Wood End School
Wood End School is a community school in Harpenden for pupils aged 4 to 11. It has 457 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for Wood End School is Outstanding, from an inspection in January 2024. In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Ofsted inspection: January 2024. KS2 results: 2025.
| Type | Primary / Community school |
| Age Range | 4-11 |
| Religion | Does not apply |
| Address | Yeomans Avenue Harpenden Hertfordshire AL5 3EF |
| Phone | 01582761636 |
| Reference Number | 117358 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 457 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 50.33%
Girls: 49.67% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 2.1% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 8.1% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 30 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 30 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 30 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 34 | 26 | 60 |
| 2 | 24 | 36 | 60 |
| 3 | 28 | 31 | 59 |
| 4 | 36 | 23 | 59 |
| 5 | 31 | 29 | 60 |
| 6 | 32 | 30 | 62 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 69.1% |
| White, Other | 5.3% |
| Indian | 5% |
| Mixed, Other | 3.9% |
| White & Asian | 3.7% |
| Asian, Other | 2.4% |
| Chinese | 2.2% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 2% |
| White & Black (African) | 2% |
| Pakistani | 2% |
| Unclassified | 1.1% |
| Irish | 0.2% |
Wood End School has demonstrated outstanding performance across all evaluated domains, including the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership, and early years provision. This is the first routine inspection since the school was last judged outstanding in 2008, and the school community continues to uphold a strong ethos where pupils thrive in a supportive environment. Students express great enthusiasm for learning, engage in a rich curriculum, and excel academically, benefiting from strong leadership and dedicated staff who prioritize both academic and personal growth.
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Outstanding |
| > Quality of education | Outstanding |
| > Behaviour & Attitude | Outstanding |
| > Personal Development | Outstanding |
| > Leadership & Management | Outstanding |
| > Early Years Provision | Outstanding |
| Last Report Date | 14 Nov 2023 |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 14 Nov 2023 | School inspection: |
| 27 Nov 2008 | Full inspection: |
| 01 Mar 2004 | Full inspection |
Strengths
- Exceptional learning experience for all pupils
- Outstanding behaviour and attitudes among students
- Wide range of opportunities for personal development and enrichment
- Well-designed curriculum that builds knowledge year on year
- Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities
- Strong relationships between pupils and staff
- High-quality reading instruction that fosters a love for reading
How many students meet the standards
| Reading, Writing & Maths | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils meeting the expected standard | 80% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Pupils meeting a higher standard | 33% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Average Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
| Subject | School | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 110 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 109 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Progress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 3.1 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Writing | 2.8 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 2.8 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
How many students meet the standards
Sample
UnlockAverage Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
Sample
UnlockProgress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
Sample
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See how Wood End School ranks locally and nationally. Percentile rankings against every other school, historic result charts, admissions data and post-GCSE destinations are all included.
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Unlock for £9.99Reception admissions, 2026 entry
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| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Second Preference | 47 | 1 |
| Third Preference | 25 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 41 | 8 |
Previous years
Sample
UnlockPlaces and pupil numbers
In 2024–25 Wood End School had 422 pupils for 432 places. 10 places (2.3%) were unfilled.
Pupils and places
Reception intake in the “Harpenden Primary” planning area
Hertfordshire counted 425 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 349 in 2029–30, down 18%.
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Places | 420 | 420 | 420 | 459 | 459 | 450 | 480 | 480 | 480 | 480 | 432 | 432 | 432 | 432 | 432 |
| Pupils | 416 | 415 | 415 | 442 | 451 | 449 | 478 | 480 | 478 | 486 | 451 | 452 | 425 | 422 | 422 |
| Unfilled | 1.0% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 3.7% | 1.7% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
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 Wood End School attended 96.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.2% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 2.5% | 2.6% | 2.3% | 2.2% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 1.9% | 4.1% | 4.1% | 3.2% | 2.9% |
| Unauthorised absence | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Severely absent pupils | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.3% |
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 Wood End School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Permanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
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 Wood End School had 22.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.2% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).
Pupils per teacher
Teachers who left the school within a year
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 15.0 | 13.2 | 12.9 | 13.0 | 12.8 | 13.0 | 13.4 | 13.5 | 13.8 | 12.8 | 12.1 | 12.4 | 12.1 | 11.7 | 11.8 | 11.7 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 0.5% | 9.6% | 4.8% | 6.4% | 1.8% | 10.1% | 8.2% | 11.3% | 10.8% | 0.0% | 2.7% | 12.9% | 0.0% | 4.9% | 5.2% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | 41.4% | 53.6% | 64.0% | 42.9% | 69.2% | 36.7% | 44.7% | 48.1% | 53.6% | – | 20.7% | 65.5% | 73.1% | 60.7% | 69.2% | – |
| Sick days per teacher | 3.0 | 3.3 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 6.3 | 2.1 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.3 | – | 1.8 | 4.2 | 6.6 | 1.7 | 4.1 | – |
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, 5.3% of pupils at Wood End School 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
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 7 | 5 |
| Specific learning difficulty | 9 | 0 |
| Social, emotional and mental health | 3 | 0 |
| Speech, language and communication needs | 3 | 0 |
| Hearing impairment | 1 | 1 |
| Physical disability | 1 | 0 |
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 Wood End School received £6,194 and spent £6,246 for each of its 448 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £350,000 (£782 per pupil).
