, SEND, safeguarding). The school also provides extensive extra-curricular offerings spanning sports, music (with orchestras, choirs, and ensembles), performing arts, and the Duke of Edinburgh Award. FoCGS operates as the parent-teacher charity arm raising funds for facilities. The school communicates with parents through integrated platforms including ParentPay for payments, MCAS portal, and Microsoft Forms for registrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Secondary Curriculum (Years 7-11, GCSE) State-funded GCSE curriculum for around 1,000+ pupils aged 11-16, delivered by subject departments (English, Mathematics, Sciences, Humanities, Languages, Arts, Technologies, PE) and examined at the end of Year 11. Open to selected pupils resident in the Buckinghamshire grammar school catchment who pass the entry assessment.
• Sixth Form Curriculum (Years 12-13, A-Level and EPQ) State-funded A-Level and Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) programmes for students aged 16-18 in Years 12 and 13, preparing pupils for university application. Open to internal Year 11 leavers meeting entry criteria and external applicants subject to availability.
• Careers Programme School-wide careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) programme supporting pupils from Year 7 through Sixth Form in higher education, apprenticeship and career planning. Delivered to all enrolled pupils and parents.
• Extracurricular Clubs and Activities School-run clubs, societies and lunchtime/after-school activities offered to all enrolled pupils, providing enrichment beyond the academic curriculum.
• Sports Programme School sports programme (PE curriculum plus competitive and recreational team sport) delivered through the PE Department and on-site sports facilities, available to all enrolled pupils.
• Music and Performing Arts Programme Music development and performing arts programme including ensembles, concerts and productions, run by the school's Music Department and accessible to all enrolled pupils. Ticketed performances are sold via TryBooking.
• Well-Being and Student Support Pastoral support and well-being programmes embedded across the school, providing safeguarding, mental health support and personal development for all enrolled pupils.
• School Trips and Visits Curriculum-linked and enrichment trips and visits run by the school, available to pupils with parental consent and payment via ParentPay where applicable.
• Friends of CGS (Parent Charity) Friends of CGS is a registered charity run by parents and supporters of the school that raises funds through events and donations to provide extras that fall outside the school budget, for the benefit of all enrolled pupils.
• Facilities Hire (Community Lettings) School facilities (sports halls, studios, and other spaces) are hired out to community and external user groups outside of school hours for a fee, providing a supplementary revenue stream.

Quantifiable outcome

• Almost all students progress to their first choice university including Oxford and Cambridge
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Red Kite Schools TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-academy trust of which Chesham Grammar School is a member. The trust provides governance oversight and shared educational resources across member schools.
• Elgiva TheatreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal theatre venue where the school stages theatrical productions including A Midsummer Night's Dream.
• Brushwood SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal special school where CGS Year 12 A level music students performed for pupils, demonstrating community outreach.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wycombe High School: A girls' grammar school in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. Direct competitor in the same grammar school system, with a comparable academic-selective intake and similar sixth-form provision.
• John Hampden Grammar School: A boys' grammar school in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. Direct competitor in the same county grammar school admissions system, serving a similar selective cohort.
• Sir William Borlase's Grammar School: A co-educational grammar school in Marlow, Buckinghamshire. Direct peer competing for high-attaining students in the same grammar school admissions system, with comparable academic results.
• Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School: A co-educational grammar school in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Member of the same 13-school grammar network with comparable academic provision and sixth form.
• Aylesbury Grammar School: A boys' grammar school in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Member of the same 13-school Buckinghamshire grammar network, serving a comparable selective student cohort.
• Burnham Grammar School: A co-educational grammar school in Burnham, Buckinghamshire. Peer in the same grammar school system, competing for selective student intake from the local area.
• Beaconsfield High School: A girls' grammar school in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. Member of the same county grammar network, providing direct competition for top-performing students.
• Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe: A prestigious boys' grammar school in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. Direct competitor in the same county grammar school network, consistently ranked among the top state secondary schools nationally.
• Dr Challoner's Grammar School: A nearby boys' grammar school in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. One of the 13 grammar schools competing with Chesham Grammar in the same local authority admissions process, serving a similar academic-selective student base.

Regional players

• Buckingham School: A co-educational secondary school in Buckingham, Buckinghamshire. Part of the broader Buckinghamshire state secondary school landscape, offering a less selective model but serving the same geographic catchment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CGSBucks
• Facebookfacebook.com/chesham.grammar
• Instagraminstagram.com/cgsbucks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/chesham-grammar-school

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chesham Grammar School