The Lea Primary School and Nursery

The Lea Primary School and Nursery is performing exceptionally well. Inspectors found provision to be exceptionally strong across every area they evaluated, with pupils achieving very highly and benefiting from an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, access the full range of subjects and build knowledge securely over time. Reading is taught well from the start, behaviour is exemplary, attendance is high, and pupils are safe and proud to attend. The school provides a broad and rich personal development offer through clubs, visits and wider learning, and pupils develop a good understanding of diversity. Early years provision gives children a strong start, and leaders provide effective training and consider staff workload. Governors know the school well, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. This was a graded inspection of a community primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11, with 219 pupils on roll. The headteacher joined in September 2023, and the previous inspection graded the school Good. Under the arrangements for graded inspections from September 2024, no overall effectiveness grade was given.

Strengths

• Ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum across the full range of subjects
• Pupils, including those with SEND, achieve exceptionally well
• Strong early reading provision with well-matched books and effective catch-up support
• Exemplary pupil behaviour and a calm learning environment
• High attendance and good relationships with parents
• Broad personal development offer through clubs, trips and visits
• Pupils develop a good knowledge of different religions, beliefs and diversity
• Effective leadership that supports staff training and considers workload
• Governors know the school well and meet statutory safeguarding and equalities requirements
• Strong early years provision where children settle quickly and learn to share and be kind
• Caring and inclusive environment with older pupils acting as positive role models
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

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 The Lea Primary School and Nursery attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.7% 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, 1.8% of pupils at The Lea Primary School and Nursery 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 The Lea Primary School and Nursery had 22.2 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, 11.7% of pupils at The Lea Primary School and Nursery were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.3% 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 The Lea Primary School and Nursery received £7,054 and spent £6,899 for each of its 225 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £143,000 (£636 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 Harpenden · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is The Lea Primary School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?

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

When was The Lea Primary School and Nursery last inspected by Ofsted?

The Lea Primary School and Nursery was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does The Lea Primary School and Nursery have?

The Lea Primary School and Nursery has 239 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Lea Primary School and Nursery cover?

The Lea Primary School and Nursery for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Lea Primary School and Nursery?

The Lea Primary School and Nursery is at Moorland Road, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 4LE.