Oakmere Primary School

Oakmere Primary School was inspected in October 2024 and was judged good in all key areas: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. This is a notable improvement on the previous inspection, when the school was judged to require improvement, and the report highlights considerable progress since then. The school is also managing a move from two-form entry to one-form entry, with mixed Year 3/4 and Year 5/6 classes. The school is welcoming and inclusive, with positive relationships and high expectations for behaviour. Pupils have strong learning behaviours, and staff support those who find behaviour more difficult. The curriculum is ambitious and broad, teachers have strong subject knowledge, and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified quickly and supported highly effectively. Reading is well established, with strong phonics teaching and targeted support for pupils who fall behind. Leaders have also improved clubs, trips and leadership opportunities, and governors have a clear vision and use expert support well. The main areas for improvement are the early years curriculum and attendance. In a small number of early years areas of learning, the curriculum does not set out what children should know and remember in enough detail, which means staff are not always clear about learning intentions. Attendance has improved slightly, but too many pupils still do not attend school regularly, leaving gaps in their learning.

Strengths

• Welcoming and inclusive school with positive relationships and mutual respect
• High expectations of behaviour and strong learning behaviours among pupils
• Ambitious and broad curriculum that helps pupils make progress
• Teachers have strong subject knowledge and teach vocabulary explicitly
• Effective assessment identifies misconceptions and gives pupils clear guidance
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported highly effectively
• Well-established reading and phonics approach with targeted support
• Pupils with SEND are included in all aspects of school life and achieve well
• Wider opportunities, clubs, trips and leadership roles have been improved
• Governors have a clear vision and have used expert support well
• Leaders consider staff workload and well-being

Areas for Improvement

• Early years curriculum lacks sufficient detail in a small number of areas of learning
• Too many pupils do not attend school regularly, leading to gaps in learning
• Attendance strategies need to be more precise to improve regular 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 Oakmere Primary School attended 92.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 20.2% 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, 7.7% of pupils at Oakmere 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 Oakmere Primary School had 19.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.1% 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, 20.4% of pupils at Oakmere Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.2% 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 Oakmere Primary School received £8,523 and spent £8,617 for each of its 223 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £152,000 (£681 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 Potters Bar · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Oakmere Primary School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Oakmere Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Oakmere Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Oakmere Primary School have?

Oakmere Primary School has 226 pupils on roll.

What age range does Oakmere Primary School cover?

Oakmere Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Oakmere Primary School?

Oakmere Primary School is at Chace Avenue, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, EN6 5NP.