Layston Church of England First School

Layston Church of England First School is a small Church of England first school that is on an upward improvement journey. Leaders have been effective in improving attendance and behaviour, and the school meets expected standards for attendance and behaviour, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Safeguarding standards are met. Pupils are well cared for, feel safe, and learn in calm classrooms; persistent absence has fallen sharply, suspensions have reduced, and pupils with SEND or eligible for pupil premium are identified accurately and supported to access learning alongside peers. Strong pastoral care, positive relationships, and a curriculum that promotes values, diversity, health and safety are notable strengths. However, achievement, curriculum and teaching, and early years require attention. Although phonics and multiplication outcomes are beginning to improve, these improvements are in their infancy. Some pupils with SEND or pupil premium still have gaps in reading fluency and writing that are not closing quickly enough, higher-attaining pupils are not consistently stretched, and pupils with SEND can become over-reliant on adult help, limiting independent progress. Assessment is not yet used routinely enough to adapt teaching precisely, and pupils are not always clear about what they need to improve. Early years is a priority: the curriculum is better planned, but activities and questioning often do not extend or deepen children’s learning as intended. The school is well led, with high expectations, accurate priorities, effective governance and strong parental support. Leaders have engaged well with local authority support and maintained improvement despite operational challenges. The next steps focus on raising expectations and precision in early years, using assessment more effectively across the school, improving independence and academic progress for pupils with the highest needs, and helping pupils with reading and writing gaps to catch up more quickly.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where concerns are identified and managed.
• Leaders have significantly reduced persistent absence, particularly for pupils with SEND or pupil premium funding.
• Attendance is broadly in line with national averages, with robust tracking and swift responses to dips.
• Behaviour has improved markedly; suspensions have fallen and there is little low-level disruption.
• Bullying is rare and leaders address it swiftly and effectively.
• SEND identification is accurate and recently refined so no child slips through the net.
• Vulnerable pupils receive targeted support and adjustments that help them access learning alongside peers.
• Pastoral care is strong, with trusted adults and regular check-ins supporting pupil wellbeing.
• The personal development curriculum teaches tolerance, respect, democracy, health and safety well.
• Pupils enjoy forest sessions, leadership roles, clubs and community activities that build resilience and empathy.
• Leaders have high expectations, know the school well, and have prioritised the right areas for improvement.
• Governance is strategic and effective, staff feel supported, and parents are overwhelmingly supportive.
• The curriculum has been updated with clear progression, and phonics teaching is becoming more expert.
• Reading books generally match pupils' reading ability.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement requires attention because improvements in phonics and multiplication outcomes are still in their infancy.
• Gaps in reading fluency and writing for some pupils with SEND or pupil premium are not closing rapidly enough.
• Pupils with higher starting points are not given sufficient opportunity to extend or deepen their knowledge.
• Pupils with SEND do not make sufficient independent academic progress once in class.
• Academic targets for pupils with SEND are too broad, and well-intentioned over-helping hinders independence.
• Teachers do not routinely use assessment checks to inform next steps in teaching.
• Learning is not always adapted precisely enough to meet differing needs and abilities.
• Pupils are not clear about why they have done well or what they need to improve, especially in writing.
• Misconceptions remain for some pupils with SEND or pupil premium, such as in letter/number formation and punctuation.
• Early years remains a priority area, with outcomes across all areas still needing sustained improvement, including for children with SEND.
• Early years activities are typically limited in scope, with little chance to extend or deepen knowledge.
• Staff questioning in early years is not routinely precise enough to maximise learning.
• Children in early years are not securing curriculum knowledge as well as the ambitious curriculum intends.
• Leaders need to tighten target-setting for pupils with SEND and/or pupil premium so it is more robust.
• Leaders need to ensure pupils with the highest needs make suitable academic progress and develop more academic independence.
• Leaders need to ensure pupils with reading and writing gaps fill them more quickly.
• Early years staff need higher expectations of what children can achieve.

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 Layston Church of England First School attended 94.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.7% 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, 0.7% of pupils at Layston Church of England First 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 Layston Church of England First School had 23.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 41.5% 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, 15.3% of pupils at Layston Church of England First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.3% 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 Layston Church of England First School received £8,702 and spent £9,596 for each of its 124 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £23,000 (-£183 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 Buntingford · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Layston Church of England First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Layston Church of England First School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Layston Church of England First School last inspected by Ofsted?

Layston Church of England First School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Layston Church of England First School have?

Layston Church of England First School has 124 pupils on roll.

What age range does Layston Church of England First School cover?

Layston Church of England First School for pupils aged 5 to 9.

Where is Layston Church of England First School?

Layston Church of England First School is at The Causeway, Buntingford, Hertfordshire, SG9 9EU.