Aycliffe Drive Primary School

Aycliffe Drive Primary School is undergoing a transition since its last inspection in 2019, with new leadership starting in September 2024. While the school maintains a welcoming environment where pupils feel respected and engaged, there are concerns that the quality of education provided is inconsistent. Notable strengths include effective support for early reading and positive relationships among the school community. However, the quality of lessons varies, particularly affecting pupils with gaps in their prior knowledge, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Additionally, the school faces challenges with attendance and governors have struggled to hold leaders accountable for improvements.

Strengths

• Pupils feel welcome and respected in the school.
• Strong commitment from staff to support pupils academically and personally.
• Effective teaching of early reading leading to good progress for many pupils.
• High levels of respect among pupils and their strong relationships with adults.
• Leadership opportunities provided for all pupils to develop responsibility.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistency in the planning and delivery of the curriculum.
• Variability in lesson activities and teachers' expectations.
• Stubbornly high pupil absence rates impacting achievement.
• Governors have not held leaders accountable effectively for improving educational quality and attendance.

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 Aycliffe Drive Primary School attended 93.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 21.0% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Aycliffe Drive 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 Aycliffe Drive Primary School had 19.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 25.0% 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, 13.5% of pupils at Aycliffe Drive Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.1% 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 Aycliffe Drive Primary School received £7,294 and spent £6,673 for each of its 318 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £144,000 (£453 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 Hemel Hempstead · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Aycliffe Drive Primary School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Aycliffe Drive Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Aycliffe Drive Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Aycliffe Drive Primary School have?

Aycliffe Drive Primary School has 327 pupils on roll.

What age range does Aycliffe Drive Primary School cover?

Aycliffe Drive Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 51% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Aycliffe Drive Primary School?

Aycliffe Drive Primary School is at Aycliffe Drive, Aycliffe Drive Primary School, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 6LJ.