Meldreth Primary School

Meldreth Primary School is a happy, inclusive and well-run primary school where pupils behave exceptionally well and feel safe. Pupils enjoy an ambitious curriculum, learn to read confidently, and benefit from strong pastoral support and meaningful leadership roles. The school has high expectations for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and these pupils learn the same curriculum as their peers and achieve well. Attendance is strong, and persistent absence is very rare. The school’s strengths include a well-sequenced phonics curriculum, effective support for pupils who fall behind in reading, a calm and purposeful learning environment, and a wide range of trips and clubs that support personal development. Governors are knowledgeable and diligent, staff workload is considered, and parents speak highly of the school. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it remains a good school overall. The main area for improvement is that some teachers do not have enough subject knowledge to deliver parts of the non-core curriculum confidently and well, which sometimes limits how deeply pupils embed and deepen their understanding in those subjects.

Strengths

• Pupils behave exceptionally well and have highly positive attitudes to learning
• The curriculum is ambitious and carefully sequenced
• Reading and phonics are prioritised, with effective support for pupils who fall behind
• Pupils with SEND are held to high expectations and learn the same curriculum as their peers
• Pupils are independent, resilient and attentive in lessons
• Personal development is strong, with meaningful pupil leadership roles
• Attendance is good and persistent absence is very rare
• Early years provision supports exceptional relationships and concentration
• Governors are knowledgeable and effective
• Staff workload is considered and parents speak highly of the school
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers lack the depth of subject knowledge needed to deliver parts of the non-core curriculum well
• In some subjects, pupils do not embed or deepen their understanding as well as they might

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 Meldreth Primary School attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.3% 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, 1.6% of pupils at Meldreth 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 Meldreth Primary School had 21.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.6% 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, 18.6% of pupils at Meldreth Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.1% 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 Meldreth Primary School received £7,937 and spent £8,093 for each of its 193 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £193,000 (£998 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

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What is Meldreth Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Meldreth Primary School is Good, from an inspection in February 2025.

When was Meldreth Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Meldreth Primary School was last inspected in February 2025.

How many pupils does Meldreth Primary School have?

Meldreth Primary School has 194 pupils on roll.

What age range does Meldreth Primary School cover?

Meldreth Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 79% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Meldreth Primary School?

Meldreth Primary School is at High Street, Meldreth, Nr Royston, Hertfordshire, SG8 6LA.