St Meryl School

St Meryl School demonstrates a strong standard of education, with notable strengths in its safeguarding practices and curriculum development. Leaders are proactive in their approach, ensuring that pupils, including those who are disadvantaged or speak English as an additional language, are supported effectively. The school has adapted well to the changing needs of its pupils, implementing improvements swiftly, particularly in areas like early reading and phonics instruction. Overall, pupils are achieving in line with national expectations, and their attendance and behavior are well managed, contributing positively to the school environment.

Strengths

• Strong safeguarding culture where pupils feel safe.
• Effective support for disadvantaged pupils to achieve well.
• Broad and interesting curriculum that prepares pupils for the next stage of education.
• High priority given to improving attendance and punctuality.
• Proactive leadership making swift improvements in teaching practices.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent teaching precision leading to gaps in pupils' understanding.
• Need for improved language development during informal play in early years.

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 St Meryl School attended 95.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.8% 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 St Meryl 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 St Meryl School had 19.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.2% 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, 8.7% of pupils at St Meryl School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.7% 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 St Meryl School received £7,013 and spent £7,304 for each of its 209 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £185,000 (£884 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 Watford · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is St Meryl School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Meryl School is Expected standard, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was St Meryl School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Meryl School was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does St Meryl School have?

St Meryl School has 219 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Meryl School cover?

St Meryl School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Meryl School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Meryl School?

St Meryl School is at The Mead, Carpenders Park, Watford, Hertfordshire, WD19 5BT.