The Leys Primary and Nursery School

The Leys Primary and Nursery School has been rated as good in all areas of its provision during this inspection. The school fosters a positive environment where pupils feel happy and are eager to learn. Their behavior is commendable, and they demonstrate respect and empathy as they engage with their peers and staff. The school emphasizes high expectations for academic achievement, and most pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress. Children in early years are well-supported and develop crucial skills for future learning through well-thought-out activities. However, while the curriculum is generally well-structured, some subjects lack the same depth in sequencing of essential knowledge, which prevents pupils from fully deepening their understanding over time. The school leadership recognizes the areas needing improvement and is focused on refining the curriculum to ensure all subjects hold the same high standards. This inspection marks the school's first routine evaluation since the pandemic, making it a pivotal moment for assessing its current context and improvements since the last visit.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy and eager to learn.
• The school promotes strong values of empathy, inclusivity, and respect.
• Students demonstrate confidence and engagement in their learning.
• Early years provision supports children well in developing vital skills.
• The school prioritizes reading effectively from an early age.
• Teachers have a good understanding of the curriculum and support pupil learning well.
• Pupils participate in a wide range of extracurricular activities.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subjects do not have a precise breakdown of content, affecting deep learning.

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 Leys Primary and Nursery School attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.5% 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, 1.7% of pupils at The Leys Primary and Nursery 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 The Leys Primary and Nursery School had 21.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.9% 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, 20.7% of pupils at The Leys Primary and Nursery School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.2% 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 Leys Primary and Nursery School received £7,331 and spent £7,089 for each of its 393 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £280,000 (£713 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 Stevenage · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

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

The latest Ofsted rating for The Leys Primary and Nursery School is Good, from an inspection in April 2024.

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

The Leys Primary and Nursery School was last inspected in April 2024.

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

The Leys Primary and Nursery School has 406 pupils on roll.

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

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

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

In 2025, 58% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Leys Primary and Nursery School?

The Leys Primary and Nursery School is at Ripon Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 4QZ.