Jenyns First School and Nursery

Jenyns First School and Nursery is a small rural first school that inspectors found to be performing well across all judged areas. Pupils are happy, behave very well and feel safe, and the school provides a broad, largely ambitious curriculum that has improved significantly since the previous inspection. Reading is taught very effectively from the start, early years provision gives children secure foundations, and personal development is strong through clubs, trips, leadership roles and age-appropriate health education. The governing body has navigated a period of instability effectively, staff are well supported, and attendance is very high. The main areas for improvement concern the precision and ambition of the curriculum. In some subjects, important knowledge and key vocabulary are not identified clearly enough, so pupils do not always gain the knowledge they need or make links between topics. In addition, not all staff have consistently high expectations of what pupils can achieve, and some work is not demanding enough, which can reduce engagement and limit the depth of pupils' understanding. This was a graded inspection, so the school did not receive an overall effectiveness grade. Contextually, the school has had four headteachers since the previous inspection, with the current headteacher appointed in April 2024, and the special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator appointed in October 2024. Safeguarding arrangements were found to be effective.

Strengths

• Pupils behave very well and treat each other and adults with courtesy and kindness.
• Pupils feel safe and know there are caring adults they can turn to with worries.
• The broad, largely ambitious curriculum has improved significantly since the previous inspection and is carefully sequenced.
• Reading is taught very effectively from the start, with strong phonics practice and expert support for pupils who need it.
• Early years provision gives children secure foundations through varied indoor and outdoor experiences.
• Staff adapt learning effectively, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, so all access the curriculum.
• Personal development is strong through clubs, trips, leadership roles and age-appropriate personal, social and health education.
• Pupils attend school very well, and the school works closely with families to support punctuality and attendance.
• The governing body has steered the school effectively through instability, and staff are well supported.

Areas for Improvement

• Key knowledge and vocabulary are not precisely identified in all curriculum areas, so pupils sometimes miss important knowledge and struggle to link topics.
• Not all staff have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve, and some work is too easy, reducing engagement and depth of understanding.

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 Jenyns First School and Nursery attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 2.4% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Jenyns First School and Nursery 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 Jenyns First School and Nursery had 13.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.5% 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, 15.2% of pupils at Jenyns First School and Nursery were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.0% 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 Jenyns First School and Nursery received £9,365 and spent £9,941 for each of its 63 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £82,000 (£1,317 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 Ware · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Jenyns First School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Jenyns First School and Nursery is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Jenyns First School and Nursery last inspected by Ofsted?

Jenyns First School and Nursery was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Jenyns First School and Nursery have?

Jenyns First School and Nursery has 66 pupils on roll.

What age range does Jenyns First School and Nursery cover?

Jenyns First School and Nursery for pupils aged 3 to 9.

Where is Jenyns First School and Nursery?

Jenyns First School and Nursery is at Uplands, Braughing, Ware, Hertfordshire, SG11 2QJ.