Reed First School

Reed First School is a small, caring and inclusive school where pupils are happy, settled and well supported. Safeguarding standards are met, and the school is particularly strong in attendance, behaviour and inclusion. Pupils treat each other with kindness, bullying is rare, and staff provide tailored support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged pupils and those facing other challenges. The school's nurturing ethos and close work with parents help pupils feel safe and valued. The curriculum is broad and carefully designed for mixed-age teaching, with a clear focus on reading, writing and mathematics. Children in the early years settle well and most leave prepared for Year 1. Pupils enjoy learning and are confident, curious and proud of their work. Leadership is purposeful, staff morale is positive, and parents speak highly of the care and support provided. Governors have improved their structures and transparency following a period of change, although these systems are still relatively new. Most provision is at the expected standard, with behaviour and inclusion standing out as strengths. The main areas for further development are ensuring that all teaching consistently challenges and supports every pupil to make the maximum progress possible, and that governors' new strategic planning and evaluation arrangements provide stronger challenge and support to leaders. Occasionally, the pace of learning slows when some pupils are not moved onto new learning quickly enough, and leaders have already begun addressing this.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, settled and enjoy being part of the school community.
• Staff and pupils provide thoughtful support for those who need additional reassurance.
• Pupils treat one another with kindness and respect.
• The school's approach to behaviour supports pupils' individual needs.
• Bullying is rare and concerns are investigated thoroughly.
• Attendance is consistently strong, with clear systems and close work with parents.
• Pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and others facing challenges receive carefully tailored support.
• Staff identify needs early and adapt learning effectively.
• Parents and carers are closely involved in supporting learning at home.
• Reading, writing and mathematics foundations are prioritised, including early phonics.
• The curriculum is broad, balanced and well designed for mixed-age teaching.
• Staff use effective strategies to revisit and build on previous learning.
• Children in the early years settle well and most leave prepared for Year 1.
• Leaders are clear about strengths and development areas and evaluate impact accurately.
• Staff express confidence in leaders, and morale remains positive.
• Parents speak positively about the school and value the care provided.
• Personal development is well planned and supported by a broad range of enrichment opportunities.
• Pupils understand the school's values of independence, resilience, respect and aspiration.
• The school's nurturing and inclusive culture helps pupils understand diversity and difference.
• Governors have established clearer structures, roles and expectations.

Areas for Improvement

• Governors' strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation systems are relatively new and need to provide more challenge and support to leaders.
• Some teaching does not consistently challenge and support all pupils to make the maximum progress of which they are capable.
• The pace of learning occasionally slows when staff do not move some pupils onto new learning quickly enough.

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 Reed First School attended 96.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 0.0% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Reed First 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 Reed First School had 11.7 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, 3.1% of pupils at Reed First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.2% 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 Reed First School received £9,604 and spent £9,573 for each of its 61 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £148,000 (£2,419 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 Royston · Cambridgeshire local authority: places and applications

What is Reed First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Reed First School is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Reed First School last inspected by Ofsted?

Reed First School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Reed First School have?

Reed First School has 64 pupils on roll.

What age range does Reed First School cover?

Reed First School for pupils aged 3 to 9.

Where is Reed First School?

Reed First School is at Jacksons Lane, Reed, Royston, Hertfordshire, SG8 8AB.