Homerswood Primary and Nursery School

Homerswood Primary and Nursery School is a happy, friendly school where pupils are proud to attend and demonstrate values such as kindness. Inspectors judged the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision to all be good, with safeguarding arrangements effective. The school has a broad and balanced curriculum from the early years, a strong reading and phonics programme, effective support for pupils with SEND, high-quality pastoral care, a wide range of clubs, and a clear focus on staff development and well-being. Governors are supportive and most parents are positive about the school. There are areas for improvement. In a few subjects, the curriculum is not delivered as the school intends, so pupils do not remember key knowledge as well as they could and make less progress. Low-level disruptive behaviour is not always managed consistently in line with the school’s policy, so learning is sometimes disrupted, and some pupils who become distracted are not always redirected promptly. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of inspection, the school had an interim headteacher for four days a week and the deputy headteacher was acting headteacher one day a week. Under the current inspection framework, the school received no overall effectiveness grade.

Strengths

• Happy, friendly school where pupils are proud to attend
• Strong school values, including kindness, are demonstrated by pupils
• Broad and balanced curriculum from early years, designed around pupils’ needs
• Highly effective reading curriculum with consistent phonics teaching from Reception
• Effective support for pupils with SEND, including external agency support and adapted resources
• High-quality pastoral support helping pupils recognise and manage emotions
• Wide range of clubs and leadership opportunities
• Behaviour routines are well established and pupils are typically respectful and safe
• Staff professional development and well-being are prioritised
• Governors have clear roles and are supportive
• School works with families to improve attendance
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation is inconsistent in a few subjects, limiting how much pupils remember
• Low-level disruptive behaviour is not always managed consistently in line with policy
• Some pupils become distracted and staff do not always address this promptly
• A few pupils require a more personalised curriculum to meet their needs

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 Homerswood Primary and Nursery School attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.0% 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, 1.9% of pupils at Homerswood Primary 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 Homerswood Primary and Nursery School had 18.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.9% 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, 12.4% of pupils at Homerswood Primary and Nursery 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 Homerswood Primary and Nursery School received £7,527 and spent £7,913 for each of its 214 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £144,000 (£675 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 Welwyn Garden City · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Homerswood Primary and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Homerswood Primary and Nursery School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Homerswood Primary and Nursery School last inspected by Ofsted?

Homerswood Primary and Nursery School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Homerswood Primary and Nursery School have?

Homerswood Primary and Nursery School has 218 pupils on roll.

What age range does Homerswood Primary and Nursery School cover?

Homerswood Primary and Nursery School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Homerswood Primary and Nursery School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Homerswood Primary and Nursery School?

Homerswood Primary and Nursery School is at Kirklands, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL8 7RF.