St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School

St Nicholas CofE VA Primary is a small, nurturing Church of England school where pupils feel safe, valued and well supported. Personal development is a particular strength: pupils understand and model the school's values, speak maturely about PSHE and online safety, and benefit from a wide programme of clubs, trips, pastoral support and pupil leadership roles. Attendance is above average, persistent absence is low, bullying is rare and pupils are generally kind and polite. National test outcomes are also above average in reading, writing and mathematics and in the phonics screening check, and vulnerable pupils, including those with SEND or who are disadvantaged, are identified quickly and supported well. Most other areas are secure but not yet consistently strong. The curriculum is broad and well sequenced, teaching is generally effective, and leaders, governors and staff work well together. However, some pupils do not consistently apply what they know, especially in writing, and teaching is not always precise enough to make this happen. In classrooms, some pupils are less focused because the behaviour policy is not applied consistently across year groups. In the early years, children make a secure start and are well cared for, but some do not secure basic writing skills as well as they could. The school is well led and has a clear understanding of its strengths and next steps. It is a small primary with low proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals and with SEND, and it uses one unregistered alternative provision. Overall, it is performing well, with strong personal development and above-average attendance and national outcomes, while the main priorities are sharper teaching for application of skills, especially writing, and more consistent behaviour practice.

Strengths

• Pupils model the school's values of kindness, perseverance, hope and responsibility.
• Personal development is a standout strength, with pupils reflecting thoughtfully on diversity, tolerance and faith.
• Pupils have a deep understanding of PSHE, relationships and online safety.
• Bespoke pastoral support is carefully matched to individual pupil needs and monitored for impact.
• Disadvantaged pupils are well supported to access clubs, trips and one-to-one tuition.
• Pupils enjoy a wide range of clubs, trips and leadership roles that prepare them well for life beyond school.
• National test outcomes are above average in reading, writing and mathematics and in the phonics screening check.
• Vulnerable pupils are identified quickly and generally make suitable progress from their starting points.
• Attendance is above average and persistent absence is below average for all pupils, including vulnerable pupils.
• Pupils feel safe, say bullying is rare and trust adults to deal with concerns well.
• Pupils are kind, polite and generally behave well at social times.
• The curriculum is broad, enriching and well sequenced, and teaching is generally effective.
• Pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and pupils with English as an additional language are well included and typically progress well.
• Early years children make a secure start, build positive relationships and benefit from a language-rich curriculum.
• Leaders know the school well, governors provide effective support and challenge, and staff feel valued and well supported.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils do not consistently apply key skills, particularly in writing, across their daily learning.
• Teaching is not always precise enough to help pupils apply knowledge and skills accurately and consistently.
• The behaviour policy is not consistently implemented across all year groups, so some pupils are less focused on learning.
• Some early years children struggle to apply basic writing skills, such as capital letters, full stops and accurate spelling, in the wider curriculum.
• Achievement in daily learning is more varied than the strong national test outcomes suggest.

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 St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School attended 96.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.8% 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 St Nicholas CofE VA 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 St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School had 22.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 31.2% 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, 4.7% of pupils at St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.0% 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 St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School received £6,872 and spent £6,804 for each of its 149 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £52,000 (£348 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 Harpenden · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School have?

St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School has 149 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School cover?

St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 91% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School?

St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School is at Church Green, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2TP.