Icknield Walk First School

Icknield Walk First School is a maintained first school for pupils aged 3 to 9 in Royston. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2014, when it was judged outstanding and exempt from routine inspection; under current arrangements it receives no overall effectiveness grade. Inspectors found the school performing well: the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and early years provision are good, while personal development is outstanding. Safeguarding is effective. Pupils are enthusiastic and feel safe, and behaviour is generally good. Reading is a notable strength: phonics is taught well, pupils read often and books match their ability, so they become confident and fluent readers. Early years staff build children’s language, communication and social skills effectively. Pupils with SEND are identified accurately and supported well, and pupils benefit from strong personal development opportunities, including clubs, trips and opportunities to discuss issues and build empathy. Staff value leaders’ support and training. The main areas for improvement are curriculum consistency and addressing misconceptions. In a few subjects, curriculum thinking is less clear and less well sequenced than in the rest of the school, so pupils do not build as secure an understanding. Occasionally teachers do not address misconceptions precisely enough, which can slow pupils’ progress. Leaders have begun work to develop these subjects, but the impact is not yet fully evident.

Strengths

• Pupils are enthusiastic, feel safe and are generally well behaved.
• Personal development is exceptionally strong, with rich opportunities, trips, clubs and pupil voice.
• Early years provision is highly effective in developing language, communication and social skills.
• Reading is a clear priority, and pupils become confident, fluent readers through strong phonics teaching.
• Pupils with SEND are identified accurately and supported effectively.
• The curriculum is well planned in most subjects, with strong teacher subject knowledge.
• Staff value the support, training and attention to workload and well-being from leaders.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Mixed-age collaboration helps pupils build empathy and compassion.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum thinking is less clear and less well sequenced in a few subjects.
• Teachers occasionally do not identify and address pupils’ misconceptions precisely, which slows progress.

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 Icknield Walk First School attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.1% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Icknield Walk First 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 Icknield Walk First School had 24.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.9% 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, 14.9% of pupils at Icknield Walk First 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 Icknield Walk First School received £7,123 and spent £7,045 for each of its 321 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £137,000 (£426 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 Royston · Cambridgeshire local authority: places and applications

What is Icknield Walk First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Icknield Walk First School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Icknield Walk First School last inspected by Ofsted?

Icknield Walk First School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Icknield Walk First School have?

Icknield Walk First School has 335 pupils on roll.

What age range does Icknield Walk First School cover?

Icknield Walk First School for pupils aged 3 to 9.

Where is Icknield Walk First School?

Icknield Walk First School is at Poplar Drive, Royston, Hertfordshire, SG8 7EZ.