Four Swannes Primary School

Four Swannes Primary is a community primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and, under the current framework, no overall effectiveness grade was given. Inspectors found that pupils typically enjoy school, behave well and benefit from good personal development, including clubs and pupil leadership roles. Safeguarding is effective. However, the school is not yet delivering consistently well across the curriculum: published outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics have been below national standards, and recent changes to curriculum, staffing and governance are new and not yet embedded. The curriculum is broad and ambitious, and in many subjects it sets out the knowledge and sequence pupils should follow. However, implementation is uneven. Teaching does not routinely check what pupils remember, and key knowledge is not always revisited, so pupils lack secure prior knowledge and struggle with more complex work. Early reading support is not consistently effective, some pupils with SEND do not have classwork adapted well enough, and early years children are not as well prepared for Year 1 as they could be. Persistent absence remains high, although new tracking and support processes are in place. Leadership is at an early stage of building the systems needed to drive improvement. Governors have had useful training but are not yet providing sufficiently rigorous support and challenge, and quality-assurance processes do not clearly show the impact of actions. Staff are supportive of the changes and say leaders consider their workload and well-being.

Strengths

• Pupils behave well and staff deal with rare behaviour issues swiftly.
• Pupils enjoy learning and are respectful and friendly to each other.
• Personal development is strong, with clubs, choir and pupil council roles.
• The curriculum is broad and ambitious, with clear sequencing in many subjects.
• Early years children learn routines such as taking turns and sharing.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and staff know them well.
• Educational outings are well considered and enrich the curriculum.
• The early reading scheme systematically introduces and revisits sounds.
• Pupils are inquisitive and keen to share what they have learned.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Staff feel supported and leaders prioritise their well-being and workload.

Areas for Improvement

• Quality of education is not yet good, with academic outcomes below national standards in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Curriculum changes are new and not embedded consistently across the school.
• Teaching does not routinely check pupils' recall or revisit key knowledge before moving on.
• Some pupils lack secure earlier knowledge and struggle with more complex ideas.
• Early reading support is not frequent or effective enough, so some pupils fall behind.
• Classwork for some pupils with SEND is not routinely adapted to meet their needs.
• Early years curriculum is still being developed and children are not fully prepared for Year 1.
• Persistent absence remains high and the impact of attendance actions is not analysed systematically.
• Governance is at an early stage and accountability processes are not rigorous enough.
• Quality-assurance processes do not clearly identify impact or where further improvement is needed.

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 Four Swannes Primary School attended 93.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 23.1% 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, 2.0% of pupils at Four Swannes 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 Four Swannes Primary School had 16.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 32.6% 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, 15.6% of pupils at Four Swannes Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.7% 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 Four Swannes Primary School received £8,343 and spent £8,309 for each of its 189 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £296,000 (£1,570 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 Waltham Cross · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Four Swannes Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Four Swannes Primary School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Four Swannes Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Four Swannes Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Four Swannes Primary School have?

Four Swannes Primary School has 192 pupils on roll.

What age range does Four Swannes Primary School cover?

Four Swannes Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Four Swannes Primary School?

Four Swannes Primary School is at King Edward Road, Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, EN8 7HH.