Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School

Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary is a very small, friendly village school that is performing well overall. Inspectors found pupils enjoy school, attend with enthusiasm, behave kindly and feel safe. Personal development and wellbeing are a particular strength: the school’s values are threaded through the curriculum, pupils take on roles such as wellbeing leaders and change team members, and pastoral support is effective. Safeguarding standards are met. Achievement is secure. Pupils make steady progress, read fluently by the end of key stage 1, and outcomes in reading and mathematics at the end of key stage 2 are above national averages, including for many disadvantaged pupils; pupils with SEND typically achieve well. Attendance has improved rapidly and is now close to national averages, and behaviour is calm and orderly. Early years provision is well thought out, and leadership and governance are effective, with a clear vision and careful management of change since the headteacher joined in September 2024. The main areas for further work are consistency. In a few subjects, the curriculum is not implemented as well as leaders intend, and some tasks are not well matched to what pupils need to learn. Handwriting is not consistently taught well enough for all pupils to develop fluent, accurate and legible writing. Support for pupils with SEND has been strengthened, but some changes are still new and need to be embedded consistently.

Strengths

• Personal development and wellbeing are a standout strength, with values threaded through the curriculum and wider opportunities.
• Pupils are curious, resilient, reflective and accepting of difference.
• Pastoral support is strong and helps pupils manage behaviour successfully.
• Behaviour around school is sensible, kind and calm, with very rare serious misbehaviour.
• Pupils achieve well in reading and mathematics at the end of key stage 2, including disadvantaged pupils.
• Pupils with SEND typically learn well alongside their peers and receive effective adaptations.
• Attendance has improved rapidly and is now close to national averages.
• Early years provision is well sequenced and helps children settle quickly and learn to read.
• Leadership and governance are effective, with a clear vision and careful change management.
• Staff feel trusted and valued, and there is a strong sense of teamwork.
• The curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced, with strong teaching in reading and mathematics.
• Pupils learn about diversity, equality and online safety, and contribute to the wider community.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation is not consistently strong across all subjects.
• In a few subjects, tasks are occasionally not well matched to pupils’ learning needs.
• Handwriting is not taught consistently well enough for pupils to develop fluent, accurate and legible writing.
• Some pupils do not achieve as well as they could in a few subjects beyond English and mathematics.
• Improvements to SEND provision are still new and need to be consistently embedded to have maximum impact.

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 Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School attended 92.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 28.6% 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, 2.6% of pupils at Great Gaddesden Church of England 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 Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School had 15.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.1% 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, 17.5% of pupils at Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.2% 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 Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School received £9,276 and spent £8,810 for each of its 80 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £73,000 (£921 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 Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in February 2026.

When was Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School was last inspected in February 2026.

How many pupils does Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School have?

Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School has 80 pupils on roll.

What age range does Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School cover?

Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 83% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School?

Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School is at Church Meadow, Great Gaddesden, Great Gaddesden Primary School, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP1 3BT.