Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is performing well, maintaining a good overall effectiveness rating. The school has successfully created a nurturing environment where pupils feel safe, valued, and motivated to learn. The curriculum is broad and ambitious, equipping students with essential knowledge while fostering their personal development, positive behavior, and strong attitudes towards learning. Parents express high satisfaction with the quality of education their children receive, highlighting the supportive staff and rich extracurricular activities available to pupils.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and supported by caring staff.
• High expectations of behavior promoted by teachers.
• Broad and ambitious curriculum aligned with future needs.
• Effective prioritization of reading with consistent teaching methods.
• Good quality provision for pupils with special educational needs.
• Positive pupil behavior and respect towards others.
• Strong engagement in extracurricular activities enhancing learning.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent opportunities for pupils to apply knowledge independently in some curriculum areas.
• Insufficient rigor in evaluating behavior and attendance policies.

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 Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School attended 88.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 36.4% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided 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 Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School had 9.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.7% 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, 34.8% of pupils at Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 13.0% 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 Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School received £12,487 and spent £13,457 for each of its 45 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £28,000 (£614 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 Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2022.

When was Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School was last inspected in November 2022.

How many pupils does Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School have?

Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has 46 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School cover?

Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

Where is Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?

Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is at School Lane, Ardeley, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG2 7AJ.