Belswains Primary School

Belswains Primary School remains a good educational institution where pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), thrive in their learning journeys. The school has successfully managed an increase in pupil numbers since the previous inspection, ensuring a continued quality education. Pupils engage enthusiastically with high expectations set by staff, and they benefit from a diverse range of extracurricular activities, fostering both their academic and personal growth. The curriculum has been thoughtfully redesigned to enhance pupils' experiences and has effectively been implemented in most subjects, resulting in high-quality work and confident learners.

Strengths

• Pupils learn and achieve well.
• Strong emphasis on developing children's language and speaking skills in early years.
• High-quality reading curriculum supports pupils to become confident readers.
• Effective safeguarding arrangements ensure pupil safety.
• Pupils display excellent behavior and contribute positively to the school community.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers lack clarity on the curriculum expectations and skills to teach in a few subjects.
• Inconsistent checking of pupils' understanding in certain subjects.

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 Belswains Primary School attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.8% 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 Belswains Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Belswains Primary School had 22.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.5% 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, 8.4% of pupils at Belswains Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.6% 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 Belswains Primary School received £6,264 and spent £6,120 for each of its 423 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £325,000 (£769 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 Belswains Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Belswains Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2023.

When was Belswains Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Belswains Primary School was last inspected in May 2023.

How many pupils does Belswains Primary School have?

Belswains Primary School has 431 pupils on roll.

What age range does Belswains Primary School cover?

Belswains Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Belswains Primary School?

Belswains Primary School is at Barnfield, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP3 9QJ.