Ashwell Primary School

Ashwell Primary School is a strong village primary school that was inspected in June 2026. Safeguarding standards are met, and the school reaches a strong standard in attendance and behaviour, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Achievement and curriculum and teaching are at the expected standard. The school has 228 pupils, a below-average proportion of disadvantaged pupils, and no alternative provision. Leaders and governors are highly ambitious, and pupils are proud, safe and well prepared for their next stage of education. Notable strengths include consistently high attendance, calm and respectful behaviour, a nurturing early years provision, and an inclusive culture where pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils achieve well from their starting points. Reading and mathematics outcomes are consistently above national averages, and personal development is well planned, with pupils taking active roles in the school and community. Pastoral support is highly effective, and staff receive regular, research-informed training. The main areas for development relate to writing. Some pupils do not write as well as they can because staff expectations are not always high enough, and written work is not consistently checked to help pupils improve. Leaders have already provided training and are beginning to address this, but next steps focus on raising expectations in writing and ensuring pupils consistently produce high-quality work across the curriculum. Overall, this is a strong school with clear, well-targeted priorities for further improvement.

Strengths

• Attendance is consistently high, with pupils arriving punctually and ready to learn.
• Pupils' behaviour is calm, orderly and respectful across the school.
• Early years provision gives children a highly nurturing and effective start.
• Phonics and early reading are taught consistently well, helping pupils become fluent readers.
• Inclusion is at the heart of the school, helping all pupils develop a strong sense of belonging.
• Leaders and governors are highly ambitious and provide effective support and challenge.
• The personal development programme is well planned and meets pupils' needs.
• Pupils achieve consistently above national levels in reading and mathematics.
• Pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils typically achieve well from their starting points.
• Additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is used effectively and its impact is evaluated.
• Pastoral support is highly effective, including safe spaces such as 'Chill and Chat'.
• Pupils take active roles in the school and wider community, developing confidence and responsibility.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
• Staff receive regular, research-informed training that deepens their subject knowledge.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils do not write as well as they can because staff expectations are not consistently high enough.
• Staff do not always check pupils' written work in a way that helps them improve quickly enough.
• Leaders should further support staff to raise expectations of pupils' writing.
• Leaders should continue to develop their strategy to ensure pupils consistently produce high-quality work across the curriculum.
• Achievement and curriculum and teaching are at the expected standard rather than the strong standard seen in other areas.
• Disadvantaged pupils' outcomes in writing and combined reading, writing and mathematics show gaps compared with national non-disadvantaged pupils.

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 Ashwell Primary School attended 96.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.0% 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, 0.4% of pupils at Ashwell 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 Ashwell Primary School had 21.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.0% 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, 10.9% of pupils at Ashwell Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.9% 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 Ashwell Primary School received £6,800 and spent £6,771 for each of its 226 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £279,000 (£1,237 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 Baldock · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Ashwell Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ashwell Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Ashwell Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Ashwell Primary School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Ashwell Primary School have?

Ashwell Primary School has 229 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ashwell Primary School cover?

Ashwell Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 74% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Ashwell Primary School?

Ashwell Primary School is at Silver Street, Ashwell, Baldock, Hertfordshire, SG7 5QL.