Northfields Infants and Nursery School

Northfields Infants and Nursery School is currently judged as requiring improvement overall, with significant strengths in behaviour and personal development. Although pupils display enthusiasm and friendly relationships with staff, the quality of education provided needs to be enhanced, particularly in subjects where expectations are not consistently high. Recent improvements in the reading curriculum are commendable, but other areas of the curriculum still require focused attention to ensure all pupils achieve their potential. The recent inspection indicates that while the early years provision is strong, there are gaps in the effectiveness of teaching in some core subjects, especially for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Strengths

• Pupils display enthusiasm for learning and welcome visitors warmly.
• The school has developed a well-structured curriculum in some subjects.
• Positive relationships among pupils and staff promote a supportive learning environment.
• Strong focus on developing communication and language skills in early years.
• Effective strategies for teaching pupils to read, leading to good progress in reading.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in teaching practices across some subjects.
• Some pupils with SEND do not have effective adapted learning tasks.
• Lack of rigorous checks on how well pupils learn the planned curriculum.
• Governors are not holding leaders accountable for issues identified at the previous inspection.

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 Northfields Infants and Nursery School attended 91.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 24.1% 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, 4.0% of pupils at Northfields Infants and Nursery 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 Northfields Infants and Nursery School had 17.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.3% 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, 21.0% of pupils at Northfields Infants and Nursery School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.1% 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 Northfields Infants and Nursery School received £9,449 and spent £9,539 for each of its 129 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £86,000 (£670 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 Letchworth Garden City · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Northfields Infants and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Northfields Infants and Nursery School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in June 2024.

When was Northfields Infants and Nursery School last inspected by Ofsted?

Northfields Infants and Nursery School was last inspected in June 2024.

How many pupils does Northfields Infants and Nursery School have?

Northfields Infants and Nursery School has 138 pupils on roll.

What age range does Northfields Infants and Nursery School cover?

Northfields Infants and Nursery School for pupils aged 3 to 7.

Where is Northfields Infants and Nursery School?

Northfields Infants and Nursery School is at Burley, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, SG6 4PT.