Hurst Drive Primary School

Hurst Drive Primary School is performing well overall, maintaining a 'Good' rating across all evaluated areas. The school fosters a positive learning environment where pupils are happy, engaged, and aware of the high expectations set by their teachers. The curriculum is broad and well-developed, with a strong emphasis on reading, which pupils enjoy and excel in. Despite some recent staffing changes and challenges in achieving consistent high performance, the school's leadership is proactive in addressing issues to support the ongoing development of pupils and the school community.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate positive values such as respect, confidence, and inclusivity.
• The school has a broad curriculum that is well-structured and helps pupils make strong progress.
• There is a strong focus on reading, with effective phonics instruction for younger pupils.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive tailored support to succeed.
• Pupils benefit from numerous leadership opportunities that foster their development.
• Attendance has improved significantly this academic year.

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, teachers do not routinely check pupils' knowledge retention.
• Pupils lack sufficient time to practice important practical skills in certain subjects.
• Some Year 6 pupils underperformed due to prior weaker teaching and staffing changes.

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 Hurst Drive Primary School attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.2% 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, 2.6% of pupils at Hurst Drive 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 Hurst Drive Primary School had 21.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 37.8% 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, 8.8% of pupils at Hurst Drive Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.5% 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 Hurst Drive Primary School received £7,014 and spent £7,239 for each of its 399 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £173,000 (£433 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 Hurst Drive Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hurst Drive Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2024.

When was Hurst Drive Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Hurst Drive Primary School was last inspected in May 2024.

How many pupils does Hurst Drive Primary School have?

Hurst Drive Primary School has 399 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hurst Drive Primary School cover?

Hurst Drive Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Hurst Drive Primary School?

Hurst Drive Primary School is at Hurst Drive, Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, EN8 8DH.