Income per pupil
Spending per pupil
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue reserve | £310,000 | £283,000 | £349,000 | £480,000 | £490,000 | £385,000 | £373,000 | £350,000 |
| per pupil | £607 | £598 | £734 | £1,006 | £1,094 | £873 | £834 | £782 |
| In-year balance | £64,000 | -£27,000 | £65,000 | £132,000 | £10,000 | -£105,000 | -£12,000 | -£23,000 |
| per pupil | £125 | -£57 | £137 | £276 | £22 | -£239 | -£28 | -£51 |
Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).
| Name | Distance |
|
Roundwood Primary School
Roundwood Park, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 3AD |
0.63 miles |
|
St Hilda's School
28 Douglas Road, Harpenden, AL5 2ES |
0.87 miles |
|
St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School
Church Green, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2TP |
1.19 miles |
|
The Lea Primary School and Nursery
Moorland Road, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 4LE |
1.2 miles |
|
Harpenden Academy
25 Vaughan Road, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 4EL |
1.41 miles |
|
Manland Primary School
Sauncey Avenue, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 4QW |
1.45 miles |
|
St Dominic Catholic Primary School
St Dominic Catholic Primary School, Southdown Road, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 1PF |
1.65 miles |
|
Batford Nursery School
Holcroft Road, Harpenden, AL5 5BQ |
1.88 miles |
|
Crabtree Infants' School
Crabtree Lane, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 5PU |
1.89 miles |
|
Crabtree Junior School
Crabtree Lane, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 5PU |
1.9 miles |
|
Sauncey Wood Primary School
Pickford Hill, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 5HL |
1.9 miles |
|
Redbourn Primary School
Long Cutt, Redbourn, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 7EX |
2.02 miles |
|
High Beeches Primary School
Aldwickbury Crescent, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 5SD |
2.12 miles |
|
The Grove Junior School
Dark Lane, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 1QB |
2.26 miles |
|
The Grove Infant and Nursery School
Dark Lane, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 1QD |
2.3 miles |
|
Aldwickbury School
|
2.41 miles |
|
Flamstead Village School
Trowley Hill Road, Flamstead, 59 Trowley Hill Road, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 8DL |
2.49 miles |
|
Claystone School
Half Moon Lane, Pepperstock, Luton, LU1 4LL |
2.57 miles |
|
Slip End Village School
Ross Way, Slip End, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 4DD |
2.88 miles |
|
Cutenhoe Hill Primary School
Cutenhoe Learning Park, Cutenhoe Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 3NJ |
3.09 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
Roundwood Park School
Roundwood Park, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 3AE |
0.59 miles |
|
The King's School
Elmfield, Ambrose Lane, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 4DU |
0.76 miles |
|
St George's School
Sun Lane, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 4TD |
1.22 miles |
|
Sir John Lawes School
Manland Way, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 4QP |
1.54 miles |
|
St Luke's School
Crouch Hall Lane, Redbourn, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 7ET |
1.85 miles |
|
Katherine Warington School
Lower Luton Road, Harpenden, AL5 5FH |
2.11 miles |
|
Chiltern Academy
Gipsy Lane, Luton, LU1 3GF |
3.3 miles |
|
The Stockwood Park Academy
Rotheram Avenue, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 5PP |
3.76 miles |
|
Townsend Church of England School
High Oaks, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 6DR |
3.99 miles |
|
Lime Academy Hartwell
1 York Street, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU2 0EZ |
4.16 miles |
|
Bury Park Educational Institute (Al - Hikmah Secondary School)
82 - 86 Dunstable Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 1EH |
4.43 miles |
|
St Albans Girls' School
Sandridgebury Lane, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 6DB |
4.43 miles |
|
Queen Elizabeth School
Crawley Green Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU2 9AG |
4.45 miles |
|
The Astley Cooper School
St Agnell's Lane, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 7HL |
4.51 miles |
|
Batchwood School
Townsend Drive, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 5RP |
4.58 miles |
|
Heathlands School
Heathlands Drive, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 5AY |
4.82 miles |
|
Denbigh High School
Alexandra Avenue, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU3 1HE |
4.85 miles |
|
Redbourn Park School
Grovehill Youth Centre, Stevenage Rise, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 6BH |
4.87 miles |
|
Active Support Education Centre
Unit 1 Britannia Estates, Leagrave Road, Luton, Beds, LU3 1RJ |
4.94 miles |
|
Sandringham School
The Ridgeway, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 9NX |
4.98 miles |
All schools in Harpenden · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications
What is Wood End School's Ofsted rating?
The latest Ofsted rating for Wood End School is Outstanding, from an inspection in January 2024.
When was Wood End School last inspected by Ofsted?
Wood End School was last inspected in January 2024.
How many pupils does Wood End School have?
Wood End School has 457 pupils on roll.
What age range does Wood End School cover?
Wood End School for pupils aged 4 to 11.
What are Wood End School's SATs (KS2) results?
In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Where is Wood End School?
Wood End School is at Yeomans Avenue, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 3EF.