Bournehall Primary School

Bournehall Primary School is performing well overall. Inspectors found strong provision across education quality, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years. Pupils benefit from caring staff with high expectations, typically behave and socialise well, and achieve well by the end of Year 6. Attendance is significantly above the national average, personal development is robust, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school also makes commendable efforts to identify and support pupils with SEND, including through external services and collaboration with special schools. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, following a long period of exemption after a previous outstanding judgment. The current headteacher took up the substantive role in October 2023, and under the current framework the school does not receive an overall effectiveness grade.

Strengths

• Caring staff with high expectations help pupils achieve well by the end of Year 6.
• Well-planned transition arrangements help Reception children start school ready to learn.
• Pupils typically behave and socialise well and take pride in responsibilities.
• The therapeutic approach to behaviour management is working effectively.
• Strong pastoral support and open relationships with parents help address concerns directly.
• Pupils feel safe and valued through the 'news and views' programme and staff listening to their ideas.
• Attendance is significantly higher than the national average.
• The school makes commendable efforts to identify and support pupils with SEND.
• External counselling, educational psychology and special school collaboration strengthen SEND support.
• The personal development programme includes a wide range of clubs and residential trips.
• The PSHE curriculum teaches healthy relationships and essential life skills.
• Leaders and governors bring expertise, strong financial oversight and effective community engagement.
• The physical education programme and clubs teach pupils to value exercise and sport.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Staff training is based mainly on self-reported needs, overlooking gaps in subject knowledge or teaching methods.
• The school does not always check how well training is applied in classrooms.
• Some explanations and instructions lack clarity, affecting pupils' understanding of new concepts and skills.
• Support for pupils who need to improve phonics and reading lacks rigour and consistency.
• Weaker readers may receive unhelpful prompts that do not align with the phonics programme.
• In some cases, the link between SEND targets and planned activities could be stronger.
• Oversight of curriculum and SEND implementation is not yet fully embedded.
• Some pupils' learning experiences do not link closely enough to their targets or help them make as much progress as they could.
• Lessons are not consistently effective in every year group.

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 Bournehall Primary School attended 94.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.4% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Bournehall 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 Bournehall Primary School had 20.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 8.3% of pupils at Bournehall Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.4% 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 Bournehall Primary School received £7,233 and spent £7,306 for each of its 206 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £192,000 (£930 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 Bushey · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Bournehall Primary School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Bournehall Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Bournehall Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Bournehall Primary School have?

Bournehall Primary School has 205 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bournehall Primary School cover?

Bournehall Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Bournehall Primary School?

Bournehall Primary School is at Bournehall Avenue, Bushey, Hertfordshire, WD23 3AX.