Highover Primary School

Highover Junior Mixed and Infant School is performing exceptionally well. Pupils attend a cheerful, welcoming school where staff have high expectations, build caring relationships and help pupils become independent, resilient learners. Across all key judgements, the school was found to be outstanding, with excellent teaching, a well-sequenced curriculum, strong reading and phonics provision, accurate identification of SEND and highly effective support that enables pupils with SEND to achieve highly.

Strengths

• A carefully considered and well-sequenced curriculum across subjects
• Teachers have strong subject knowledge and explain new knowledge expertly
• Assessment is used expertly to check understanding and address misconceptions
• Reading is prioritised, with an effective phonics programme and targeted support
• Pupils with SEND are identified accurately and achieve highly
• Pupils' behaviour is excellent and learning is rarely disturbed
• Personal development is exemplary, including equality, diversity and British society
• Early years provision prepares children exceptionally well for Year 1
• Leadership and governance are strong and responsive to pupils' changing needs
• Staff feel supported, workload is manageable and training is valued
• Parents are highly positive and safeguarding arrangements are effective

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 Highover Primary School attended 96.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 3.9% 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, 1.2% of pupils at Highover 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 Highover Primary School had 21.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 15.9% of pupils at Highover Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.3% 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 Highover Primary School received £6,278 and spent £6,297 for each of its 424 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £414,000 (£976 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 Hitchin · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Highover Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Highover Primary School is Outstanding, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Highover Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Highover Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Highover Primary School have?

Highover Primary School has 433 pupils on roll.

What age range does Highover Primary School cover?

Highover Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Highover Primary School?

Highover Primary School is at Cambridge Road, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG4 0JP.