Saffron Green Primary School

Saffron Green Primary School has improved since its previous inspection and is now judged good across all key areas. Pupils are proud of their school, behaviour has improved markedly, and the school has introduced effective routines and support that help pupils manage their feelings and learn in settled classrooms. The curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced, reading is a particular strength from early years onwards, and pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, achieve well. Personal development is broad, with pupils benefiting from trips, clubs and opportunities to develop leadership and teamwork. Leadership and governance are effective. Governors understand their role and use external advice well to hold the school to account, staff speak highly of the school, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school also has a positive relationship with parents, who are particularly positive about the wider opportunities offered to pupils. There are two main areas for further improvement. Staff do not consistently check pupils’ understanding during lessons, meaning a small number of pupils develop misconceptions that are not corrected quickly. Attendance also remains a concern: despite improved systems and some individual successes, some pupils still do not attend regularly enough and too many are persistently absent, so they miss valuable learning. The inspection took place in the context of a community primary school that had interim leadership arrangements after the previous inspection.

Strengths

• Ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum across subjects
• Strong reading and phonics provision from early years onwards
• Effective behaviour management and calm learning environment
• Pupils, including those with SEND, achieve well and are well supported
• Broad personal development offer, including trips, clubs and online safety
• Effective governance and strong staff morale
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• Pupils are polite, caring and proud of their school
• Early years routines help children settle and behave quickly

Areas for Improvement

• Staff do not consistently check pupils’ understanding in lessons, so some misconceptions go unaddressed
• Attendance remains a concern; some pupils are persistently absent and miss valuable learning

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 Saffron Green Primary School attended 90.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 31.8% 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, 5.7% of pupils at Saffron Green 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 Saffron Green Primary School had 16.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 37.0% 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, 14.1% of pupils at Saffron Green Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.5% 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 Saffron Green Primary School received £8,689 and spent £9,215 for each of its 170 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £231,000 (£1,356 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 Borehamwood · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Saffron Green Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Saffron Green Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Saffron Green Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Saffron Green Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Saffron Green Primary School have?

Saffron Green Primary School has 177 pupils on roll.

What age range does Saffron Green Primary School cover?

Saffron Green Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 36% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Saffron Green Primary School?

Saffron Green Primary School is at Nicoll Way, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, WD6 2PP.