Derwent Primary School

Derwent Primary School continues to be rated as a good school, demonstrating positive outcomes across various areas. The school has navigated a significant period of growth, adapting well to increased pupil numbers and the completion of a new building that has improved facilities. Pupils express a strong desire to succeed, achieving well in core subjects like reading, writing, and mathematics. They engage positively with teachers and appreciate the learning environment, although some expressed a desire for more challenging work. The school has demonstrated effective leadership and a commitment to updating its curriculum to better meet the needs of its pupils.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well in reading, writing, and mathematics.
• The school environment is welcoming, and pupils enjoy making friends.
• Teachers check pupils' understanding regularly and address misconceptions.
• New facilities have improved the learning environment.
• There is a strong focus on reading across all year groups.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils, including those with SEND, do not always receive work that is challenging enough.
• Teachers are still adapting to recent curriculum changes and may not build on prior learning effectively.
• Support for pupils with SEND is not consistently of a high quality.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Derwent Primary School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.1% of pupils at Derwent Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Derwent Primary School had 22.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 30.9% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 8.1% of pupils at Derwent Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Derwent Primary School received £6,367 and spent £6,291 for each of its 407 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £213,000 (£522 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Central Bedfordshire · Central Bedfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Derwent Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Derwent Primary School is Good, from an inspection in September 2023.

When was Derwent Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Derwent Primary School was last inspected in September 2023.

How many pupils does Derwent Primary School have?

Derwent Primary School has 419 pupils on roll.

What age range does Derwent Primary School cover?

Derwent Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Derwent Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 78% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Derwent Primary School?

Derwent Primary School is at Hitchin Road, Henlow, Bedfordshire, SG16 6BA.