Park Street Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Park Street Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a small, inclusive Church of England school in St Albans. Inspectors found it performing well overall, with safeguarding standards met. The school's strongest work is in early years, inclusion and personal development. Early years provision is highly effective, with expert leadership, an ambitious curriculum and excellent teaching that prepares children well for Key Stage 1. Pupils with additional needs are identified quickly and supported highly effectively, and disadvantaged pupils and vulnerable pupils achieve well. Personal development is a notable strength, with pupils showing confidence, respect, empathy and a strong understanding of life in modern Britain. Achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, and leadership and governance are all judged to be at the expected standard. Pupils generally secure foundational knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics, and published outcomes are broadly in line with national figures. Disadvantaged pupils achieve well compared with similar pupils nationally. Attendance is improving, but persistent absence remains slightly above the national average. The curriculum is broad, ambitious and well sequenced, though implementation is not yet fully consistent across all phases and subjects. Leadership and governance are effective, with ambitious leaders, suitable governor oversight, and positive staff and parent views. The inspection identified two main priorities: refining curriculum implementation so pupils achieve consistently well across all phases and areas, and further embedding attendance strategies to reduce persistent absence. Overall, this is a strong and inclusive school with clear strengths in early years, inclusion and personal development, and a small number of well-understood areas for further development.

Strengths

• Highly effective early years provision with expert leadership and an ambitious curriculum.
• Excellent early years teaching that builds rich vocabulary and strong early reading, literacy and mathematics.
• Rapid identification and removal of barriers to learning for pupils with additional needs.
• Highly effective specialist support for pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and vulnerable pupils.
• Strong inclusion practice with precise oversight of academic and social-emotional progress.
• Highly effective personal development programme woven through all aspects of school life.
• Pupils are confident, polite, respectful and highly inclusive towards one another.
• Pupils behave well, enjoy learning and have warm, respectful relationships with staff.
• Broad, ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum with effective staff training.
• Wide range of clubs, trips and leadership opportunities accessible to all pupils.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve very well compared with similar pupils nationally.
• Leaders and governors are ambitious, know the school well and provide appropriate support and challenge.
• Staff feel valued and supported, and most parents are positive about the school.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture.
• Pupils feel happy, safe and cared for in a welcoming school community.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation is not consistently high quality across all phases and subjects.
• Persistent absence remains slightly above the national average.
• Attendance strategies need further refinement so all groups of pupils attend consistently well.

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 Park Street Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.8% 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, 2.0% of pupils at Park Street 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 Park Street Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School had 19.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 18.3% of pupils at Park Street Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.8% 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 Park Street Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School received £8,194 and spent £8,015 for each of its 148 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £120,000 (£814 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 St Albans · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Park Street Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Park Street Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Park Street Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Park Street Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Park Street Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School have?

Park Street Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has 153 pupils on roll.

What age range does Park Street Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School cover?

Park Street Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Park Street Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Park Street Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?

Park Street Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is at Branch Road, Park Street, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL2 2LX.