Commonswood Primary & Nursery School
| Type | Primary / Community school |
| Age Range | 4-11 |
| Religion | Does not apply |
| Address | The Commons Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire AL7 4RU |
| Phone | 01707880420 |
| Reference Number | 117378 |
Commonswood Primary and Nursery School is performing well, maintaining its previous 'Good' rating during this inspection. The school offers a broad curriculum that is engaging for pupils and encourages a strong love of learning, especially in reading and personal development. Significant highlights include the strong sense of community within the school, with pupils exhibiting pride in their achievements and participation in a variety of extracurricular activities. The foundational stage is particularly noteworthy, as children are effectively prepared for their future education with an exciting and well-structured curriculum. While the overall quality of education is commendable, there are areas for improvement in the delivery of the curriculum in certain subjects. A small number of teachers are still developing their understanding of how to implement and assess the curriculum as intended, leading to inconsistent outcomes in knowledge retention across subjects. Additionally, communication with parents remains a school focus, as some parents feel they need more clarity on their children's learning and the school's operations.
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 413 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 49.15%
Girls: 50.85% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 11.3% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 10.9% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 27.5 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 26.8 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 26.9 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | 27 | 54 |
| 2 | 20 | 30 | 50 |
| 3 | 29 | 29 | 58 |
| 4 | 25 | 26 | 51 |
| 5 | 27 | 27 | 54 |
| 6 | 22 | 30 | 52 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 72.9% |
| White & Asian | 4.6% |
| Mixed, Other | 4.6% |
| Indian | 3.9% |
| White, Other | 3.4% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 2.7% |
| Asian, Other | 1.9% |
| White & Black (African) | 1.7% |
| Chinese | 0.7% |
| Unclassified | 0.5% |
| African | 0.5% |
| Irish | 0.2% |
| Caribbean | 0.2% |
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Good |
| > Quality of education | Good |
| > Behaviour & Attitude | Good |
| > Personal Development | Outstanding |
| > Leadership & Management | Good |
| > Early Years Provision | Outstanding |
| Last Report Date | 10 Jan 2023 |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 10 Jan 2023 | School inspection: |
| 20 Nov 2019 | School inspection |
| 16 Mar 2016 | Full inspection: |
| 28 Mar 2014 | Monitoring visit |
| 02 Oct 2013 | Full inspection: |
| 07 Feb 2012 | Full inspection: |
| 11 Dec 2008 | Full inspection: |
| 14 Jun 2004 | Full inspection |
Strengths
- Pupils exhibit strong pride in their school and actively participate in a variety of activities.
- The curriculum is ambitious and well-sequenced, helping pupils achieve good outcomes.
- Teaching of reading is prioritized, leading to strong literacy skills among pupils.
- The early years provision is outstanding, preparing children effectively for their next educational stages.
- Pupils are taught to respect each other and resolve conflicts, demonstrating good behaviour and attitudes.
- Leaders have developed a comprehensive personal development curriculum that prepares pupils for life in modern Britain.
Areas for Improvement
- Some teachers lack sufficient understanding of how to deliver and assess the curriculum, affecting knowledge retention.
- Communication with parents requires improvement, as some feel unaware of their children's learning and school operations.
How many students meet the standards
| Reading, Writing & Maths | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils meeting the expected standard | 65% | ||
| Pupils meeting a higher standard | 12% |
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 | 109 | ||
| Maths | 107 |
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 | 0.2 | ||
| Writing | 0.4 | ||
| Maths | -0.6 |
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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| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | ||
| Second Preference | 27 | 6 |
| Third Preference | 11 | 1 |
| From another Local Authority | 1 | 0 |
Previous Years
Sample
Unlock| Name | Distance |
|
Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School
Blackthorn Road, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL7 3JP |
0.82 miles |
|
Holwell Primary School
Holwell Road, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL7 3RP |
1 miles |
|
Watchlytes Primary School
Watchlytes, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL7 2AZ |
1 miles |
|
Ludwick Nursery School
Holwell Road, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 3RP |
1.03 miles |
|
Creswick Academy
Sir John Newsom Way, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL7 4FL |
1.06 miles |
|
Our Lady Catholic Primary School
Woodhall Lane, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL7 3TF |
1.09 miles |
|
Peartree Primary School
Peartree Primary School, Peartree Lane, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL7 3XW |
1.24 miles |
|
Panshanger Primary School
Daniells, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL7 1QY |
1.24 miles |
|
Springmead Primary School
Hillyfields, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 2HB |
1.35 miles |
|
The Ryde School
Pleasant Rise, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL9 5DR |
1.69 miles |
|
The Holy Family Catholic Primary School
Crookhams, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL7 1PG |
1.91 miles |
|
Waterside Academy
Rowans, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL7 1NZ |
1.95 miles |
|
Essendon CofE (VC) Primary School
School Lane, Essendon, Hertfordshire, AL9 6HD |
1.95 miles |
|
Applecroft School
Applecroft Road, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL8 6JZ |
1.97 miles |
|
Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School
Birch Green, Hertford, Hertfordshire, SG14 2LR |
2.17 miles |
|
Countess Anne Church of England School
School Lane, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 8AX |
2.2 miles |
|
Templewood Primary School
Pentley Park, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL8 7SD |
2.23 miles |
|
Birchwood Avenue Primary School
Birchwood Avenue, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 0PS |
2.3 miles |
|
Tewin Cowper Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Cannons Meadow, Tewin, Tewin Cowper Ce Primary School Va, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, AL6 0JU |
2.33 miles |
|
Birchwood Nursery School
Birchway, Hatfield, AL10 0PD |
2.34 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
James Marks Academy
The Commons, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 4RZ |
0.1 miles |
|
Ridgeway Academy
Herns Lane, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL7 2AF |
1.23 miles |
|
Stanborough School
Lemsford Lane, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL8 6YR |
1.85 miles |
|
Lakeside School
Lemsford Lane, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL8 6YN |
2.02 miles |
|
Onslow St Audrey's School
Old Rectory Drive, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 8AB |
2.49 miles |
|
Bishop's Hatfield Girls' School
Woods Avenue, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 8NL |
2.73 miles |
|
Monk's Walk School
Knightsfield, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL8 7NL |
2.85 miles |
|
Knightsfield School
Knightsfield, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL8 7LW |
2.93 miles |
|
Sherrardswood School
Lockleys, Welwyn, AL6 0BJ |
3.29 miles |
|
The Sele School
Welwyn Road, Hertford, Hertfordshire, SG14 2DG |
3.34 miles |
|
Chancellor's School
Pine Grove, Brookmans Park, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL9 7BN |
3.94 miles |
|
Richard Hale School
Hale Road, Hertford, Hertfordshire, SG13 8EN |
4.3 miles |
|
Rhodes Wood Hospital School
Shepherds Way, Brookmans Park, Hatfield, AL9 6NN |
4.52 miles |
|
Simon Balle All-Through School
Mangrove Road, Hertford, Hertfordshire, SG13 8AJ |
4.67 miles |
|
Queenswood School
Shepherd's Way, Hatfield, AL9 6NS |
4.82 miles |