Howe Dell Primary School

Howe Dell Primary School is performing well across all key areas, with inspectors finding a broad, ambitious curriculum, positive behaviour and strong personal development. Pupils feel safe and happy, attendance is high, and relationships between staff and pupils are respectful and caring. The school places meeting the needs of pupils with SEND at the core of its provision, and these pupils achieve well because leaders understand their needs and remove barriers to learning. The teaching of early reading is a notable strength, with pupils practising daily and receiving targeted support to keep up. Early years provision is also strong, especially in communication and language. Leaders have built trust with parents and carers following a period of change, and governors provide effective oversight. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The main area for improvement is that in a few curriculum areas, pupils do not receive enough practice to build fluency and make new knowledge stick. As a result, small numbers of pupils are less confident recalling and applying knowledge in new contexts. Leaders recognise this and are working to strengthen teachers’ pedagogical expertise consistently across the school. This was a graded inspection, and no overall effectiveness grade was given; the school was previously judged outstanding.

Strengths

• A broad and detailed curriculum helps pupils build a rich body of knowledge and skills.
• Meeting the needs of pupils with SEND is a core feature of provision, and these pupils achieve well.
• Teachers explain new content accurately and help pupils connect new learning to prior learning.
• Early reading teaching is strong, with daily practice and effective support for pupils at risk of falling behind.
• Early years provision features high-quality adult interactions and a sharp focus on communication and language.
• Pupils behave positively in classrooms and at playtimes, and relationships are respectful and caring.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of trips, clubs, visitors and enrichment opportunities.
• Leaders have secured high levels of trust from parents and carers after a period of change.
• Governors know their roles well and evaluate the school’s provision accurately.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• In a few curriculum areas, pupils do not receive sufficient practice to build fluency with new knowledge.
• Small numbers of pupils are less confident recalling and applying knowledge in new contexts.

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 Howe Dell Primary School attended 95.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.2% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Howe Dell 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 Howe Dell Primary School had 22.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.0% 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, 10.0% of pupils at Howe Dell Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.3% 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 Howe Dell Primary School received £9,486 and spent £9,048 for each of its 423 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,330,000 (£3,145 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 Hatfield · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Howe Dell Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Howe Dell Primary School is Good, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was Howe Dell Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Howe Dell Primary School was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Howe Dell Primary School have?

Howe Dell Primary School has 428 pupils on roll.

What age range does Howe Dell Primary School cover?

Howe Dell Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 69% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Howe Dell Primary School?

Howe Dell Primary School is at The Runway, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9AH.